If you were practicing Giant Steps, you'd be running up and down scales instead of writing this piece of important insight.
My former wife taught music at a school for developmentally disabled children. (a horrible label)
There was a boy, Harold Sakamoto who drew a picture of the school and it's grounds from an aerial view. It was a precision drawing. Harold had never been in an airplane. The Downs kids were the best dancers and the children who had difficulty speaking were the best singers.
There's an amazing film of a music teacher in Florida who taught a band of disabled musicians, including some with Downs Syndrome. I had meant to include a mention of it in the article....have to remember the title.
I'd like to see that. The most loving person I've ever met was the adopted downs daughter of a friend in Israel. There's a biography of her called Taking Tamar by Martha Lev-Zion.
Thanks so much for this, Su. You've given me some new insights!
I have been playing music for a dozen years with school kids and adults who have a variety of mental and physical disabilities. Many are on the autism spectrum. I've also been playing, via Zoom, for a young woman who has autism. She was in a class I played for a half dozen years ago. Her sister/guardian contacted me at the end of '23 asking if I could help. She was in a lifeskills class in a high school, but was not doing well. She was hitting herself in the face, causing injuries, and now wore a helmet with a face shield. It looks like a football helmet, and does not look comfortable.
I play for 30 minutes, everything from Beatles to Bobby McFerrin to Wheels On The Bus. For the first 4 months, she ignored me, and spent time colouring. And one day this past spring, she began to sing along to She'll Be Coming Around The Mountain. The next week, we added another song to her repertoire. Then, her helmet was removed, replaced by a ball cap. She finally responded to my greeting with "Hi, Terry."
These days, seven months after we began, she sings along with most songs. I often stop in the middle of a phrase, and she supplies the lyric. Two weeks ago, singing This Old Man, I got to "he plays eight" and then jumped to ten, realized my mistake, stopped and confessed it. She began to giggle. Another first!
It isn't easy to know what's going on from her point of view, and I allow intuition to take over on my end. I have no training in this, and am careful to call myself an uncertified, unregistered music therapist.
It has been quite a ride! Throughout my years of doing this (my final "career", as it began when I finished the daily work grind), my understanding of what it means to be a human has deepened and broadened.
All the while I have been playing and learning to play jazz guitar, a seemingly endless pursuit.... of form.
I just ordered Death in the Tetons from Amazon. Curious to see what inspired you to write that book, and the places where the story will take me. Love your creative mind. You serve your mastery well in my humble op.
Time's up! King of Hearts paired with... (drum roll, please) The most popular art house double feature is... Harold and Maude! Ding-ding-ding! We have a winner!
The very concept of “normal” when applied to humans and creativity is ironically an aberration. One of the greatest changes of human thought concerning what is “normal” from when I was young is the slowly dawning perception that intelligence is not restricted to humans - and, in fact, when one thinks about it all life has intelligence appropriate to its habitat and needs. It has to in order to survive. Humans have been arrogant gits for a long time - and that, unfortunately, is about as normal as we get.
I have a special large place in my heart for Downs syndrome folks. Part of my life was spent living next door to a home for what folks used to call "Mongoloids" or, cruelly, as in my neighborhood which specialized in cruelty, "goofs." I learned more from interacting with these beautiful souls in those two years than I did from a lifetime with "norms." Thanks for this, Su. You've inspired me to write about some of these experiences at length, rather than just tossing off a few anecdotes now. If I may, a recommendation. If anyone reading this has not seen the old black'n'white film, KING OF HEARTS, please do so immediately, a.s.a.p. Trust me.
Love King of Hearts! Now I want to watch it again. I wanted to mention the film about the music teacher in Florida who started a band with disabled folks, including a great Downs Syndrome percussionist, but I can't remember the name of it.
Another great Sunday piece Su! In some ways unconscious perception of the whole reminds me of intuition. I am sure that you know of the connection through Maceo Parker of Miles Davis' "So What" to James Brown's "Cold Sweat". Mongo Santamaria did a great cover version of "Cold Sweat".
Thank you for this. You touch on so many rich topics here, I am tempted to write an essay of my own, but three things only.
Oliver Sacks was a genius. In his first book (about migraines) he tells of “curing” a patient who lost amazing mathematical insights that used to accompany his migraines. He decided they were worth it.
Jean Piaget studied the “mistakes” of very young kids on IQ tests and discovered a “child logic” systematically based on premises later weeded out by adult logic.
Autism to me — lacking any special expertise — appears to entail remarkable focus that ignores certain “average” aspects of “normal” intellectual apparatus.
All of which shows — as does your wonderful piece here — what marvelous creatures humans are, both the “average” and the “exceptional.” Thank you again.
Brilliant, Dino! And for extra points... what other film ran with King of Hearts in double-features, making these two films the most popular paired art house films ever?
If you were practicing Giant Steps, you'd be running up and down scales instead of writing this piece of important insight.
My former wife taught music at a school for developmentally disabled children. (a horrible label)
There was a boy, Harold Sakamoto who drew a picture of the school and it's grounds from an aerial view. It was a precision drawing. Harold had never been in an airplane. The Downs kids were the best dancers and the children who had difficulty speaking were the best singers.
There's an amazing film of a music teacher in Florida who taught a band of disabled musicians, including some with Downs Syndrome. I had meant to include a mention of it in the article....have to remember the title.
