Favorite Quote

Hearts for Haiti

Tue, 9 Feb 2010 08:46:06 -0500

Please Join us at Explore! in Cary for a FUNdraiser! In aid of St Josephs Family childrens homes in Haiti which were severely damaged in the earthquake.
• FREE* Music class for newborn to 5yrs.
• FREE* Art Class for 3 yrs and up
• Entire inventory sale of DoReMe&You musical gift sets - Clearance prices!
• Haitian Arts & Crafts
www.heartswithhaiti.org
Saturday February 13th
10:00AM to 1:00PM

Explore! in Cary
108 New Edition Court, Cary, NC 27511

*Donations will be accepted. Hearts with Haiti is a 503c1 charity
Explore! staff have donated their time and products for this fundraiser.
Every penny you contribute will go to Haiti.

Summer of Music 2008

Sat, 23 Aug 2008 18:06:23 -0400

Gerry & I have just returned from a wonderful trip to Europe to visit family, celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary and attend our nephew’s wedding (who was only a baby at our wedding!)

Throughout our trip , I was constantly reminded of the importance of music in our lives: from the heavenly sounds of the church bells ringing out in Belgium (believed to be the voice of God in days gone by) to the music flowing out of the Irish pubs in Dublin (not the only thing flowing either!), the different songs of the birds (research has shown that even birds have regional ‘accents’), all the different musicians who participated in the Sidmouth Folk Festival and the most amazing ancient instruments in the Museum of Instruments in Brussels. Music is universal and has been around since the dawn of time. One of the most exciting instruments on view was a shoulder harp which dated from 1500BC in Egypt.

Even on the long plane ride home, I watched a most heartwarming documentary about the power of music. It was called “Young at Heart” and it is a true story about a choir of senior citizens (some in their 80’s and 90’s) who travel the world sharing their incredible music and message with everyone. It was a very touching documentary and it reinforced the huge mental, physical and emotional rewards of sharing music. If you have not yet seen it, I would highly recommend it - I can guarantee it will make you laugh and make you cry!

Come with me and I will share some highlights of the trip...

Our first port of call is Ireland. It is evident right from the start that music has a special place in the Irish heart. The harp (the shape of a heart) is the national instrument of Ireland and can be found everywhere - on their coins, in their coat of arms and even on their beer glasses and bottles! Harpists in the past were revered. The “Bard” as he was known, played and sang at all the important feasts and kept the stories and music of Ireland alive. O’Carolan was a blind harper from the 16th century and was responsible for preserving much of the music that we still play today. It was quite an honor to visit his monument and gravesite and reflect on the influence he had on the music of Ireland. It was also a thrill to see the actual harp that he played all those hundreds of years ago. It brought the past very much alive.

Everywhere you go in Dublin you hear music. It spills out of the pubs which are gloriously festooned with beautiful flowers. Music creates a wonderful sense of community and before long your feet are tapping and you are singing or humming along. Music also connects you with your roots and I felt a very strong connection to my celtic ancestors.

Only in Dublin would you find a statue to the main character in a song! Molly Malone who ‘wheeled her wheelbarrow through streets broad and narrow’ is immortalized in a statue on the streets of Dublin. There was always a hub of people around her singing her song!

We drove up the coast into Northern Ireland, re-tracing the footsteps of my Mum & Dad who met and fell in love nearly 70 years ago to the very day. Nature’s symphony was all around us in the crashing of the waves, the whisper of the wind, the screeching of the gulls and the drumming of the rain. Even the rocks at the Giant’s Causeway reminded us of musical instruments. One particular (and peculiar) rock formation was called The Organ because it had long ‘pipes’ of rock very similar to a pipe organ.

After a few wonderful days in Ireland, we flew to London and traveled down to the South coast to Sidmouth to visit my two sisters and my mum. we arrived just in time for the Sidmouth Folk Festival. The Festival was in full swing and music, musicians, instruments and dancers were everywhere - every age and ability. It was an amazing experience and there was so much laughter and fun all over the town as old friends met from years gone by. We were sitting having lunch in a quiet pub and just for fun I brought out the tin whistle that I had bought in Ireland. It seemed to act like a magnet and within minutes, as if by magic, there was a fiddler, flute player, banjo player, accordion player and harmonica player at the next table all striking up a tune and making music together. It was all so natural and just wonderful to behold. My sister, Sylvia and I got caught up in all the fun and each got a ukelele - hers was pink and mine was purple (of course) and before we knew it we were on the seafront ‘busking’ with the rest of them! What fun we had! We even persuaded Michelle to join us - ‘The Three Ukeladies’ (after all she did not know anybody in town - little does she know that I am including her photo on my blog!) and a great time was had by all.

