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The performance is from students of a music school that teaches music to the blind.
The Southern California Conservatory of Music is the only place in the country that offers a braille music curriculum to teach musicianship of the highest caliber to blind and visually impaired students. It houses one of the largest braille music libraries in the world, and it also provides outreach programs to both blind and sighted children in the public schools who would otherwise receive no formal music education. After 37 years of steady service, this important community and national resource for the blind is facing severe financial difficulties, and has embarked on a fundraising campaign in an attempt to keep its doors open and continue its many programs.
I had an opportunity to talk to Dory Bavarsky, teacher over there and asked him about story behind the conservatory. Here is our conversation:
RS: Dory, what led you to get interested in this school?
DB: I was enrolled as a piano student at the conservatory at age 13. My teacher was Grant Horrocks, who along with Richard Taesch had founded the Braille Music Division of our school. I was studying classical piano quite intensively, and spent many of my weekends practicing at the conservatory. Since I was often there on Saturdays, I began to observe and then participate in the group classes for blind children. It was fascinating because the way these children were taught to engage in music was somewhat different than what I had been used to. Also, the range of abilities and disabilities presented in our group of students was quite vast and remarkable. I met children who had tremendous music gifts, including a few with incredible ears. Many of our blind students have perfect pitch, and some to such a degree that they can easily play back complicated music upon a single hearing. I was especially amazed by Rachel Flowers, who at age 4 was playing Beethoven sonatas by ear, though she could barely reach the keyboard. Eager to work with this special group of people, I continued volunteering as an assistant throughout my high school years. After graduating from UCSB, I was hired as a faculty member at the conservatory.
RS: Tell us more about the wonderful work the school is doing?
DB: Our school provides a variety of important services. We operate as a regular music conservatory, offering private lessons in all the major instruments, including voice, piano, violin, guitar, and flute. Our Braille Music Division offers the same level of intensive musical education to the blind community. We hold weekly group classes in Braille music notation, keyboard skills, and ear training, as well as private lessons for some students. In addition, the Braille Music Division has conducted numerous outreach programs at other schools for the disabled throughout Southern California. Last year, our teachers, including myself, visited three different schools on a weekly basis, and conducted music appreciation classes for their students. These classes involve playing all kinds of music, discussing it, and even giving the kids an opportunity to feel and play various instruments. These outreaches are an important aspect of our program, as they provided a wonderful musical experience for kids who richly deserve and enjoy it.
Over our many years of service, we have developed strong relationships with many other organizations working with the blind community, including Junior Blind of America, California State University Northridge, and California Transcribers and Educators of the Visually Handicapped. We are also the headquarters for The Music Education Network For The Visually Impaired, which is an information network composed of musicians, specialists, students, parents, and music educators.
RS: What can you share about some of the success stories of the school?
DB: Our school has had so many successes, especially in our Braille Music Division. We’ve had several students who have gone on to study music at colleges and universities. In fact, some of them have come back and are now working as instructors! We have also had students who come to our program unable to read braille. In several instances these students’ school teachers had declared that they would never be literate. However, music brings out hidden abilities, and after a few years with us, not only were these students reading braille, they were reading braille music notation as well.
One of our most inspiring students is one I mentioned earlier, Rachel Flowers. Rachel started with us as a tiny, nearly silent little girl. Though she would hardly ever talk, her musical ears were astounding. Over the years, Rachel has developed into an extraordinary musician. Her participation in music has also aided her development into a cheerful, talkative young lady. She plays piano and flute, and during the last few years become an excellent Jazz player. Last year, Rachel impressed some of the biggest stars of Jazz, including Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, and Hubert Laws, when she performed for them as part of an celebration honoring Herbie Hancock.
RS: What support are you looking for and how can people show their support?
DB: An important aspect of our Braille Music Division is that tuition for group classes is free for all our students. This policy ensures that no child is denied instruction based on financial circumstances. Thus, the conservatory has always relied on donations and grants to cover some of our operating costs. Unfortunately, because of the difficult economy, many of the annual grants we had been receiving did not come through this year. Simply stated, the conservatory needs immediate emergency funds in order to stay open for the next term. All donations help us keep our doors open and allow us to continue offering services from our current location. If we do manage to survive this challenging time, we will need continued support in order to continue and expand our programs. People can help us so much by donating to the school, and also by telling others about us.
