Fifty Shades of Judgment

What an interesting trend the "Fifty Shades" phenomenon has become! It makes me smile for a number of reasons. First, I actually enjoyed the books. Second, I am excited that a no-name erotica writer can make it to the NYT Bestsellers List. Third, I think it is great that, when confronted with a little bit of kink, mainstream America eats it up. At a time of really repressive social conservatism, we need something like Fifty Shades to balance things out.

Recently, though, I have noticed that it is hard to start a conversation about any sort of fiction without having people bring up the Fifty Shades trilogy in a negative way. "It's got no plot!" "It's demeaning to women!" "It's not well-written!" "It teaches a bad lesson!"

It sounds more like a discussion about a presidential campaign strategy than in does a simple romance trilogy!

It's interesting that the majority of those who complain about these books claim they have never actually read them. They've read excerpts and reviews, but not the actual books.

It may be that they shouldn't read the books.

Fifty Shades of Grey, Fifty Shades Darker and Fifty Shades Freed are erotic romance novels with a BDSM theme. Not everyone enjoys the romance genre, and BDSM is not for everyone.

But I do wonder why people who are not interested in the subject matter so vehemently decry these particular books.

It irritates me. I don't ever watch football. I think it is boring. But I understand that others don't agree with me, and that I really don't know what I am talking about when it comes to professional sports. So, I refrain from talking about what I don't know about. For me, it is a point of courtesy.

I think part of the desire to trash these books is the tendency for intellectual people to avoid anything that is popular. The masses are asses, and many things that appeal to the mainstream don't appeal to those with more sophisticated tastes.

It is also true that, in a technical sense, the Fifty Shades trilogy is not well-written. But neither is any Nora Roberts book, and you don't see people ranting about her.

I love Nora Roberts, but her style would make my English teacher cringe. Her point of view slips between characters in a matter of sentences. She randomly inserts the omniscient point of view; a device truly out of favor amongst modern novelists and editors. She repeats phrases regularly. She sprinkles her pages with em dashes as if they were Mrs. Dash.

Beyond that, there is only a fine line separating the romance of Nora Roberts from the erotica of EL James. Both are very spicy writers.

When we talk about escapist fiction, how much do readers really care about proper form? We want a story that engages us. We want to care about the characters. We want to find out what happens next. Personally, I think that any writer who can do that is a good writer, no matter what rules they break. Make me believe! Make me turn the pages! Make me sad when I've come to the last page.

In the past week I have heard so much misinformation about the Fifty Shades stories that I feel someone who has actually read the books needs to clear up the misunderstandings. And so, please enjoy a little Q & A in response to the statements I am hearing about these books from people who have never actually read them.

Q. Does the Fifty Shades trilogy have a plot?

A. Yes. It is the love story of a man who suffers from haphephobia and a woman who has never found romantic love necessary. Both are survivors of childhood abuse and neglect. Both have found ways to be successful despite these difficulties. Neither has ever before experienced real romantic love.

Q. Does the dominant male abuse the female in this story?

A. No. The female refuses to become his sub, even though she loves him. Furthermore, dom/sub relationships do not tend to be abusive. In these sorts of relationships, it is the sub who has all the power, not the dom.

Q. How well do these stories reflect the values and practices of the BDSM community?

A. There could be a lot of argument here - probably because there are a lot of different values and practices within that community. And, I don't claim to be an expert on this particular topic. The values of which I am aware (the stop word invokes an immediate stop, the sub is in the power position, and it is more about exploring pleasure than it is about inflicting pain) seem to be accurately described in the book.

Q. Are the characters realistic?

A. Probably not, but since when did fictitious characters need to be? I found enough realism in all the main characters that I was able to identify with them, and care what happened to them.

Q. Do these books promote abuse against women?

A. Um, no. If they promote anything, they promote the concept that a woman can remain strong in her convictions and do what is right for her, no matter how wealthy and attractive a man might be, or how much the woman might want to have a relationship with him.

A. Do people really have "playrooms" in their homes (i.e. the "Red Room of Pain")?

Q. Yes. It would seem that some people do.

Q. Do these books encourage deviant sexuality?

A. These books may spark the imagination and encourage people to more fully explore their sexuality.

Q. Is that a bad thing?

A. No.

The bottom line is this. Some people read Penthouse for the articles. Some people read erotic novels because they enjoy a good romance story. Fiction can be a mindless entertainment, but what's wrong with that?

