> He smiled, wiped the sweat from this brow, raised his
> bow to quiet us, and then he said, not boastfully, but
> in a quiet, pensive, reverent tone, "You know,
> sometimes it is the artist's task to find out how much
> music you can still make with what you have left."
THIS is very powerful.
Every time I see Perlman perform, I can't control the tears.
Perhaps we could start a strand of stories about students we have had who
have overcome incredible circumstances to achieve.
We certainly spend enough time on the ones that cause problems.
I had a student a few years ago who came from Hawaii (to PA) She was of
mixed parentage, wasn't quite sure who her parents were, raised by a
grandmother and
and severely abused by father.
I have never had a student that worked harder, was more responsible, who
took ownership of her life in away most teenagers do not.
Not only that, she made sure that her learning disabled boyfriend got all
his tasks complete so that he could graduate.
She was always involved in court dates and custody battles, but never ever
missed an assignment and worked well beyond expectations.
She wanted to be a model and actress, but last I heard was in law school to
specialize in family law.
I have several more stories, as I know you all have.
I often wonder what is the difference
the difference between the student that overcomes all these hardships and
succeeds and those that choose to play the
"unfortunate" and act out in less than desirable responses.
Part of my point her is that
the art room was a place for her to come and feel safe
safe to express
she expressed a lot of her feelings through photography
and I hope that was a little help to her to get through.
Thanks Marcia for posting this story.
It is something we all should stop and consider.
