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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 land on which I live: Raymatush Ohlone


ROCKSTARS, MEDICINE, AND MUSIC: LAUREN RISSMAN, MD
Music and medicine - an unlikely combination - seem to be mixing in my recent life. Lauren Rissman, MD, works at the Division of...

rhapsodydmb
Apr 12, 20247 min read
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CURIOSITY IN LIFE AND MUSIC
"The recognition, pursuit, and desire to explore novel, complex, uncertain, and ambiguous events" is as good a definition of "curiosity"...

rhapsodydmb
Apr 11, 20244 min read
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INTRODUCING NEW LATIN AMERICAN GENRES OF FOLK MUSIC, NEW GUITAR, AND NEW GROUPMUSE MUSICIAN TO THE BAY AREA AUDIENCE
Bandola guitar maestro Alejo Cordero, new to the Bay Area just over two years ago from Colombia, South America, presented his first-ever...

rhapsodydmb
Apr 1, 20244 min read
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COACHING VS. REGULAR LESSONS: THINKING OUTSIDE THE BOX, OR, THERE ARE MANY WAYS TO SKIN A CAT!
My three kitties (Prince, our 20-lb. "linebacker" pictured here) might not appreciate the above saying, but it perfectly encapsulates...

rhapsodydmb
Mar 24, 20247 min read
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RUTH SLENCZYNSKA: "MAKE A PIECE YOURS - THEN PLAY IT!"
In the waning days of Women's History Month, Madam Ruth Slenczynska is a worthy topic. If you don't know her, please take a moment to...

rhapsodydmb
Mar 22, 20242 min read
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MAKE A JOYFUL NOISE: ALONDRA DE LA PARRA - SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY'S NEXT MUSIC DIRECTOR/CONDUCTOR?
I dare you to watch this video "La Maestra" all the way through, and not smile. You have a special treat in store! You will likely...

rhapsodydmb
Mar 21, 20244 min read
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DEAR FRIENDS: WOULD YOU PLEASE SPEAK UP FOR WOMEN IN MUSIC IN SAN FRANCISCO & YOUR CITY?
In case you, like me, want relief from weeping in despair about the non-status of musical women in 2024, check out this beyond-hilarious...

rhapsodydmb
Mar 19, 20243 min read
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MORE THAN BACKGROUND MUSIC: THE "BOX-IFICATION" OF BLACK AND WHITE THINKING
British pianist, composer, and piano teacher Simeon Walker seems to have his head screwed on right. He says that: "... box-ification of...

rhapsodydmb
Mar 16, 20245 min read
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THE "LAST ATTEMPT" or "THE BEST"?
My high school piano, a Baldwin Acrosonic, and the "going steady ring I gave her. One person responding to John Holt (American author...

rhapsodydmb
Jan 24, 20244 min read
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FOUR MAGICAL CONTIGUOUS DAYS OF MUSICAL HEAVEN ! - Part I of II
Amit Peled ,* cellist pictured on Sunday just past performed "Koi Nedrei Op. 47" Â (aka "All Vows") by German composer Max Bruch. The...

rhapsodydmb
Jan 23, 20246 min read
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"YA JUST GOTTA LAUGH" - MAINLY AT YOURSELF IF YOU'RE A PIANO STUDENT!
"Everyone has a belief system ("B.S."); the trick is to learn not to take anyone's B.S. too seriously, especially your own." - Robert...

rhapsodydmb
Jan 17, 20244 min read
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"LONELINESS" - A SERENDIPTOUS MESSAGE FROM THE UNIVERSE
In this second week of the New Year, yet another message from the universe has come to my attention: a call to contemplate "loneliness."...

rhapsodydmb
Jan 9, 20247 min read
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IS THE FIRST THE BEST?
My November music-themed birthday party table decorations; photo courtesy of guest Grace Hueunemann. Thelonius Monk always said that the...

rhapsodydmb
Jan 5, 20246 min read
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CONSTRAINTS AND CREATIVITY: MATISSE AND THE SIX-FOOT POLE
Matisse painting. Lessons sometimes come in waves; one serendipity leads to another and we no longer can avoid recognizing what is right...

rhapsodydmb
Dec 30, 20238 min read
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EMBRACE "GOALS" - ESCHEW "RESOLUTIONS" and CONCENTRATE ON "THE GOOD"
New Year's Resolutions represent the ultimate folly as far as human beings and my personal experience go. I've learned not to bother;...

rhapsodydmb
Dec 23, 20236 min read
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NO EASY TASK TO MATCH STUDENT TO TEACHER: Finding Luxury Together!
" ...it is no easy task to match up the right child with the right teacher, even with the best of intention. " So says piano teacher...

rhapsodydmb
Dec 3, 20236 min read
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SLIDING SEAMLESSLY PAST ESSENTIAL TRUTHS*
Somehow this picture reminds me of "essential truths." My very first class and first day of law school in 1970, was contracts. Women then...

rhapsodydmb
Nov 17, 20237 min read
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MY EIGHTY TRIPS AROUND THE SUN*,***
What could be better than music -- and a magician -- and a belly dancer -- to celebrate my Armistice's Day 80tieth birthday party --...

rhapsodydmb
Nov 14, 20237 min read
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MUSICAL REINVENTION AFTER CHANGE OR RETIREMENT -- SOMETIMES BY OTHERS!
Intended or unintended periods of major change that are inevitable throughout our very-human lives can result in beneficial -- or...

rhapsodydmb
Oct 12, 20233 min read
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A.I. IS NOT ART !
The Unclear Future? (See fall 2024 see my subsequent blog on the invasion of AI into the creative process, like it or not! See this...

rhapsodydmb
Oct 6, 20237 min read
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