Welcome and all that...

I absolutely love my job.  It's a little strange to say that, and believe me, I wish that more people could say the same thing.  I haven't loved all my jobs, but this one is truly unique, and truly fits my skills...  Since this is such an interesting job, I thought maybe, just maybe other folks might be interested in a bit of a behind the scenes view of what goes on here.

This is by no means an official or even unofficial blog for the Arts Academy.  It's simply my thoughts, observations and musings of things that happen in and around this environment that is budding with art, ambition, music, drama and all sorts of other wonderful things.  How does one help the arts thrive in a town full of oil workers, rednecks, bible-belters, and retired missionaries?  Well, you'd be surprised. 

I'm surprised every day.

First of all, a bit about me:

1. I'm an embarrassingly poor hockey player. I realized this when I was ten and have pursued other interests since.

2. I have no clue how to fix my car when it breaks. I always hope bad car noises will go away on their own.

    a) Consequently I feel like a 6 year old girl when I have talk to the NAPA guys.

3. I don't own a motorcycle. It's probably for the best.

4. I'm [quite] adept with computers (read: full on geek). I like to sneak in some video game time after the kids go to bed and my wife is at yoga.

5. I have watched exactly one sporting event on TV from start to finish. The commercials were really quite good, I recall.

6. I don't readily fit in well with the typical small town crowd, likely because of the aforementioned points. When the conversation inevitably turns from sports to motorcycles, I tend to find myself slipping away to join convo's with the fairer gender about childrearing and Oprah.

7. Guitar is my companion, the recording studio is a home, piano is my heart, singing is my soul, music is my life.

That's enough about me for now.  

Currently I am settled in my office hearing the sounds of 3 pianos and a handful of violins playing different melodies throughout the building as young prodigies learn the craft of music.  It reminds me of my childhood, carrying my piano books up to my lesson on the second floor of an eerie aged music building.  I remember vividly the smells of old steam-heated rooms combined with creaky floors and the sounds of dozens of unseen pianos playing frantic scales in different keys, Bach, Brahms, Beethoven and one scandalous time, even the Blues.  It was a rather intimidating place for a shy little kid.  That building is long since gone now, but I still remember those feelings when I see the kids come to their lessons here, and I try to make an effort to set them at ease.  

Today I met a bright little guy.  He told me he thinks he's on his second year of violin, but he can't remember.  I tell him that his class sounds fantastic and he smiles and then disappears.  I see him a few moments later peeking at me from behind the couch in the sitting area and I toss a smile his way.

Not every kid is shy here though.  Some come bouncing down the stairs, high five the teacher and start chatting about their school day as they get ushered into their studio.

It's pretty amazing to be in the middle of it all, and it's happening in a little known basement of an old church building in a neighbourhood of a town that's largely unaware of what even goes on here.  

A hidden treasure full of bright little gems.