February 23, 2015

Emotional Intelligence is one of many human capacities we can train and develop.  Researchers are discovering that high Emotional Intelligence (EQ) has a profound effect on business success, employee satisfaction, income levels and helps the individual flouish in life.

Can we find ways to incorporate the training of emotional intelligence in our teaching and learning.  What about leadership?  Here’s an example related to music:

Music students often have to practise technique (scales, chords etc).  What if we introduced emotional states (known or unknown to the participant) and got them to play that scale “angry” or “red”?  What about “blue” or “sad”?  Can we introduce more vocabulary for emotional states (high, medium and low states) such as “elated” or melancholy to young people?  Increasing the understanding of the states and the vocabulary can help us improve both internal EQ and better read external EQ.

Let’s all think about the many and varied ways we can learn more about EQ and nurture and develop it within ourselves and others.  Let’s proactively add EQ education into the many daily activities we do and the learning environments we have.  The end result will be a a citizen equiped for our rapidly changing world and one who can enjoy all of the subtlties of self-development and community interaction.

February 15, 2015

The Leadingnote Foundation in Ottawa hosted a “Symposium on Instrumental Change” which centred around the El Sistema movement.  Keynote speakers included Simon Brault, Director and CEO Canada Council for the Arts and Richard Hallam, Chair of the music Education Council, England.  I was asked to co-present “The Fundraising Challenge” with Ken MacLeod, President & CEO, New Brunswick Youth Orchestra.  I also gave a talk about Emotional Intelligence.  It was an incredibly inspiring two days.  Highlights included meeting colleagues from Europe and North America and chatting about our ideals to change the world.  My colleague Minerva Figueroa and I are committed to assessing and implementing the best ideas we heard.  We are also going to reconsider many of the strategies we have in place.  Peer Leadership strategies presented by Marcus Patterson from Sistema Norwich was particularly telling.  Jeannie Hunter also gave an inspiring interactive presentation about browing creativity and engagement in the music class.

The power and potential of harnessing the energy of these like-minded people is astonishing!  The willingness to share ideas and build together is a great example of the world change we need.

January 5, 2015

I’m excited about returning to my work at the Aeolian.  It’s been about a month since my partner Bryan and I left the country to visit Australia and New Zealand.  We are two of the fortunate few who get to travel frequently, se other parts of the world and bring home these experiences.  One of the experiences which has left a strong impression is the tour of the Sidney Opera House.  More astonishing than the beauty and miracle of this UNESCO Heritage Site is the story of its construction.  It was suppossed to take 3 years and took 14.  It was suppossed to cost six million Australian dollars and cost one hundred and thirteen million Australian dollars.  How did they keep this project going when public opinion was against it?  This is something I am going to explore with more research.  It is a place of great pride with Australians today but was scorned during its development by a majority of the general public.  What can this story teach us?

January 4, 2015

A book I read recently is having a profound influence on the way I am deciding to map out my future.  The title is “Become a Key Person of Influence” by Daniel Priestley.  I believe that everyone should give this a read and think about how much our world has changed and how we need to also change.  Developing a “niche” entrepreneurial approach to our career pathways is the only way to be noticed in our world.  Daniel’s five steps are as follows:  1.  Pitch  2.  Publish   3.  Product   4.  Profile   5.  Partnership.

Have a look at his site:  www.keypersonofinfluence.com.au

November 11, 2014

It is a day to reflect on how lucky I am to live in this amazing country.  I have been really fortunate to have been given a great start in life.  I had all the lessons and two very caring parents who believed education was of primary importance in terms of setting up the possibilities of a meaningful and rich life.  I am committed to making sure our young participants in the El Sistema Aeolian Program also get the greatest access to education and the investment and nuturing of their full potential.

October 29, 2014

Working with my teaching team in El Sistema Aeolian, I’ve come to realize just how much reflection, training and creativity we all need to add to our skill sets.  Since children, youth and adults aren’t often taught how to learn/teach, when given the role, they often fall prey to reflexes they experienced.  Old fashioned didactic approaches ensue.  “We’re going to learn” or “I’m going to teach” often result in a top down approach of “repeat after me” or “not like that”.  What a revolution we need!  I’m committed to developing a training program for this.

October 27, 2014

Last Friday and Saturday Janina Fialkoska paid a visit to the Aeolian.  She did a Q&A with The Ontario Registered Music Teachers Association of which I am president and then performed a stellar recital.  It was wonderful to get to know a very humble talent personally and to listen to Janina’s perspective in dialogue and music.

October 16, 2014

Law of Attraction

Do you believe in the “law of attraction”?  I do!  It’s simple; stay focused on things you are passionate about.  See and feel them as a reality and you will manifest them.  The trick is to look and walk around the fears which can try to block your focused vision.  The Aeolian’s success is completely attributable to this law.

October 14, 2014

How does a community deal with historic marginalization?  In London Ontario, “don’t go east of Adelaide” is a phrase ingrained in people’s minds and hearts.  At the University of Western Ontario, staff and students at student services actually take a map of London and draw a line down Adelaide street and tell their students not to go there!  One city has done a fabulous job of changing that:  http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2014/10/how-to-attract-artists-to-a-down-and-out-neighborhood/380894/

What I’d like to know:  who are the individual that got the “buy-in” from all the key stakeholders to begin this process.  The Old East Village in London has also done a great job, but still hasn’t been able to get all key stakeholders to engage!  Every city in North America seems to have a neighbourhood or two which it has marginalized.  We need to get rid of the “us and them” and change this!

October 13, 2014

On this Thanksgiving day I pause to reflect upon all of the wealth in my life.  The opportunities I have been given to engage in and enjoy life have been significant.  Music has been a one of the greatest blessings I’ve been priveldged to have experienced.  I want everyone to have the chances I’ve had.