Romantic fiction isn't for everyone. Erotica isn't for everyone. BDSM certainly isn't for everyone. But, at sales of more than 51 million copies for the first book alone, these books are definitely for someone! So why judge? Let's celebrate the fact that, in a diverse world, there really is something for everyone!

What Would Happen If...?

Many people believe the planet is changing its "vibration." Some of us think that now could be a time of "planetary evolution."

It better be.

We desperately need new vision, new ideas and new ways of thinking and acting in order to solve the myriad of problems we face in our communities and our nations, and on our planet.

Sometimes it seems to me that we need to try a bit harder to overcome some of our basic human instincts.

I love the idea that we are spiritual beings having a human experience.  I think that means, in part, that we need to be strong enough spiritually to overcome some of our less helpful tendencies.

Many of us feel helpless to make a real difference in the world.  That helplessness may be why so many people turn to superstition instead of solutions.  To believe that our problems are caused because a Higher Power is punishing us because we allow fill-in-the-blank in our communities is a convenient way to attack people instead of problems.

But many people feel that if we can change ourselves, we can change the planet.

What would happen if we each challenged ourselves to make small life-affirming changes?  What if we worked to resist our own pettiness?  Would that mean that ultimately, there would be less pettiness in the world? What if we worked to better channel our own anger?  Would that mean there would be less violence in the world?

What small changes could you think of that might make a difference?

What would happen if, when we saw a non-threatening spider or snake, we resisted the urge to kill it?

What would happen if, when we had a conversation with someone whose views were different from our own, we treated them with respect?

What would happen if, when we felt angry, we found humor in the situation?

What would happen if we stopped fearing judgment, and allowed ourselves to be creative?

What would happen if, when we inadvertently said something that hurt someone, we apologized, even though we meant no offense?

What would happen if, when someone inadvertently hurt us, we forgave them?

What would happen if we remembered our commonality, instead of our differences?

What would happen if we turned off our TV, and left it off?

What would happen if we researched facts, and refused to share lies?

What would happen if we only spoke about others what we knew to be absolutely true?

What would happen if we stopped seeing the world in terms of "good guys" and "bad guys," and instead just saw people?

We will always be human, and that's ok.  But what would happen if we actively, consciously participated in our own evolution?

A Terrible Time Machine

Not too long ago I had a bit of a heated conversation with a good friend who claimed there was no "war on women" brewing here in the US.

It reminded me that, as I approach my 50^th birthday, I have to claim my roots as a crusty old feminist from the old days. In my youth, I read Ms. Magazine, volunteered for NARAL and went door-to-door in support of the ERA. In my junior year of high school my favorite souvenir from our field trip to Washington, DC was a T shirt with the slogan "A Woman's Place is in the House…and in the Senate."

Over the years, I decided that women had gained enough political and social clout that I no longer needed to chastise people for referring to grown women as "girls." I decided it was ok to trade my hiking boots for a pair of high heels once in a while. My daughter grew up with few of the inner or outer gender limitations that had been placed on the young women of my generation. We had done a good job, I thought. Even without the passage of the ERA and the protections that would have afforded us.

Never did it occur to me that the rights and recognition we had worked for could be fragile, or temporary.

The right to reproductive freedom has always been in question. I remember a friend who was an organizer for NARAL telling me that we could lose the right to choice in 1985. When it didn't happen then, or any other year after that, I relaxed.

The fact is, I get the basic concept of the pro-life movement, at its heart. I understand the sorrow at potential human life extinguished. If I saw those same people interested in offering health care, nutrition and education to unplanned-for children I might take their movement more seriously.

My biggest concern now is not the possibility of an overturning of Roe V Wade. My biggest concern is about something much deeper and darker, something of which this fevered drive to control women's bodies is only a symptom.

I have a friend who is another crusty old feminist from back in the day. She has often exclaimed to me her upset with rap, a music form I have come to respect and enjoy. Her feminist heart is hurt by the disrespect to women she hears in the lyrics. I have always heard the same thing, but decided not to let it bother me. The old me, the young feminist in T shirts, denim and hiking boots, would have. But, since I thought we had already won the war, I decided the battle was unnecessary. Let people say, sing and rap what they wanted, our position in society was secure. We could study what we wanted, work where we wanted, and enjoy equal protection under the law, even without the ERA. We had won.

Now it seems I was wrong.

