music | Read. Eat. and Dream.

Ravel, Elgar and Debussy

Posted on May 20, 2018 by mjlarter2

This blog is really different to my previous articles. I felt like giving you an insight into a different me. mus

As a music teacher, I love all types of music. My first love is ‘classical’ music – from Mozart to Debussy, from Bach to Ravel, and from Beethoven to Elgar. More modern music in the ‘classical’ vein has not struck me as very listenable – if that is a word.

Even though I teach music and love classical music, pop music, country and even heavy metal has a place in my life.

The Beatles were my teenage idols as far as the pop world was concerned, and the Rolling Stones as well. I could mention ‘The Beach Boys’, Dusty Springfield, Jackson Five, The Osmonds and more. Where has the time gone?

Who were your favourites?

By the time my son was born we were Abba fans. I was determined, as a young mother, to keep up with the times – but rap music, dub and all the other recent music has passed me by. Now I’m a grandmother, and feeling distinctly aged – an ‘old fogey’ if you will.

Now I understand the differences between the generations, and, as progress has bolted ahead at a wondrous speed, I wonder what my grandchildren will discover in their world.

I dream of better things for them, but often despair at the world and the hatred that is broadcast in the media. I know people in general are so much better than that – but the media keeps us in a state of fear with all the doom and gloom they report.

daisies

I try to live by a simple code – smile, be happy and try to do a kind act for someone each day. I also try to leave my little bit of the Earth, where I live, in a better condition than it was when I arrived. If we all tried to do that, the Earth would be a wonderful place, I’m sure.

With Kindness

Maureen

panda2 P.S. Chapter 3 of my children’s chapter book – ‘In Search of the Elusive Panda’ – is posted on my second page.

( readeatdream.net/free-childrens-picture-book )

Also, feel free to have a look at page 3 as well. Mykel would be thrilled if you would leave a comment about his art – or even buy it, of course.

( readeatdream.net/sweetfields-products-and-mykelcee-designs )

R.eckless E.xercise and D.oh.

Posted on October 9, 2015 by mjlarter2

Strange title, you must admit. How an earth are those three words connected?

One of the problems I have with exercise is my age. I don’t want to go and do something as reckless as expecting to run a marathon, lift 60kgs of weight or pull tyres around on my back until I have a heart attack. I can hear everyone saying – of course you don’t – and you don’t have to. But if you check out all the u-tube work outs, the advertising on the TV (and the programs that drive overweight people into exhausting routines as if that is the only way to achieve their goals) and the trainers at the gym that push you to limits that they think you can achieve -( ‘go one – just one more, just one more’) you find that they are all young, healthy people who have been exercising since they were knee high to grasshoppers.

My gorgeous daughter and her husband.

My daughter is a case in point.

Well, OK – she didn’t start on the exercise treadmill until she was in her mid-twenties, but, hey, that is a baby in age compared to me. (She is now ten years further on, and still gorgeous!) But, at nearly seventy, I want gentle exercise, preferably to music, and not obviously exercise. In other words, movement to keep me healthy and active that I can still enjoy! As Homer Simpson would say – “Doh! So would everyone else!!!”

I’ve just come in to the computer from cleaning out the cow shed – I guess that could be classified as exercise, but not particularly enjoyable.

One of my previous milking cows.

As a music teacher, Doh represents the beginning of a scale, or base note of a particular key. If you’ve seen ‘The Sound of Music’ (and who hasn’t?) Julie Andrews sings the scale by using doh, re, me, fah, soh, la, te and that brings us back to doh! That is the main scale used in the formation of music – and it’s called the ‘major’ key.

I love music, and I guess one of the best type exercises for my age group would be to dance. Not ‘break-dancing’, not ‘belly-dancing’, not fast and furious stuff, just the gentle ballroom dancing that is perhaps now considered a little old-fashioned.

Those feet were made for dancin’!

It has several things in its favour.

You are keeping active but it’s not a reckless or dangerous activity.
You are getting out of the house, and maybe out of your comfort zone.
You are not sitting watching TV.
You are socializing and meeting new people.
And last but not least, you are challenging your body and mind – keeping you young at heart and fit at the same time.

Seems a win-win situation to me.

One of my children’s picture books that show music as a great hobby, past-time or career. I have several other books for sale – look here :- viewAuthor.at/MaureenLarter

link to book:- getBook.at/BBBe

Anyone interested in trying out ballroom dancing and you are in my area, here is some information that you might like to follow up. You should be in the Greater Taree area of New South Wales, Australia.

John Tiley’s flyer for the Manning Area, N.S.W. Australia