Day 135, July 29, 2020
Playing in the Band
Today's Soundtrack: Jimmy Smith, Cannonball Adderley, Dave Brubeck, and Charlie Mingus Live, 1971 (with Kenny Burrell playing with Jimmy Smith!)
It is fascinating to watch these old videos of jazz greats playing. People dressed so much more colorfully in 1971. How marvelous. It is the 7th Newport Jazz Festival and things seem so much simpler. The stage seems so large it nearly swallows up the musicians, but nevertheless, they groove with a great intensity. I'm sure it was something to see.
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| A stone embedded in a tree root. |
I've always loved the Cannonball Addreley Quintet, and Dave Brubeck and Charlie Mingus, but I'm going to definitely have to look up more Jimmy Smith, particularly if Kenny Burrell was a regular in his lineup.
Watching a great musician play, one can really see the connection the person has with the instrument and the way the instrument becomes a channel for expression. Take Cannonball Adderley's bass player, Walter Booker, for example. He is grooving away behind the soloists, toiling in the rhythm trenches, but along with Roy McCurdy on the drums, they are the drive behind the whole Cannonball Adderley Quintet sound. Add in George Duke's keys and they are the foundation for all the freakiness that can happen on top.
I always had an affinity for the hard work that happens in the background. When I played football, there were some positions that we called the glory boys, they were the running backs and receivers, the quarterback, of course. The rest of us, blocked, opened holes, and played the supporting role. But when things were going well, and everyone was working together, it didn't really matter if you touched the ball, the joy of a well functioning team was shared by all. It was exhilarating without regard to who carried the ball across the goal line.
Playing music is similar, when a band is really hitting its stride and amazing things are happening, it doesn't really matter whether I'm playing bass or guitar, rhythm or melody, the non-verbal communication, the playing with time, the way each individual contributes to the greater endeavor, and how that gets collectively expressed, and the expressions--even if they are gentle expressions--of joy are palatable.
When things are going great at the college, it feels that way too. Everyone has their own role, their specific job, but when the all of the pieces are fitting together, marvelous things can happen that are far beyond what you might expect at a small rural community college. But, with such a large orchestra of musicians, it can be hard to have everyone synched up and grooving at the same time. There are so many distractions and challenges. Some days are really hard. The pandemic has fundamentally changed how we are all operating, and some of the things that we always assumed were immutable have been shorn of their foundations. However, I am lucky to work with some truly reflective and thoughtful people. They make it easier for me to remember to approach all things with forgiveness, to seek the rhythm, to find ways to express joy. If we don't... if I don't, I will lose my passion for what we do. It is too easy to become consumed by the out of tune instrument, the inability to hear the person playing in the admissions office, the resonance of financial aid.
I don't mean to minimize what we are all facing across higher education as we prepare for the fall. There is so much uncertainty about whether students will return, how state appropriations will be impacted, the costs of delivering everything online, and all the other challenges of institutions where people are meeting in a tenuous mix of in person and online. But there is still other work that needs to be done, the creative work of imagining what could be. We can continue to do the things we are most passionate about, and at the community college that is about giving students a chance to imagine a different vision for themselves, gifting the students with a sense of possibility. One can always find new, more, and better ways to do that. And, if we can embark on that work as a team, as an ensemble, as an orchestra, then sometimes, something truly marvelous can emerge worthy of the main stage at the Newport Jazz Festival.
Have a wonderful evening and stay safe,
Leo
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| A surprisingly large spider. |
From Our Friends:
From Teaching Tolerance:
Confronting the Weaponization of Whiteness in Classrooms // Coshandra Dillard
Anti-Racist Work in Schools: Are You in it for the Long Haul? // Elizabeth Kleinrock
‘Bibi,’ Complete Sentences and the Stories Students Need // Cory Collins
Anti-Racist Work in Schools: Are You in it for the Long Haul? // Elizabeth Kleinrock
‘Bibi,’ Complete Sentences and the Stories Students Need // Cory Collins
From The Daily Yonder:
Commentary: Millennials, Restart Your Life in a Small Town
By Matthew Hoagland
If you’re looking for professional opportunity, a lower cost of living, and a community that appreciates what you have to offer, downsize your city of residence.
Read more
From Spotify:
THE MICHELLE OBAMA PODCAST |
Hear the first episode now. |
The moment you’ve been waiting for is here: President Barack Obama joins the First Lady in her premiere episode with an open conversation about what positive change means today. Listen to the can’t-miss premiere of The Michelle Obama Podcast right now. | ||
From New England Foundation for the Arts:
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From Reverb:
Video: How Artists Are Working From Home
We talk to Yvette Young, Larkin Poe, Radiohead's Ed O'Brien, and more about how they're creating music during the pandemic.
Watch Now ››
Watch Now ››
Today's Online Teaching Tips:
From Magna:
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From ACE Engage:
[Microcourse] Teaching and Advising for Online Student Engagement. Ensure that instructors and advisors are getting the resources they need to support student engagement online with this microcourse, created by experts at Southern New Hampshire University, for academic affairs administrators, with foundational online teaching and advising strategies.
From the Online Learning Consortium:
Play. Learn. Produce.
"Think about the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on learning. With limitations on face-to-face classes, it is through emergency online mode that instructors were forced to continue their courses. These pivots in learning may be a source of anxiety for both students and teachers." said Dr. Rosh Rupani and Dr. Sreyoshi Bhaduri in a recentblog post. "Introducing elements of play in day-to-day work can help foster innovation and boost productivity." Read more.
From The Key podcast:
Episode 15: Online Learning’s Outlook for the Fall
Will online offerings from colleges be more sophisticated? What steps need to be taken to ensure academic quality in online learning? To get some answers to these tricky questions, we spoke with Lori Williams, president and CEO of NC-SARA. We also spoke with Marni Baker Stein, provost and chief academic officer for Western Governors University, about how the large, online and competency-based university has worked to help its students cope with disruptions, as well as her outlook for the fall and the potential for short-term programs.
Will online offerings from colleges be more sophisticated? What steps need to be taken to ensure academic quality in online learning? To get some answers to these tricky questions, we spoke with Lori Williams, president and CEO of NC-SARA. We also spoke with Marni Baker Stein, provost and chief academic officer for Western Governors University, about how the large, online and competency-based university has worked to help its students cope with disruptions, as well as her outlook for the fall and the potential for short-term programs.
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