The evil root that I see growing now is nothing short of misogyny. And, in many cases, the purveyors of this hatred are women themselves.

The recent conversations about "forcible rape" and "legitimate rape" have sent shivers of dread up my spine.

But nothing compares with the news story I saw today out of Arizona. Apparently, an off-duty police officer went into a bar and sexually molested a woman. At the hearing to sentence the assailant, who has been removed from his job, the judge, Coconino County Superior Court Judge Jacqueline Hatch, told the victim that if she hadn't been in the bar she wouldn't have been groped, according to the Arizona Daily Sun. The judge said that she hoped the victim "learned a lesson" from this experience. The judge reduced the assailant's sentence from time in jail to probation.

Did we all just step into a time machine and get sent back to 1940?

Of course, Judge Hatch is the appointee of Governor Jan Brewer, whose record against women speaks for itself.

I wonder what social influences have created this return to the dark ages for women. Is it, as my friend suggests, our tolerance of song lyrics? Is it the growing influence of anti-woman religions here in the US? Is it a somehow a result of difficult economic times? Or is it that we feminists failed to be vigilant?

I don't know what the answer is. I don't know what to do to stop this time machine that threatens us. To me, it is like something out of "The Handmaid's Tale."

I see the problem. I see neither the cause, nor the solution.

The Problem with Nostalgia

Recently a tarot friend posted a meme on Facebook. It was a lovely picture of people riding bicycles in the sunset. The quotation on it was a simple question that went something like this. "How has society changed since you were a child?"

Many of us answered the question. A few answered the question very directly, without value judgments, mentioning technological developments like the personal computer and the cell phone.

I was shocked by the number of people who turned the question into an invitation to make a value judgment. Many gave answers that basically said, emphatically, that they believe society has changed for the worse. They cited things like more violence, less trust and less respect. No one quoted any actual statistics; it was all just their perception.

I was shocked by this for a number of reasons. First, the original poster is one of the most positive people I know. I also know a number of the people who answered, and had never thought of them as being "negative" people. The fact that they would so easily take such a quantitative question and leap into a qualitative negative assessment disturbed me.

Equally disturbing was the fact that people were so quick to decide that our society is "worse" now than it was in their childhoods. They couldn't actually give real statistics or specifics to back up their particular claims, even when I gently asked them questions like "How are our morals worse now?" and "In what way is there less respect now?" The answers across the board basically said "It just is," as if I must be blind not to have noticed these things myself.

Are there things about our present society that disturb me? Of course there are. Overall, do I think things are somehow worse now than they were when I was a child, say, forty-odd years ago? No, I don't; not at all.

Here's why. When I was a kid, sexism, racism and homophobia were much more prevalent than they are today. DDT threatened the very existence of the birds and the butterflies. Ricky beat Lucy every night on television and people thought it was funny. When I was in my twenties it was the height of the Cold War. Most of my compatriots and I feared our lives would be cut short any minute by nuclear war with the Soviet Union.

In my lifetime I have seen the fall of the Berlin Wall, Nelson Mandala transform from prisoner to president, and much greater sensitivity to diversity. Do we have problems in our current society that scare me? Of course we do. Do I miss my youth? Who doesn't? But I have to wonder why so many people seem to believe that we are moving in the wrong direction.

It seems to me this is nothing new. I remember people in the late 1960's and early 1970's shaking their heads and wanting to go back to the 1950's. I remember Deadheads in the 1980's wishing it were the 1960's instead. I shake my head at the medieval festivals that make the Dark Ages look like fun.

My mother used to say that distance improves our perception of things. We forget the bad and remember the good. In some ways, that's a good thing because it helps us heal. In other ways, it may be less helpful.

Our tendency to whitewash our history may cause us to long for the past, and value the past more than we value the present and the future.

Now, politicians are promising to "return the greatness of America" and call for us to "go back to the things that made our country great." I would like to vote for someone who wants to go forward to greatness, rather than backward.

I wonder, too, if the majority of us long for the past, how can we, as a society, create a positive future? And why are we so unwilling to look at the cold hard facts about our past and our present? Was there really less violence in the past, or was it just not reported? Is it possible that the internet and the 24-hour news cycle give us a more negative perception of our present when compared to a time when the national news was reported only once a day for half an hour?

Yes, times are tough. But what would happen if we were grateful for the wonderful things in our lives, both past and present? What if we looked to the future with hope, rather than with fear? What if we worked to change the problems in our society with an eye on the future, rather than on the past?

