Continuing our conversation with “Fred” the scambaiter. If you missed part one, it’s HERE. WB: You mentioned mules, what did you mean? Fred: A mule is someone who is (often unknowingly) laundering money for criminals. In many cases they’ve answered an advertisement for a work-at-home job that involves receiving cashier’s checks or bank transfers and […]
Not an entry about music, but a quick education on some internet leeches, prompted by several recent news items that made me both sad and mad. Consider it a public service; we all need to look out for each other in cyberspace. If you’ve been on the internet more than five minutes you’ve already started […]
Food for thought from people smarter than me… “When a singer truly feels and experiences what the music is all about, the words will automatically ring true.” – Montserrat Caballe “I get the greatest feeling when I’m singing. It’s other-worldly. Your feet are anchored into the Earth and into this energy force that comes up […]
Believe it or not, a year from now we’ll be wrapping up the preparations for the 2016 version of the “Joy of Music”, our semi-annual massive, epic, beastie of a fundraiser. There really is nothing quite like it and it always sells out (we actually had to make space last year for some extra folks, […]
If you’re up for a kilt-filled weekend, head for St. Louis for the Highland Games this Saturday! In honor of this auspicious gathering I offer the following thoughts: Q: What’s the range of a bagpipe? A: Twenty yards if you have a good arm. —– Q: What’s the definition of “perfect pitch”. A: When you […]
As mentioned earlier, non-profit organizations like the Windward Choral Society run on two things: donations and volunteers. When it comes to making our machine run, donations are the gas and our cheerful volunteers are the engine. At the heart of it all is our Board of Directors. So what does our Board do, exactly? If […]
“The human race has one really effective weapon, and that is laughter.” – Mark Twain There are few ironclad guarantees in the world of the Windward Choral Society. I can’t tell you what language(s) you’ll be singing, how many strange noises you’ll make during warm-ups, or what goes through the mind of a tenor (if […]
Just a quick note because I got a quick note from Heather Spencer at Mission Positive Films in Kaneohe. She’s an independent filmmaker whose award-winning project/passion/mission, “C – A Celebration of Life“, is going to be shown on OC16 on Sunday September 6th at 7:00pm (with no commercials…sweet). The scoop: “Meet 12 cancer survivors who […]
All right, the open house is tomorrow, the season is begun and you new kids need to learn the rules around here. Pay attention, take notes, get a tattoo of the important ones. Rule #1 – Don’t be on time.* Rule #2 – Follow Susie’s directions during the warm-up. No, she hasn’t lost her mind, […]
The last time I pounded aimlessly on the keyboard I talked about some of the silliness and fun that’s gone on over the years and today I wanted to take some time to remember some of the musical magic. There’s nothing in the world that sounds quite like a choir. Add a composition of brilliance […]