I'd like to see that. The most loving person I've ever met was the adopted downs daughter of a friend in Israel. There's a biography of her called Taking Tamar by Martha Lev-Zion.
Thanks so much for this, Su. You've given me some new insights!
I have been playing music for a dozen years with school kids and adults who have a variety of mental and physical disabilities. Many are on the autism spectrum. I've also been playing, via Zoom, for a young woman who has autism. She was in a class I played for a half dozen years ago. Her sister/guardian contacted me at the end of '23 asking if I could help. She was in a lifeskills class in a high school, but was not doing well. She was hitting herself in the face, causing injuries, and now wore a helmet with a face shield. It looks like a football helmet, and does not look comfortable.
I play for 30 minutes, everything from Beatles to Bobby McFerrin to Wheels On The Bus. For the first 4 months, she ignored me, and spent time colouring. And one day this past spring, she began to sing along to She'll Be Coming Around The Mountain. The next week, we added another song to her repertoire. Then, her helmet was removed, replaced by a ball cap. She finally responded to my greeting with "Hi, Terry."
These days, seven months after we began, she sings along with most songs. I often stop in the middle of a phrase, and she supplies the lyric. Two weeks ago, singing This Old Man, I got to "he plays eight" and then jumped to ten, realized my mistake, stopped and confessed it. She began to giggle. Another first!
It isn't easy to know what's going on from her point of view, and I allow intuition to take over on my end. I have no training in this, and am careful to call myself an uncertified, unregistered music therapist.
It has been quite a ride! Throughout my years of doing this (my final "career", as it began when I finished the daily work grind), my understanding of what it means to be a human has deepened and broadened.
All the while I have been playing and learning to play jazz guitar, a seemingly endless pursuit.... of form.
Terry that's wonderful! Sounds like your intuition is guiding you in the right direction.
I just ordered Death in the Tetons from Amazon. Curious to see what inspired you to write that book, and the places where the story will take me. Love your creative mind. You serve your mastery well in my humble op.
Gracias Kaye!
You like weird? The two weirdest movie of all time - Eraserhead. Or maybe El Topo. Talk to me after.
Time's up! King of Hearts paired with... (drum roll, please) The most popular art house double feature is... Harold and Maude! Ding-ding-ding! We have a winner!
I liked Harold and Maude too. I don't watch movies much but I guess I like the weird ones.
Harold and Maude -- one of my faves, too. Thanks for the memory, Su and Alki.
Oliver Sacks is a big hero of mine, all of his books are worth reading. "Musicophilia" especially for folks here.
Yes that book is really something!
The very concept of “normal” when applied to humans and creativity is ironically an aberration. One of the greatest changes of human thought concerning what is “normal” from when I was young is the slowly dawning perception that intelligence is not restricted to humans - and, in fact, when one thinks about it all life has intelligence appropriate to its habitat and needs. It has to in order to survive. Humans have been arrogant gits for a long time - and that, unfortunately, is about as normal as we get.
I have a special large place in my heart for Downs syndrome folks. Part of my life was spent living next door to a home for what folks used to call "Mongoloids" or, cruelly, as in my neighborhood which specialized in cruelty, "goofs." I learned more from interacting with these beautiful souls in those two years than I did from a lifetime with "norms." Thanks for this, Su. You've inspired me to write about some of these experiences at length, rather than just tossing off a few anecdotes now. If I may, a recommendation. If anyone reading this has not seen the old black'n'white film, KING OF HEARTS, please do so immediately, a.s.a.p. Trust me.
2nd that about King Of Hearts - jogs my memory of long ago when, according to wikipedia, it was
"running for five years at the now defunct film house the Central Square Cinemas in Cambridge, Massachusetts"
near where I was living and I saw it many times.
Love King of Hearts! Now I want to watch it again. I wanted to mention the film about the music teacher in Florida who started a band with disabled folks, including a great Downs Syndrome percussionist, but I can't remember the name of it.
Another great Sunday piece Su! In some ways unconscious perception of the whole reminds me of intuition. I am sure that you know of the connection through Maceo Parker of Miles Davis' "So What" to James Brown's "Cold Sweat". Mongo Santamaria did a great cover version of "Cold Sweat".
Ah, will have to check out that Mongo tune. Right now I'm arranging Afro Blue for my students.
Yup, Mongo’s “Cold Sweat” is utterly magnificent.
makes my sunday morning so much better. thank you, Su, for sharing your insights and always, wonderful music.
Can't go wrong with early Miles😉
Thank you for this. You touch on so many rich topics here, I am tempted to write an essay of my own, but three things only.
Oliver Sacks was a genius. In his first book (about migraines) he tells of “curing” a patient who lost amazing mathematical insights that used to accompany his migraines. He decided they were worth it.
Jean Piaget studied the “mistakes” of very young kids on IQ tests and discovered a “child logic” systematically based on premises later weeded out by adult logic.
Autism to me — lacking any special expertise — appears to entail remarkable focus that ignores certain “average” aspects of “normal” intellectual apparatus.
All of which shows — as does your wonderful piece here — what marvelous creatures humans are, both the “average” and the “exceptional.” Thank you again.
Sacks also mentions that Hildegard von Bingen's artistic insights were accompanied (or the result?) of migraines!
Fits. She must have written about headaches with enough detail that he could consider it diagnostic. A fascinating phenomenon.
Brilliant, Dino! And for extra points... what other film ran with King of Hearts in double-features, making these two films the most popular paired art house films ever?