We were then off to London to meet up with Claire and we were so excited to get some last minute tickets to see the fabulous musical “Wicked” It was a dream come true for Michelle and we all thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

The next day we attended attended our nephew’s wedding. The wedding was held in a quaint, country church which had been dubbed the ‘musician’s church’ as many famous musician’s had been buried there. The music during the wedding service was beautiful and very uplifting as the acoustics in this small church were superb. Several of the hymns were also sung at our wedding 30 years ago, so music brought back many happy memories to us. I even found myself sitting opposite the beautiful stained glass window dedicated to St. Cecilia, the patron saint of music and musicians. Music also brought quite a chuckle to our faces as the newly married couple exited to the not so customary theme from Star Wars played by a 5 piece Brass Ensemble!

The day after the wedding we boarded the Eurostar for a fast trip through the tunnel to France and on to Belgium. The sound of the train whistle and of the train leaving the stations were not so pleasant at first - we were still on the platform having missed the train by one minute! Fortunately there was another train an hour and a half later and soon we all nodded off to sleep to the gentle music of the train on the tracks.

The church bells rang out to greet us upon our arrival in Bruges. The bells in the centuries old Bell-tower, complete with carillon and carillon player, woke us every morning - so much more pleasing than the shrill sounds of an alarm clock.

Bruges is an old and very beautiful medieval town which echoes with the sound of horses hooves on the cobbled streets and the gentle sounds of boats in the canals. You felt transported to another century where time stood still. We all loved Bruges and thoroughly enjoyed all the Belgian delights of chocolate, waffles and of course beer! While we were in Bruges the town held its annual ‘Riverfest’ with tableaux depicting scenes from their past all along the canals. Of course music and instruments played a crucial part in many these scenes and we even witnessed a scene whereby a wealthy gentleman singing a love song from a boat, came a courting a beautiful young maiden who was playing the harp in a boathouse on the canal!

We stopped in Brussels for a day or two and we very much enjoyed a visit to the Museum of Instruments. It was absolutely fascinating to see the instruments from hundreds of years ago. It makes one realize that music and instruments have always been around and have been an integral part of all cultures. Music truly is the universal language. As I mentioned before one of the most exciting instruments we saw was the original shoulder harp from Egypt which dated from 1500 BC! And oh, the variety of instruments that we saw - many that I have never even heard of.
The Museum of Instruments was certainly worth a trip if you ever make it to Brussels.

After being away for so long, it certainly felt good to be ‘coming home’ It has taken a few days to dig out from the mountain of mail, email and phone messages and of course laundry! But we do feel so very blessed to be living here. I know that cost of living has risen dramatically here but the cost of living in Europe is even higher. Quite frankly I do not know how people manage - everything is so expensive.

Since we have been back we have enjoyed watching the Olympics on TV. I am so moved every time at the medal ceremony when the athletes get choked up when listening to their National Anthem. I have found myself (for the first time) really identifying with the US national Anthem - it was as if the British National Anthem no longer had the same ‘pull’. It was quite a defining moment for me as I realized that I had decided after 23 years to become an US citizen (the power of music). I wanted you to be the ‘first’ to know. I may need some help with US History ( I am sure there is a song that could help me) though.

Traveling certainly makes you more appreciative of the life we enjoy here in the States. I feel very fortunate and also very privileged to have been able to follow my passion and teach Kindermusik for nearly 20 years now. I can’t imagine my life without music. Vive la Musique!

Christmas & Hogmanay ’06 at The Manse in Scotland

Wed, 17 Jan 2007 14:05:49 -0500

Greetings from a balmy North Carolina. We left the cold, wet grey skies of Scotland last week and were greeted with above average temperatures here in NC. Despite the awful weather we had a WONDERFUL time in Scotland at The Manse near Edinburgh.