Also, please visit http://www.sccm.us/index_files/Page1544.htm to view photos and performance videos of some of our Braille Music Division students. There is a terrific video of Rachel playing piano and flute, at the same time!
I received this email from a friend’s email address.
I know that she didn’t send it. All I have to do is to click the message and all my friends will get a similar message. The company can now claim that they are seeing a huge surge in the traffic
It is sad that companies resort to these tactics rather than trying to build something remarkable (a.k.a Purple Cow) so that people will spread the message for them.
This is not marketing, it is a demonstration of desperation!!!
[Pardon the in-built sarcasm. Sometimes I like to have fun too]
Here is the list. Please feel free to add to the list. We both know that there are MANY more ways to do this.
1. Just say that it will only take a minute of their time and squeeze five to ten minutes out of their life.
2. Talk about something that is of importance to their project. In the end tag along your own project and continue the discussion.
3. Exchange a few (obvious kind of) emails where you get an “Yes” and finally ask for something that you want. They are now in a mood to say “Yes,” so they might say “Yes” again.
4. Just tell them that you had one more thing to discuss and go ahead and discuss a dozen things. They won’t notice it especially if they are weak in maths.
5. Tell them you are checking in to see if they need any help. If they say they don’t need any help, you can start by saying – “I was wondering…” and go ahead with your agenda.
6. Call them and say that you had a missed call from their phone so you wanted to check in. If they say they didn’t call you, blame it on the phone company and start talking about whatever you want.
7. Send them an email about some industry report. Five minutes later go to their office and ask them if they got the report. Whatever is their answer, say, “Isn’t that interesting…” and start on your agenda.
8. Send them an email. Leave a voicemail to check if they received an email. Send them an instant message to check if they got the voicemail. If you don’t hear back, send a message on Twitter, write on their Facebook wall and lastly also try to comment on their blog.
9. Use the power of reciprocation. Give them a “low cost” gift and make them a “high cost” request.
10. Just call them and talk as if you had an appointment with them.
With everything that is happening in the world, the focus is on how to get the most out of your network. This is the right question to ask but if you stretch it a bit you might “overwork” your network and cause trouble for yourself. Here are ten ideas about “how NOT to overwork your network.”
(The ideas are not in any order)
1. Don’t add people in your network to mailing lists without asking their permission. Just because you have their card does not mean that they want to hear from you via newsletters.
2. Don’t introduce new people to anyone without asking permission from both parties. Typically one person wants to meet the other because they want to get something from the other person and the other person may not have the bandwidth to give that “something.”
3. Don’t have unreasonable expectations of your network
4. Don’t expect to receive first.
4. Don’t introduce more noise in your network. People don’t have time to deal with new noise.
5. Don’t take your network for granted.
6. Remember the golden rule: You knowing someone is not the same as they knowing you.
7. Put yourself in their shoes before making any request.
8. Think about this: “Why would fulfilling your request be meaningful to them?” If you can’t come up with a good answer, it might be time to go back to the drawing board and re-design your request for help.
9. Don’t play games with your network. Sooner than later, your network will know your true intent. And, it better be GOOD.
Lastly, remember that you get license to make a request in the “short-term,” if you have built a relationship over the long-term.
My friend Michael Stelzner never ceases to amaze me. When I met him at San Diego, he was talking about creating a Social Media Marketing Survey. The report, called the Social Media Marketing Industry Report, was released on Tuesday and I had the opportunity watch how Mike and his friends worked hard behind the scenes to make it happen.
Please check out the report (it’s simply awesome) and those that are curious about how this all happened, Mike shares his secrets in this interview:
RS: Tell us Mike, what prompted you to embark on this exercise?
MS: Well Raj, we noticed there was no research on how marketers are actually using social media. Nobody examined the time commitment or the tools that folks are using. This surprised me and I decided to do something about it.
I put together a rather comprehensive survey and leaned on some of my high profile marketing peers to help me get the word out about the survey. David Meerman Scott, author of World Wide Rave, was the first of many to help me spread the word about the survey. Hundreds of folks helped me get the word out. About 10 days later we had nearly 900 marketers who participated in the study. That ensured a very rich set of data to dig into.