It may be time for us to override our tendency to forget the difficulties of the past. Instead, it might do us well to remember them and learn from them as we move forward to a better future.

Positive Affirmations - They Don't Always Work

I have seen many postings on social media pages lately about how we should all consider ourselves beautiful. They all say you are beautiful, you are loved, all you have to do to be happy is to love yourself.  Well, I am sorry to say I don’t believe that is enough to get one through life.

When you are alone and no one invites you to their activities or events, when no one bothers to call to ask if you are still alive, when no one notices you in a public gathering and you feel completely alone with possibly 200 people around you, when you are with a small group of friends that all seem to be having a conversation that does not include you or your opinion, when no one laughs at your jokes until they are told by someone else, when no one reads anything you may have written until they see something similar from another source, when no one thinks twice about a comment that might hurt you or insult you, when everyone tells you to think positive thoughts as your world is falling apart rapidly, when no one even knows you are living on the edge and slowly being pushed off the cliff because the walls are too steep and you have no other direction to go-----those are times when simply loving yourself is all you have.  It does not matter how confident you are in your abilities. It does not matter how intelligent, witty, and fun you might be. It hurts. It hurts deep down inside your very heart and soul. It is then that you realize just how alone you really are in this world.

There is a difference between being alone, and being lonely, however, they do overlap at times.  You can be very happy in your home, and your surroundings. You can appreciate the few very good friends and family you love and trust. But when that “alone” feeling is carried out into the world, you begin to think you have nothing of interest to offer. You begin to realize you are falling deeper and deeper into the darkness and there is no light at the end of the dark tunnel. You begin to think you are invisible. You begin to believe you have no voice in this world.

There are some people in this world, I believe, who were never meant to be happy. They are so accustomed to being pushed aside for everyone else. They are used and abused. They may be too kind, and too sensitive to ever hurt anyone by expressing their feelings. So they suffer in silence.  All the positive, loving affirmations can never change or mend their hurt. Only their acceptance by the rest of their world can ease their pain. Then, and only then, will all these daily affirmations have a positive effect on their lives and give them hope for happiness.

Sometimes it is Good to be in Hot Water

A Review of the Zojirushi Water Boiler

One of our national conversations this summer has been about whether anything that happened in the “Fifty Shades” trilogy would actually happen in real life. I read the books, and I liked them, but that is a review for a different time.

The reason I bring up “Fifty Shades” in conjunction with a water boiler is this. Our heroine, Anastasia Steele, doesn’t drink coffee. She, like me, is an avowed tea drinker. Her tea of choice is Twining’s English Breakfast. That used to be one of my favorites, too.

In an early show of chivalry, our dark hero Christian Grey stocks the Twining’s tea in his kitchen for her. Here is a point of complete non-believability.  Twining’s is high-end tea compared to Lipton. For a struggling college student like Anastasia, it is realistic to think that is what her budget can handle. But Christian Grey is loaded. Why wouldn’t he stock the world’s best tea for Ana? Don’t they have Teavana in Seattle? Why wouldn’t Christian serve Ana the same lovely tea that the Obamas serve in the White House?

Although I don’t have a billionaire’s budget, I do love Teavana. Recently I splurged and purchased a Zojirushi Water Boiler from my local Teavana.  At $160.00 it was something I had to think about, but I am so glad I did.

Teavana sells the Zojirushi water boiler specifically for tea, but it is amazing how much you can do with it. I have used it for French Press coffee and a variety of instant “just add hot water” foods. The Zojirushi keeps the water at the specific temperature you set, so it is ready to go at any time. No more waiting for the water to boil, having the water too hot or too cold, or wondering if you left the stove on.

Here’s the amazing bonus. In one month of using the Zojirushi for all my hot water needs, my electric bill was reduced by $80.00. So, in two months my water boiler had paid for itself!

The Zojirushi travels easily. It’s perfect for the hotel room, college dorm, and RV, as well as the kitchen counter.

The Zojirushi water boiler is available at your local Teavana, or directly through Amazon or the Zojirushi website.

Seven Difficult Steps Toward Unity

The word "spectrum" can describe the rainbow of light and color. It can also describe the range of political views. Recently, the American political spectrum has been compressed into only two options: left or right, liberal or conservative.

This compression, this line of demarcation, is absurd and inaccurate. People don't divide this clearly, and issues don't divide this clearly.

