top of page
Rhapsodydmb.com
A soft place for humanists to land to read poetry
& stories about music, share our love of piano adventures, & work toward restoration of a more just & kind America & the world!



THE SYSTEM DOES NOT CARE IF YOU ARE HAPPY - The lure of "glittering bullshit"
My favorite joyful dance group! The Ghetto Kids Do you remember the first time in political life you heard the Democratic candidate for...

rhapsodydmb
May 24 min read
Â
Â
Â


LEARNING AN INSTRUMENT: THE IMPORTANCE OF TRUST and PERSONALLY MEANINGFUL PURSUITS
As  a returning piano student starting at age 76 in 2020 after a 58-year gap to do other art and business-related things, joy in making...

rhapsodydmb
May 14 min read
Â
Â
Â


FINDING OUR SPIRITS AND STAYING WITH OUR CREATIVE MUSE
I sometimes lose my creative muse. Especially during the last 100 days and starting about four months before last November 6, she goes...

rhapsodydmb
Apr 293 min read
Â
Â
Â


ENRICHING THE WORLD ARTS CULTURE IN VIEW OF DECLINING U.S.INFLUENCE
The US entertainment industry has been the single major feature behind the world-domInant export of US-style culture and values to the...

rhapsodydmb
Apr 174 min read
Â
Â
Â


EYES SHINING - MARIN ALSOP GUEST CONDUCTS TO A WARM RECEPTION AT THE SF SYMPHONY
Eyes shining and a warm heart was my overall feeling when I left San Francisco's Davies Hall Friday night after hearing renowned...

rhapsodydmb
Apr 135 min read
Â
Â
Â


JIMMY CARTER: A MAN FOR ALL TIME
Watching and listening to the celebration of life and benediction at Jimmy Carter's memorial service this morning, I realized that...

rhapsodydmb
Jan 93 min read
Â
Â
Â


ON THE FINAL DAY OF THE YEAR 2024, WHAT COUNTS IN MUSIC & LIFE
I am dedicating this blog to one of the most outstanding of our US Presidents and a hero of mine, Jimmy Carter (10.1.24 -...

rhapsodydmb
Dec 31, 20245 min read
Â
Â
Â


SEVEN PERSONAL WISHES IN 2025 FOR YOU AND FOR ME
"A" is the first letter of the English alphabet (here calligraphed on parchment and gilded by me some years ago), and the perfect way to...

rhapsodydmb
Dec 6, 20243 min read
Â
Â
Â


THINKING ABOUT HONORING OTHERS AND NEW BEGINNINGS AFTER YEAR'S END 2024
"The Golden Rule, a version of which is appears in all major spiritual and ethical traditions, may be the most narcissistic of our moral...

rhapsodydmb
Dec 1, 20245 min read
Â
Â
Â


UNEXPECTED GIFTS -- THE BEST KIND!
Do you notice how sometimes you set out in one direction toward a location only to end up headed in another direction and landing at...

rhapsodydmb
Nov 18, 20247 min read
Â
Â
Â


"NOT INDIFFERENCE, BUT DETACHMENT" (OLIVER SACKS)
The Phoenix Bird statue, carved out of the remains of a burned out tree and living now on the patio of Nepenthe, my favorite restaurant...

rhapsodydmb
Nov 10, 20246 min read
Â
Â
Â


GIVING PEOPLE CHOICES
Giving people choices conveys many benefits in life, and to both or all parties to the equation. I was happy to learn there is one 2017...

rhapsodydmb
Oct 6, 20243 min read
Â
Â
Â


A NOTABLE EVENT IN MUSIC: SEATTLE SYMPHONY HAS A NEW FEMALE MUSIC DIRECTOR, XIAN ZHANG
(Image from Xian Zhang's website. ) In 2024 it's a notable event when a woman wins a permanent management position in a top tier...

rhapsodydmb
Sep 16, 20243 min read
Â
Â
Â


TWO MORE REASONS WHY WOMEN - AND MEN - SHOULD SPEAK AND ACT UP CONSISTENT WITH HUMANIST AND PRO-FEMINIST VALUES IN MUSIC, MEDICINE, AND LIFE
There have been a number of recent and not-so-recent books about hope . The latest published by a psychologist in August of this year...

rhapsodydmb
Sep 10, 20248 min read
Â
Â
Â


LONELINESS AND MUSIC
A year and a half ago I wrote a blog about the topic of loneliness because I continued to find a lack of connection with others in the...

rhapsodydmb
Sep 2, 20245 min read
Â
Â
Â


IN 2024 THE MUSIC WORLD (and AI) HAS NOT "COME A LONG WAY...BABY"...AS THE 1969 VIRGINIA SLIMS' CIGARETTE COMMERCIAL SAID (image created by AI*)
Did you ever wonder what the final dying words were of famous composers? A writer for the online music newsletter Interlude , wondered....

rhapsodydmb
Aug 16, 20244 min read
Â
Â
Â


THINKING ABOUT DUALITY THINKING
I've been thinking about duality thinking, and how to diminish it. Diminish, because I suspect there is no "cure." All we need is a...

rhapsodydmb
Aug 7, 20246 min read
Â
Â
Â


MUSIC - "FROM MY VERY FIRST CONTACT ... AND UNWAVERINGLY EVER SINCE..."
Reflected in the title above is a heartfelt comment to mine that he must truly love music. It's the response by my musical...

rhapsodydmb
Aug 5, 20242 min read
Â
Â
Â


FURTHER THOUGHTS ON "WAR WORDS" AND ON "NO" AS A "COMPLETE ANSWER"?
" Hey, hey, hey - what ya got to say? " For a fun take on speaking one's "peace" (pun intended!), above are the Initial lyrics and video...

rhapsodydmb
Aug 1, 202411 min read
Â
Â
Â


BETA BLOCKERS: ONE OPTION TO HELP WHEN YOUR BODY BETRAYS YOU IN PIANO LESSONS OR PERFORMANCE
My body betrayed me a few years ago during lessons with two piano teachers. One was my third teacher since taking up piano lessons after...

rhapsodydmb
Jul 19, 202412 min read
Â
Â
Â
bottom of page