James Kershaw

Idioms are interchangeable

People have asked me if I would teach music to their kids. It always takes me off guard because I'm not a teacher and I feel puzzled by the question. You might say that anybody with a viable skill would find it rewarding if he would consider sharing it with others in a way that might kindle interest and enthusiasm. This is a good idea and I suppose if I were to take on a young student he or she might learn to appreciate the piano from the way I play it. No doubt it would be positive to cultivate a genuine interest in experimenting with the sounds that the instrument produces. I have found that over the years my piano playing has been positively affected by my connection with drawing and painting. In fact, many of the same terms used to appreciate artwork are employed in talking about music, as for example, balance, colour, harmony, contrast, density. Learning how to recognize these concepts would be valuable in itself and helpful should a student move on to further study with a trained music teacher.

Coats and More

Volunteers carry coats on a rope

In 1935, U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt said, "Continued dependence upon relief induces a spiritual and moral disintegration fundamentally destructive to the national fiber."

The front page of The Niagara Falls Review featured an article, “Hanging out for a good cause.” The story featured a photo of two people transporting a large quantity of used clothing by draping articles over a long stretched rope and walking with it. Stores and businesses displayed an undetermined amount of donated cold weather clothing available to anyone in need.

We learn plenty with our giving but I'm not ready to give away my winter coat just yet. It's the warmest one I've got. It has down inside, a heavy- duty zipper, compartments, and a hood which fastens with snap buttons and Velcro. You couldn't get a new coat like that for under $80.00. It also has sentimental value because it belonged to my Dad. Clothes are like beliefs. Normally, without them we are vulnerable. Donating clothes is just one way that we can help someone stay comfortable when travelling to a job site, for example, or an interview. Relief provides for many in need. With that said, do you think there's any truth in Roosevelt 's comments? If so, what is your vision of an ideal society and how would you manage it?

Good for the Soul

Niagara is the capital of the world's ice wine producers

I met with my friend Phil Lococo who works at a local winery in order to find out more about ice wine. Phil is a conscientious multitasker. Rough scarred hands show the intensity of his labour. His jobs range from oiling a bottling machine to communicating with eager Asian and Japanese customers.

I asked Phil what was so special about ice wine and why it is so sought after. He sites two reasons: One is that it is booze (humans naturally like it) and the second is that it is so sweet. The juice that makes ice wine is five times sweeter than regular wine and even sweeter than maple syrup. Here's why. Grapes are allowed to hang on the vine long past the regular harvesting time. By late December or January grapes have shriveled to raisons or "frozen marbles". Ice wine grapes must be harvested at minus eight centigrade or colder in order for the product to be "legal". In a winepress they yield about one fifth the amount of juice you would extract from the same amount of regular grapes. Sometimes oak barrels are used to store the fermenting juice while a special yeast is used to keep working in the high sugar - higher alcohol environment. With Valentine's Day fast approaching you might be in the mood (or the money) for a bottle of your favourite red or white ice wine.

Thank you for your comments. I am always pleased to respond to your emails.

©New York Daily News, L.P.; reproduced with permission

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Music & Reminiscence
With Quality of Life in Mind

In the confrontaton between the stream and the rock, the stream always wins - not through strength but through perseverence

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