We rented the Manse for about 10 days and transformed it into a family home for the Holidays. We all got together to celebrate Mum's 85th birthday on Christmas Eve and despite the fact that her plane was delayed by 36 hours (mum arrived half an hour before her party started!) we celebrated in grand style. It was very heartwarming to look around the room and see so many family members and we all just had a great time. Mum looked so happy and enjoyed every moment.

Christmas Day was another great day of celebration with good food (the men cooked theturkey), good company and good wine.
We had a traditional Scottish breakfast and then a short walk before a traditional British Christmas dinner with all the trimmings.
Michelle played the harp (Christine is amazing - she even found a full size harp to borrow!) and it brought a tear to many an eye.
Bruce led a short service of worship at the chapel in the grounds (the acoustics were amazing) and it was lovely to sing the familiar carols with my sisters and daughters.

Boxing Day we had a 'rude' awakening. My brother Scott woke us all up with the bagpipes (mind you it was 10:00am!). It reminded us of the summer piping college days, and we had a lovely chat over yet another extended Scottish breakfast!

We then took a trip into Edinburgh which was looking very festive with all the lights sparkling and the castle illuminated. What a beautiful city it is! Michelle (and Gerry) were delighted to find an internet cafe (the Manse had no telephone never mind internet!) I had to laugh when Michelle came out of the internet cafe and said "I feel replenished!"

Back to the Manse for a game of Scottish Quest (like trivial pursuit but about all things Scottish). Great fun and lots of laughter - especially when Gerry (the Jerseyman) won! I must have taught him well!

The winter days are short in Scotland but the nights were long and we had blazing fires, good food, wine and company. Lots of good chat. We took a side trip to Rosslyn Chapel of Da Vinci Code fame and marveled at the apprentice pillar and the other beautiful carvings.

The Festivities began to really heat up (quite literally!) during the torchlight procession from the Royal Mile in Edinburgh down Prince's St and then up to Calton Hill. It was a magnificent sight with thousands of people walking side by side with large flaming torches in their hands. Then climbing up Calton Hill and throwing our torches into the massive bonfires of burning Viking Ships (even our two Swedish friends joined in the fun!).

The following night was the ceilidh in the streets. Once again thousands of people dancing the longest "Strip the willow" in the World (according to the Guinness Book of Records) and although we all started out as strangers we soon became friends. So much so that we invited a group of German visitors (one girl and three guys) to join us for a traditional Scottish meal of haggis and all the trimmings the next day at the Manse - Hogmanay the last day of the year! Our new German friends were also asked to bring a 'party piece'.

We all wondered if they would actually show up (I was the only one who really thought they would). Not only did they show up but came prepared with a German party piece that they had spent several hours preparing the night before! What fun we had!

And quite an international group too - 4 Germans, 2 Swedes, 2 Americans, 2 Jerseymen, Scots and English. Gerry addressed the haggis in fine style (he has been listening to my dad's tapes), the three sisters sang, Claire danced and Michelle played the harp. Oh, and the Germans sang and recited the story of Hansel and Gretel. The room was full of warmth, fun and laughter. My mum loved it all and sat like the Chieftain of the clan in her tartan wrap.

The weather was beginning to turn nasty outside but we did not really notice until it was time to leave for the candlelight concert in St Giles. We were nearly blown down the Royal Mile with 70 mile an hour winds. All was quiet and serene in the Cathedral however and we lost ourselves in the beautiful soaring music. At the conclusion of the concert we were informed that the street party had been cancelled due to the dangerous weather. No more dancing in the streets for us - suddenly 100,000 people were without a party!

With the help of modern technology we contacted the younger set and invited them all back to the Manse to bring in the new Year. What a great impromptu party we had! Christine continued to amaze us by bringing out smoked salmon sandwiches just before midnight and yet more sandwiches at 4:00am! We all stood in a circle for Auld Lang Syne and it was very moving to sing it altogether with all the different accents. It's just a pity that we do not do that more often! After the Bells, the party got started in earnest and we rolled up the carpet and danced for several hours. We were counting in all the different languages and lots of laughs at the "strictly country dancing competition" which I am pleased to say that I won with my partner, Florian, who had NEVER danced before! More laughter ensued and I think we all finally got to bed around 5am (my sister again amazed us by finding brand new toothbrushes for our German friends and enough bedding for a dozen!) Little did we all know that when our new German friends came for dinner they would end up staying for breakfast too. We had a magnificent traditional Scottish cooked breakfast the next day complete with German stollen (my sister really is amazing) which Florian addressed before slicing!