I think this angry polarization that divides our nation is artificial. In my mind, its creation comes from a number of sources. It serves neither the country, nor any of the rallying causes. It only serves the power structure that, in turn, serves only the very few.

The sources of our nation's bipolar disorder include the "dumbing down of America." This has been an intentional campaign over the past forty years to make sure that the average American isn't too smart. Why would we want to do that? Again, it serves the political structure that empowers and enriches the very few.

An older and more far-reaching source is simple dualistic thinking. When everything boils down to the eternal battle of good vs. evil, or "for us or against us", it is easy to polarize our national conversation. Dualistic thinking is a true impediment to consensus and cooperation.

Another source is the American news media. Owned by the very few, the media lays the battle lines in clear black-and-white. The under-educated public, already trained in dualistic thinking, eats it up. After all, it's easy, isn't it? Just chose between red or blue, left or right! There are no hard decisions to weigh, and there is nothing to research. Then, an American can proudly say they belong somewhere. The somewhere they belong is no longer on a spectrum, or a continuum. It's on one side of a scale, or the other. The sad fact is, that scale can never, ever balance.

While we are all busy pointing fingers at those on the other side of the scale, blaming them for all the world's evils, the really dangerous forces in the world are able to operate without much interference. Many people see this truth, and long for national unity. The catch is this. Unity will not come without diversity, or in spite of it. Unity can only come through diversity. My elderly aunt used to say that it would be a pretty boring world if we all thought the same way about things. Years later, I see the wisdom in this more clearly than ever before.

My grandmother often quoted Evelyn Beatrice Hall's famous statement; "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." It seems this concept is far less valued by modern Americans than it needs to be.

This July Fourth was bittersweet for me. It is sad that our nation is so angrily divided. In Washington, the "Aisle" is like a mighty river that cannot be crossed. In the media, the extreme voices shout the loudest, and seem to believe they speak for us all.

I'm not sure what it will take to fix this, but I have some ideas.

1. Don't leave the job of education only with the schools. Schools give our kids primary skills and provide free day care, socialization and a sense of basic workplace expectations. It is our job as parents to teach our kids to be critical thinkers, motivated researchers and self-determined decision-makers. To that end, take your kids to the library once in a while. Read with your children. Ask them their opinions, and ask them to back up their opinions by discovering actual facts. If their opinions differ from yours, be pleased. It's called evolution.

2. Remember that people who think and feel differently from you aren't evil. They aren't "bad guys." You and your like-minded friends aren't "good guys." At the end of the day, we all love our kids and we all want what's best for the country, and for the world. We just differ on what we think that "best" actually is.

3. Don't imagine that our country's policies can ever be tailored for your specific beliefs. Compromise is the answer, not the problem.

4. Consider this. Freedom of religion is a basic American right. Legislation dictated by religion isn't.

5. Remember that a leader who changes his or her mind is not necessarily a waffler, or a flip-flopper. When we learn new information, sometimes we change our minds about something. This is called growth. It's a good thing.

6. Don't quote or believe statistics without a legitimate source. Any jerk can create a Facebook meme that uses numbers to make a point. Find out the veracity of those numbers before you become outraged.

7. Here's another thing to consider. Just because a person claims to have a religion does not mean they have a moral center. And just because a person doesn't claim a religion does not mean they don't have a moral center.

So what is it going to take to find national unity? I think we need to honor things like diversity and compromise above hardline adherence to dogma. I think we need to be suspicious of politicians who use fear and anger to motivate us. I think we need to understand we can have basic morals without dictates from a specific religion. I think we need to be critical thinkers, and question everything we read and hear. We need more respect, and less ridicule. We need more facts and less fiction.

I don't think any of this will be quick or easy, but I know it can happen. We just need to be more intelligent than we are angry.

A Delicious Taste of India

When did buffet become the primary fare of Indian restaurants? I think it must have been in the 1980's. That's when I first discovered the joys of Indian food. Suddenly, most of my favorite Indian restaurants started serving lunch buffets, as if they had all received a memo at once. For me this was, and is, a mixed blessing.

Indian food isn't cheap. A buffet is an inexpensive way to eat a whole bunch of Indian food. For those who aren't familiar with Indian cuisine, the buffet is a great introduction. The problem is most Indian buffets don't include my favorite Indian dish. I am always torn between the economy and plentitude of the buffet and my desire for malai kofta.

