At Christmas time I stayed two nights on the island of Kauai, where I played a concert with the Kauai Chorale, under the leadership of Shane Morris Wise. I told you about my rude awakening at 3 am in the morning when roosters began crowing. Go back and read my post, “No paltry amount of… Read More As if on cue …
Prizewinning organist, James Kealey, is in Hawaii to present a couple of concerts for the Hawaii Chapter American Guild of Organists and was interviewed by Gene Schiller this morning at Hawaii Public Radio. James said that when he was growing up, he wanted to be an airline pilot, and even started studying geography in preparation… Read More James Kealey in Hawaii
Yesterday I woke up to a text on my phone that our dear friend, organist and harpist Nyle Hallman, had passed away. That was confirmed in a phone call with her daughter, Kathy Hallman, who was her mother’s constant companion, page turner and harp mover. We send our deepest condolences to the Hallman family at… Read More Rest in peace, Nyle
These are three little words I said to one of my newest students a couple of weeks ago. I did not plan what I was going to say … these words just popped out of my mouth. But apparently they made a huge difference in the life of James Myers, who is the latest of… Read More ”I need you”
You probably have heard this quote which has been attributed to Christa McAuliffe, the teacher who perished in the 1986 Challenger Space Shuttle accident. She may not have originated the expression, but she did bring a T-shirt with this imprinted on it, and she certainly popularized it, according to a Wikipedia article I read. So,… Read More I touch the future, I teach
A few days ago, a longtime friend who is a faithful reader of this blog sent me this message: “… I haven’t read a blog from you for quite awhile. Everything ok? 🤗💕” I pointed out that I had written a post just five days prior, but apparently she hadn’t received the notice. People who… Read More Controlled (?) mayhem
A few days ago, I received an email from my friend and former organist duet partner, Jieun Kim Newland. Hi Kathy, A good friend of mine, Russell Weismann is visiting Honolulu. He and I studied together at ISM (Institute of Sacred Music). He is a fabulous organist and is teaching at Georgetown University. Russ is also… Read More Distinguished visitor
The fact that we essentially lost three years off our lifetimes due to the pandemic really hit home today. I had a lesson with a long-time student of mine whose last lesson was March 23, 2020. Because of his advanced age, and the risks of the coronavirus, we had postponed any lessons past this date… Read More Diligence
Tributes are pouring in for our dear friend, Dr. Frederick Swann, who passed away last night. Here’s what was posted on the American Guild of Organists Facebook page: From the Diocese of Orange, California and Christ Cathedral: GARDEN GROVE, Calif. (Nov. 14, 2022) — It is with great sadness that the Diocese of Orange and Christ… Read More RIP Fred Swann
What’s a group of dinosaurs called? This is what I found after a Google search: It is generally considered safe to refer to a group of hunting predators, such as Velociraptors, as a pack and a large group of herbivores, such as sauropods, as a herd. Yet, on Quora, I found this: Depends on the type… Read More A pack or a herd?