RS: Please take us through the project life-cycle. How did it evolve and its journey from concept to launch?
MS: It all started as an idea while driving to work on a Thursday morning. By Friday (the next day), I had the survey made and began collecting responses. We closed the survey 10 days later and began the process of analyzing hundreds of open ended responses and performing some analysis–this part took months. The man hours were pretty extreme as my team tried to discover the key findings. And I was really shocked at some of the results. Perhaps, more than anything, was the amount of time marketers are investing in social media and how new they are to this marketing frontier.
RS: You do so many things brilliantly. It seems like you have sixteen hands and two brains all operating at once. What is your secret Mike?
You make me sound like some odd alien creature . I’m just human like everyone else. But I am a highly disciplined guy with a small bit of creativity poured on top by my maker. For me, it’s about a vision. I start with the end in mind, and call on my resources to help me pull off what seems impossible to others, in a short time. Keep watching, there’ll be more surprises coming from me.
RS: Where can our readers get the report?
The report is available for immediate download here
This week was a special one. My book “Upbeat” was sent off to the printers on Wednesday. It will be released on May 1st 2009. That’s almost a year after I embarked on the project. About a dozen people have seen the book evolve from a concept to a complete book. Special thanks to all of them. My goal was to write a book that someone will be able to read in less than 45 minutes and get something out of it. I have given my best and will now leave the verdict to you.
A special thanks to one of my teachers
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“Upbeat” is dedicated to my teacher Mr. G. Seetharam who taught me a few courses in the classroom but a lot more life lessons outside the classroom. Mr. Seetharam was the Principal of Sarvodaya College at Tumukur in India. I met Mr. Seetharam at a time when I was ready to make a few life decisions (such as “what exactly will I be doing right after school?” ) I am really glad I met him precisely at that time. The very first meeting with him was memorable and energizing. I kept thinking what was special about that meeting and at that time I could not explain it. Every subsequent meeting with Mr. Seetharam had the same effect on me. It was like Mr. Seetharam had some sort of energy overflow and some of that excess energy was touching me in a very special way. He was full of life and he enjoyed what he was doing and we all ( the students ) benefited significantly from this. He was the candle that lighted the lives of most of us.
Here are a few lessons I learned from Mr. Seetharam. I am writing only a few lessons here. If I write about all the lessons, I might have content for another book
1. Focus on the fundamentals: He insisted EVERY time that I understand the fundamentals behind something rather than learning what is required to get good grades in the exam.
2. Be Curious: He rarely asked questions. But would trigger something in me that made me ask NEW questions.
3. Stay Hungry: Once these questions were asked, I had to have the hunger to find the answers to those NEW questions. He created the hunger in me to start this quest
4. Raise the Bar: I still remember one of those evenings when I used to be at his home having a part philosophy and part science discussions. He was teaching me a concept in Physics and I picked up my notebook to write down something. He asked me to stop and listen first. He said the only way to learn quickly it is to approach it as if you were going to teach it to someone else. At that instant, he changed the way I looked at learning.
5. Expect More: Rarely did he ask me to work hard or study more. He simply expected more from me. In all our conversations, there was never any pressure just a nudge and a reminder that he expects me to do VERY well.
There are many many more lessons and I am eternally indebted to the selfless gifts that he handed to me over the two years. Thank you Sir. I wouldn’t be who I am today without your help.
Request for you:
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I am sure you have several teachers in your life that shaped your thinking, your approach and your outlook on life. Please take a moment to thank them. It may be an email or a phone cal. I know you can do it anytime. So why not now?
Stage Capturing: Taking advantage of somebody else’s stage for your advantage (without permission from that somebody)
Enjoy the story:
The Opportunity
Tim sent a note to a few dozen friends promoting his new book. One of the recipients, Bob quickly responded to all promoting his own book to the list. Bob thought that he used the opportunity to demonstrate his “thought leadership” while the people in the list only saw “desperation.”