It was certainly a night to remember and despite (or maybe because of) the fact that the big street party was canceled, Hogmanay 2006 was voted the best ever by all the young people. How we ever follow that next year I do not know!

Then came all the sad farewells and exchanging of emails etc. It was a long week of farewells. Claire was heading back to Seattle, Michelle, Eleanor and Thomas were off to Sweden, Mum, Sylvia and Lawrie off to England, Gerry & I back to the States. When I sit and think about it , I am amazed that we all flew in form "a' the airts an pairts" and seemed to just pick up where we left off the last time! I feel very fortunate to be part of this incredible Bennett clan.

Gerry & I were looking forward to be reunited with our beloved dog Keltie. Unfortunately for us we arrived to the news that he was suffering from severe renal failure and we had to bid him a sad farewell. He will always leave a pawprint in our hearts and we shall miss him greatly. I never realized that dogs could mean so much and be just like a family member.

So now Gerry & I are adjusting to the truly empty nest now. It does seem quiet around here, however there is plenty of activity at the studio to keep us busy. I receive so much love and joy from the little ones that I teach.

We are also planning some more trips - Boston in February to see and hear Michelle, Hilton Head in March to see our dear friends from Canada, Seattle in April to see Claire, Jersey in June for Gerry's Dad's 90th birthday and maybe a side trip to France or England. There is never a dull moment in the Cobley household! Let's hope we cross paths sometime, somewhere in 2007.

All the pictures are on the website at Christmas & Hogmanay

Love and every good wish for 2007,

Julia & Gerry

Milk & Cookies Field Trip

Mon, 4 Dec 2006 23:31:27 -0500

“Milk & Cookies, Milk & Cookies, yummy in my tummy”...
The songs from our kindermusik class became a reality on Saturday Dec 2nd 2006 when we visited Cookies in Bloom in Cary. Kindermusik Mom Jen and husband Dan invited us to their cookie store to try our hand at making cookies. A wonderful messy time was had by all!

We sang “Go into the kitchen and take a peek”... as we tiptoed into the kitchen. We donned our little chefs hats and aprons and sang “Stir it up, stir it up just like so”...“Roll the Dough, Roll the Dough”... “Gingerbread Boy”... as we rolled out the dough and decorated the gingerbread cookies.

The best part was getting to eat the finished product!

If you would like to see more photos click on the Milk & Cookies link above.

Kindermusik International Convention 2006

Mon, 6 Nov 2006 20:44:19 -0500

Words cannot describe what we have experienced this week at Kindermusik International’s Convention in Greensboro. I think only music could! We met educators from around the world who are spreading the magic and wonder of Kindermusik to a million and a half students in 66 countries. We were moved by countless stories of the transforming nature of music in general and of Kindermusik in particular. I myself was moved to tears when a Kindermusik educator from Cincinnati sought me out and handed me a beautiful letter and drawing from a 6 year old boy that I used to teach. Moments like these are just precious and fill my heart with joy.
Our professional and personal lives were also transformed by the most inspiring and impassioned words of Rosamund and Benjamin Zander, authors of The Art of Possibility. Benjamin Zander is the conductor of the the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra and is also on the Faculty at the New England Conservatory. He shared his philosophies and many experiences as a teacher with us. Rosamund Zander cautioned us to beware of ‘downward spiral thinking’ which is so prevalent today’s society and encouraged us to enter the ‘realm of possibility’. Very thought provoking! I encourage you to check this book out! Another highlight of the convention was again being recognized at the highest level of Maestro honor in both teaching and level of programming. It was such a thrill to be one of only four educators from the 5000 worldwide who hold this combined honor. My deepest thanks go to all our current and past families for realizing the value of music for your children. Thank you for choosing Kindermusik at KinderVillage, and of course thanks also go to our wonderful team of Kindermusik educators who bring the curricula alive.
...Miss Julia