Snow Storms, Paperwork & the Soundscape

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but after enduring the last several days of a September snow storm, I will not print the thousands of words that have filled my head....

However, it has been a sublime experience to take in the snow filled September soundscape.  Between the hustle of the Christmas season and the drudgery of January, one forgets how quiet and serene the soundscape of freshly fallen snow can be in a bustling city like Calgary.  When that is combined with the frenetic pace of the starting of the school year it was a welcome escape.  One minute I am surrounded by the cacophony of student musicians warming up their instruments that have laid rest in a two month sabbatical to the next minute of walking, in complete silence through the snow September soundscape.  Only with the horrifyingly painful sound of trees submitting their branches to the weight of the snow was I reminded of the beauty and pain that nature endures.

Calgary Snow Storm, September 2014

Paperwork is an unceasing annoyance to any music director.  Scores, music and administration forms litter my desk only to eventually end up in the recycling bin.  I am pleased that I have moved my lectures to a paperless method.  After seeing the great trees break under the stress of nature, I am reminded of how many branches I had needlessly wasted in unnecessary photocopies.  We can do better... I can do better.