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Note:
1. A mini saga is a story told in exactly 50 words. Not 49 or 51 but exactly 50.
This week was busy. Sometimes a week zips past so fast that it seems unfair. This week, I will talk about competence and also include a quick article titled “10 Quick Ways to Lose Credibility Online”
On a personal note, I had a photo shoot for my upcoming book “Upbeat: Having an Attitude to Thrive in Tough Times.” Actually two photo shoots – the first one didn’t go well. I thought it went OK but others didn’t. The angles were not OK in one. There was glare in the glasses in another one. There was too much light in one and there was too little light in the other. I looked at the photos and they really looked fine. That’s when I remembered a quote from Jeffrey Pfeffer – “To know your level of incompetence on a topic, you have to be reasonably competent on that topic.”
Photography is greek to me and I have to go with what the experts say. So I went for a photo shoot the second day. This time I simply followed instructions and not only was I happy, everyone else was happy too.
Now, the article:
10 Quick Ways to Lose Credibility Online
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#9 Cheap Viral Tricks
Virality is a happy side-effect of something that’s remarkable. While you can make something viral, it is better to work towards building something remarkable so that it’s automatically viral.
Trying to engage in cheap viral tricks will instantly make quality people run away from you now and in the future.
#8 Baseless allegations
Name calling, complaining and simply bad-mouthing about someone online won’t help you in the long run. You will not only burn bridges but also alienate a whole set of smart people.
#7 Arguing for no reason:
One way to attract attention is to disagree with something being said. Nothing is black and white and you can always start an argument in the gray area. Unless you have s strong position and are qualified to make an intelligent statement on the topic, it is not worth pulling someone into an argument. It will simply leave a bad taste with everyone.
#6 Free-riding
You send an email to someone influential and out of courtesy they reply to you and now you start trying to get personal coaching and advice for free without respecting their time and investment.
#5 Stage-capturing:
Use someone else’s blog, Facebook or twitter account to toot your horn. Their stage is theirs, create your own stage to act on your show.
#4Automatic opt-ins
Get an email address and you add them to your mailing list. If someone gives you their business card, they didn’t sign up to get email updates from you or any of your associates. Opt-ins are never automatic unless it’s your family members (even then, may be )
#3 Posting unrelated comments:
Some smart person advocates that you need to be participating in the community and you start posting comments – unrelated to what the blog post is about. Yes, you will get links to your website along with those comments and probably some traffic from curious people. But that’s not going to be long-lasting. In fact, once people know what your “trick” is, they will “mentally blacklist” you and start ignoring you.
#2 Advertising under the disguise of participation:
When I see some questions on LinkedIn, I don’t know whether to laugh or to cry. They are advertisements for their services disguised in the form of “intelligent” questions. Not only this is funny, it is also insulting to people who are receiving the questions
#1 Stating the obvious:
The sun rises in the east. The sun sets in the west. It’s cold in the winter. These are all true and it may be interesting for kindergarten people. Packaging it to make it look profound won’t make it profound. Hollow blog posts, hollow comments, hollow tweets that state the obvious are a sure-fire way of losing credibility.
So many people send me new books and I am sure they hope that if I like the book, I will spread the message about the book. Sometimes I will write about it in my blog, send out a note to my newsletter subscribers, tweet about it. Sometimes I recommend this to companies that are looking for good books to buy as gifts to their employees, vendors or customers/prospects.
And sometimes I may not do anything. Not because I didn’t like the book but simply because I ran out of bandwidth or things simply fall through the cracks with all the things I am involved in.
But I try my best to do justice.
Having said that, these people took a chance and sent their books. If nothing happens, they lost their money. That’s why it’s called a chance.
There is another way of doing this. Many people send me a message asking if I would be willing to review a book. They would offer me to send a chapter and based on that I am supposed to review that book. Some are more sophisticated. They say that I can read the first three chapters and if I like the book, I can request for the book and they will send the book to me. Then I can read the book and write a review.
That’s a circuitous path to get what they want.
You can make it easy for yourself but not at the expense of the person from whom you are asking for help.
. I’m just human like everyone else. But I am a highly disciplined guy with a small bit of creativity poured on top by my maker. For me, it’s about a vision. I start with the end in mind, and call on my resources to help me pull off what seems impossible to others, in a short time. Keep watching, there’ll be more surprises coming from me.
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