I remember my teacher’s face when talking about Kahlo and now contemplate that her being on the verge of tears may not have been only because of the tragedy...
Author: Ars Arvole
composer-pianist, teacher, poet
My Fashion Love Story 2017
This fashion love story is about my favorite sweater..... When I wait until the last minute to decide what to wear, glimpsing this sweater in my closet instantly allows me to look good and feel comfortable. #lovedclotheslast
Listening to Arrival
I fell in love with linguistics because of a course in my undergraduate second major in Spanish. Our class at Vanderbilt University started in Latin, followed how sounds and spellings became Spanish (distinct from other Romance languages), and further traced dialectal variants from the Mediterranean coast to the Andes mountains. The systematic explanation of how… Continue reading Listening to Arrival
Improving Our Non-Utopia
The United States is not utopia. Some Walgreens ads have gently reminded us of this fact. The platform of every major and minor political party in the United States has a different vision of what utopia would be and how to achieve it. My husband and I recently took a trip to New York, where… Continue reading Improving Our Non-Utopia
Stephen Schwartz at My Wedding
Stephen Schwartz did not attend my wedding, but he was present in music. With my groom and I, my wedding guests and participants sang "Day by Day" from Schwartz's musical Godspell as one of the two congregational songs at the ceremony. I first heard the song because my mother sang it when I was a… Continue reading Stephen Schwartz at My Wedding
I Was Miles Behind
I thought Miles Davis died before hashtags. I looked up #socialmusic because it was printed on the back of Davis' jacket at the conclusion of the movie Miles Ahead. On Facebook, I found pictures of people partying at bars and encountered jazz pianist Jon Batiste, but most Twitter search results referenced this film. I had suspended… Continue reading I Was Miles Behind
For Harper
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee was the only book I was assigned to read twice: once in middle school for Reading/Writing Workshop and once in high school for Honors English. She was the first Alabama-born heroine who was introduced to me at school. My first encounter with her was alongside Anne Frank and… Continue reading For Harper
A Poem for MLK Day 2016
...my inner voice chanted, "Let my people go. Let my people go. Let my people go. Let my people go."
Listening to Sufjan’s Gift
As an only child on road trips, the back seat of the car was my domain of reading books and looking at billboards. I remember having a colorful box set of Disney short stories on cassette, and my parents tell of stuffed animals I don't remember throwing out the window. For the first time since… Continue reading Listening to Sufjan’s Gift
Thirty Years in Cuban Music
Berklee College of Music in Boston treats with seriousness and depth music I am passionate about. I spent my undergraduate career immersed in the poetry of Nicolas Guillen and emerged with an original song cycle, an honors paper featuring Cuban composers, and two class presentations based on his work. When I graduated, I abandoned my… Continue reading Thirty Years in Cuban Music
Ars Arvole 