Saturday, November 10, 2018 – “Planting the Seed, Sharing the Wisdom”
Panelists: Judith Cole, Carol Erion, Ester Gray, Barbara Grenoble, Carolee Stewart, Charles Tighe
Moderator: Tiffany English, AOSA President
To honor AOSA’s 50th anniversary celebration, six AOSA members with long & distinguished histories in the organization were asked to share thoughts and reflections, based on two questions. Excerpts from their answers are shared, below.
- What wisdom from the past would you impart to the current generation?
- What do you know now that you wish you had known then?
Barbara Grenoble: Take every opportunity to understand the Orff Schulwerk philosophy and history. Enjoy teaching – the next day will be fun, even if today wasn’t.
Carolee Stewart: Enjoy the route your life takes and be willing to take the chances that come along. Know when to say “No”.
Carol Erion: Teach your students how to be composers and how to be creative. We need to give the Schulwerk to the next generation and see where it goes.
Ester Gray: Embrace opportunities, even things that seem unlikely. Don’t typecast yourself. Recognize your strengths.
Charles Tighe: The 1967 Tanglewood Symposium, along with the evolution of the Memphis program from 1967-1987, precipitated the need to include African American cultural heritage/influence into our curricula. The result was a new focus on the inclusion of spirituals, blues, and jazz.
Judith Cole: Be mindful and thankful for all the AOSA trailblazers of the last 50 years – our founders, teachers, researchers, editors. “Bring up our young members to be caretakers of the gifts that are AOSA and Orff Schulwerk.”