One of my biggest complaints with downtown West Palm Beach is that, despite the fact it is pretty much nothing but restaurants, there are no Indian restaurants. You have to leave downtown to get to any one of the four Indian restaurants in Greater West Palm Beach.

My favorite local Indian restaurant is Taste of India on Okeechobee near Golden Lakes. I have been there for buffet twice, so I can't tell you how the malai kofta is. What I can tell you is this. The service and atmosphere are terrific, and the buffet is extensive and delicious. Where you are vegetarian or want to eat curried goat, you will find plenty of fresh, perfectly spiced, delicious Indian fare.

I've had a look at the menu, which is also extensive. Even a person who is unsure about Indian food can find plenty to enjoy at Taste of India.

Sweet Ginger Not Sweet Enough

It is funny how two people can have incredibly different dining experiences in the same restaurant at the same time.  My friend and I both love Asian food.  Last night we decided to try Sweet Ginger Asian Bistro in CityPlace, West Palm Beach.

I immediately loved the atmosphere, décor and humungous menu.  I love choices, so the heavy multi-page tome of dining options made me very happy.  The menu primary consists of sushi, Thai and Chinese cuisine.  Hmmm… that’s all my favorites.  What to try?

Based entirely on my mood at the time, I went with Thai. I chose the green veggie curry.  My friend went Chinese with spicy beef and broccoli, sweet and sour soup and a detour to Japan for a seaweed salad.

The food came quickly, and was well presented, although I thought our server was a little rude.  While ordering I asked if I could substitute my house salad for a seaweed salad. He didn’t offer me an upgrade; he just abruptly said “No!”  I felt like a chastised child. When our meal was over he presented us with the check without even asking if we wanted anything else.

I have to say I really enjoyed my curry very much.  My friend was less pleased.  He found the broccoli overdone, and the soup consistency and flavor not exactly right.  My friend is a connoisseur of Chinese food, and always judges a restaurant by their hot and sour soup.  Sadly, in his eyes Sweet Ginger was not as good as standard cheap Chinese take-out. He did enjoy his seaweed salad though.  Sigh.  That’s the salad I was not allowed to have.

Since I enjoyed my meal and liked the place overall, I tried to cajole him into agreeing to another visit at another time, maybe for sushi, which we both enjoy.  His answer was firm.  “If they can’t prepare broccoli correctly, I will not trust them with raw fish.”  I couldn’t find a suitable argument to that, so our quest for perfect Asian food in West Palm Beach continues onward.

Believe in Music

The other day I got an email that made me cry.  I was invited to attend the 85th birthday party of my youth choir director.  Of course, the party will be an old-fashioned hymn-sing.  My schedule will not allow me to attend, but I am happy to have the opportunity to write a note to Mrs. Elliott and let her know what an important role she played in my young life.
 

Although I am not as much of a “Gleek” as I used to be, it is no secret that I am a fan of “Glee,” the television story of a high school show choir.  One of the reasons I love this show so much is it reminds me of my six years in Chapel Singers.
 

Chapel Singers was a fifty-voice ecumenical youth choir.  We designed musical church services and presented them in churches throughout the Northeast.  Our musical selections ranged from old-time hymns to show tunes to modern rock numbers.  Our theme song was a rousing rendition of “I Believe in Music.”
 

“I Believe in Music” might seem like a funny thing to sing in church.  The purpose of church is to state and strengthen our belief in God, not our belief in music, right?  But for our choir director, Alberta Elliott, it was kind of the same thing.
 

Mrs. Elliott was a middle school music teacher; the sort of teacher who has become a rare commodity these days.  In school, as in church, she had a way of bringing the best out of difficult kids, not only musically, but also personally.
 

In an email from one of her daughters, I discovered that Mrs. Elliott has a granddaughter now in college, majoring in music education.  I pray that, once graduated, Jessica will be able to follow in her grandmother’s footsteps and use music to make a real difference in the lives of young people.

From Mrs. Elliott I learned about music, and so much more.  I learned to appreciate history and tradition, and to gently blend the traditional with modern offerings.  I learned the sacred nature of creativity.  I learned to be part of a group. 
 

I am not the most musically talented person I know – far from it.  But having the ability to be part of a musical project was essential and formative for me, as it is for all young people. Mrs. Elliott taught me that music, creativity, community, character and spirituality are all woven together, and are all important.   Without that lesson, my life would have been far less rich, and far less productive.