My Purpose

My Purpose

The purpose of this blog is to help people understand that music can be more then just entertainment, and what those things are. I want be able to help people with this blog. I don't know everything about music, I am still studying it, however, I will share what I have found. I hope you will be enlighted and edified by what I have to share. I worry that some people might turn a deaf ear to my blog if they read something on this blog that they don't agree with. I respect your beliefs. I don't agree with everything I read either. But I know you can find something that can help and interest you, if you just keep reading.

"Quotes Worth Mentioning"

QUOTES WORTH MENTIONING

When asked where his inspiration came from, Johannes Brahms said, "I immediately feel vibrations that thrills my whole being. These are the Spirit illuminating the soul power within, and in this exalted state, I see clearly what is obscure in my ordinary moods: Then I feel capable of drawing inspiration from above, as Beethoven ... Straighway the ideas flow in upon me, directly from God, and not only do I see distinct themes in my mind's eye but they are clothed in the right forms, harmonies, and orchestration. Measure by measure, the finished product is revealed to me when I am in those rare, inspired moods." "The powers from which all truly great composers like Mozart, Schubert, Bach and Beethoven drew their inspiration is the same power that enabled Jesus to work his miracles. It is the same power that created our earth and the whole universe"
("Talks with Great Composers", Arthur M. Abell)

"Give me power over he who shapes the music of a nation, and I care not for who shapes it laws"
Napolian Bonaparte

“Intellectual enlightenment consists of instruction in the arts, numbers, history, speech, and government. Music consummates a man’s life, giving his rituals meaning. Music has a trensforming effect on its listeners, and should be the first principle of government.” -The Teachings of Confucius.

I quote some remarks between,Gene R. Cook, and Mik Jagger made a few years ago:
Cook: "I have the opportunity to be with a lot of young people. Many say your music does not affect them adversely in any way. Others say it effects them in a very bad way. What is your opinion? What is your impact?”
Jagger "Our music is calculated to drive the kids to sex. It's not my fault what they do. It's up to them. I'm just making a lot of money.”
Cook: He was in Mexico making a profane and pornographic music video because the cost is 1/3 there. In addition it is easier to produce such videos there at the moment. He explained that though such videos with explicit sexual behavior is illegal on US national television, it soon will be, and they want to have the videos ready. Now not only audio pornography can be portrayed, but they can view it as well. He was making more money this way."
Jagger:“It doesn't matter what you do in life, there are no rules. There is no god. You can take whatever you want. It doesn't matter."

"To encourage literature and the arts is the duty which every good citizen owns to his country."
George Washington

"Music has the power of producing a certain effect on the moral character of the soul, and if it has the power to do this, it is clear that the young must be directed to music and must be educated in it."
Aristotle



(more qoutes to come)

PLEASE NOTE: It would greatly benefit the reader to follow blog postings from the first post to the most recent. Using the Blog Archive in the left column of the page to jump to the oldest posts. For now I will see if I can find a way to display the posting in chronilogical order, first post to the latest post.

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

NATHAN’S NATURAL ABILITY

NATHAN’S NATURAL ABILITY
One of the reasons our mail man groans when he approaches our house is due to the fact that we subscribe to so many mail order catalogues. We didn’t start out that way, but like Topsy “it just growed.” We started out getting a few, but I believe when you order any product from a mail order company you sell your soul to the mail order devil. It grows geometrically. Where you once had two, you now have 200. I suspect our poor mailman knows the local chiropractors well. I pay little attention to most of the catalogues but there was one which really caught my attention: the Charles Keith catalogue. Every issue came with a unique original art work on the cover which mirrored some product within the catalogue which they were featuring. I found it fascinating and looked forward to the catalogue’s arrival. After many months I started noticing the artists signature....N. Davies. I began to wonder if it happened to be the same Nathan Davies who went to the River Heights School when I was a student there. I called the company, and was told that they could not release that information. I said, “look, if it is Nathan Davies, would you ask him to call Michael Ballam at...” Within a few minutes a call came in and on the other end was the soft spoken voice of Nathan Davies. He was INDEED the artist on all the catalogues. I asked him what he was doing, and he explained that he is a professional artist. I asked if he worked exclusively for Charles Keith. He told me that they were one of his clients. My mind began to soar. I asked Nathan where he lived and he told me Warrenton, Virginia. I told him that I wanted to come and see his work if I were ever in the neighborhood. Some months later I was asked to go to Dover, Delaware to speak on the subject of Arts Education in the Schools. I told the people who invited me that I would come if they would take me to Warrenton, Va. They consented and off we went. I had NO idea how far away Warrenton was! As we approached Nathan’s beautiful home my heart leaped. You see, Nathan had endured tremendous economic hardship as a child, and seeing this beautiful house on three acres of well-kept lawn was proof that the American dream is still alive. As we entered his spacious home, things only got better. Nathan’s house was filled with exquisite art...HIS art. I felt so proud to know someone of his caliber of talent. After we had a chance to “catch up” I asked how this remarkable success came about. He told me a story very much like my own life story. It centered around one of my heros, Wanda Petersen. She was our 5th grade teacher. She believed in us. She helped us understand that all our differences were wonderful. She caused us to appreciate each other’s gifts and rejoice in each other’s successes. She helped me have confidence that I could make a difference through music. She did the same for Nathan in Art. Nathan struggled to finish college and prepared to go to Los Angeles to try and sell his wares and get a job in the commercial art world. He didn’t have much money, so he nearly lived in his car. He felt that he could not compete with the fancy portfolios in expensively mounted samples that his competitors brought to their interviews. He doubted his ability to succeed, but remembered something Wanda Petersen had told him. “Who we are is not based on what we wear or where we live...it is who we are inside, and you Nathan are very special inside. You have great gift with Art. You have been blessed. That is who you are.” Nathan said some of the academic subjects at school were very difficult for him, and there were times when he became so frustrated that he was not doing well. Mrs. Petersen would walk over to him and say “Nathan, I think you have worked hard enough on this subject for today, why don’t you help me create something wonderful!” She told him she needed some artwork for the cover of the school newspaper, or a large tree for the class bulletin board, or a nativity scene for the chalk board in the school cafeteria, or some scenery for the yearly operetta. She provided many opportunities for him to use his talent. She told him there were some interesting paper or materials in the waste paper basket and he would go and retrieve them and turn them into magic. We all recognized how gifted Nathan was with Art...all kinds of Art. Mrs. Petersen encouraged him to try it all and be creative. At one point in his interview process in California, he determined not to take a portfolio with him, but rather create something on the spot at the interview. It worked! They recognized his gift. He was his own portfolio. . Since then he has moved to the Washington D.C. area and over the years has done artwork for a variety of national agencies and major corporations. He is a very successful artist and business man. Why? Because he believed that who he was is from the inside out not the outside in!

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