Thursday in Thought

Tonight is my second to last Thursday in Juticalpa.

Of course, this time would come. I still have a week, but I think it will go by pretty quickly (except for the weekend, but who knows maybe this one will). 

Apparently, I practiced so hard over the year, my bow popped!

I have made so many friends and connected with so many people. I have also been really good at keeping true to my musical talents. Maybe I didn't practice everyday, but I can still play and learn new music. I practiced just about every weekend though. Sometimes I had wanted to take a break on a Sunday, but then 3 pm would roll around, and I would practice. This was funny to me, obviously my best friend is my violin!

L to R: Michele (me), Brittany (roommate), Melissa (across the street friend).

About some of the people that I have met: My roommate Brittany and my across-the-street-friend Melissa have been good, fun, sincere friends and we have shared some wonderful moments together. The rest of the teachers have been incredibly supportive, and I have learned a lot from them. 

The art show I organized with the help of La Sociedad Cultural and the students and teachers of The Day-Star School. 

My students who are musicians taught me a different perspective on music and I remembered the reason I love music in the first place. Listen, Play, Feel, and just play!

My students who are artists reminded me how much I love color, love to create and make things. My students who were neither artists nor musicians reminded me that it's good to be inquisitive and ask questions, and to keep on learning. I also learned a lot about leadership from them because of the art and music event that I organized with the school and the Society of Culture. Oh, yes. And The Society of Culture. This is where I got to learn about my Central American culture and promote Olanchano culture as much as I could. Even if it is a little different than my Nicaraguan heritage (por ejemplo, the use of the word vos), it isn't that much different. 

L to R: Sergio, Daniel, Michele, Darío

Connecting with nature is also a very important thing for me!

Before I came here, somebody told me said that they hoped that I would find what I was looking for. I think I did. It wasn't what I had envisioned, but it was beautiful in an unexpected way, and what I needed to find.

Life is an experience. And it's a learning experience. Through this, I learned about people, culture, music, art, language, and so much more.

Reflection: Beauty appreciated and goals achieved

 I arrived in Honduras nine months ago to teach art and music to middle school students at The Day-Star School. I was given this amazing opportunity to work with students of Juticalpa in these subjects, and before I came, I didn't realize how much I was going to do to support the arts and the culture here. I ended up working with The Society of Culture as well, and we put together a successful art show at La Casa de la Cultura on April 21, 2012.
There were two themes for this art show. One theme was "I Love Honduras" and the other theme was "The Divinity of Art and Music". Many students paid homage to their country. Paintings of mountains, beaches, sunsets, buildings, and churches lined up the left. After walking, there were sculptures of Mayan ruins in the center of the hall. Other works of art were created with repousee, a metal working technique that they had learned with another art teacher, and a pair of students made their works of art (a homage to coffee) on a traditional Honduran dress.

I also arranged to have students participate and play music at this event, hence the title, "The Divinity of Art and Music".

There were two sets of music, one in the morning and one in the early afternoon. 

Songs like "Someone like you" and "1000 Miles" were performed with a keyboardist who plays everything by ear. The instrumentalists consisted of a guitarist who played Mozart, and me, who plays the violin. I played Manuel de Falla, Kreisler, and Eleanor Rigby. 

In the afternoon, I played Bach and Mozart and performed with another guitarist, an improvisation that he came up with. Other students sang from "Grease" the musical that they are working on with another teacher. This other teacher has an incredible singing voice, and really added to the musical ambiance in the art show/recital event.

Both sets drew a large crowd of people, especially the one in the later afternoon.  This event was a fundraiser for The Society of Culture, and we raised over $400 for this community.

I'm hoping that this tradition continues over the next few years. I also hope for the best for my students, coworkers, and the rest of the society. There is a lot of talent, and the youth can preserve it and strengthen their culture and community.

Viernes Santo y Sencillo en San Jose

At the moment, I am in Costa Rica in a lovely hostel called In and Basic. I leave for Honduras tomorrow morning, but I stop overnight in Managua.

This has been an interesting adventure. I knew that the bus rides (8 hours plus 9 hours, and another 5 hours of delay, delay, delay!) would be rough, and they were. And the taxi rides. . . .uy. Que feo.

But I got to see a friend! It was awesome. His name is Erasmo and he is a violinist for the Heredia Orchestra. I met him 10 years ago exactly when the Utah Youth Symphony Orchestra played for the 2002 Olympics. Pretty cool, huh?

We went dancing and he taught me how to Salsa. Finally. Someone who could teach me how to salsa! The next day, we went to Heredia so I could watch him perform with the Orchestra. It felt so amazing to hear classical music again, to see people with violin and cello cases, and to listen to the classically constructed chords of Mozart and Haydn. I have to admit. I was playing air-violin during the Haydn. It felt good. I can't wait to play with an orchestra again, and to listen to concerts of classical and other styles.  I was also introduced to the sounds of Berny Siles Loaiza. Oh, contemporary classical music! How I've missed you so!

Erasmo gave me a copy of his Duos and Trios of Costa Rican Chamber Music. I look forward to listening
to it in Juticalpa.

During this trip, I also checked out Finca Amanecer in a random, out of the way place called Londres. It's 10 miles east of the beaches of Quepos. I only spent a few moments at the beach, but on the farm, I relaxed, sketched, and wrote. I have drawn quite a bit on this trip, and think that I have improved. I felt really whole and engaged while drawing. I observed the nature and colors, questioned every shape and form that was given to me, and came up with some drawings that I am satisfied with.

I did a few more things on this trip, like checking out San Jose, seeing The Lorax in the cine, and taking a walk in Los Yoses. I think I will be coming back in June or July, after I spend some time in Nicaragua. It looks really good for that, and I'm glad to know my way around Costa Rica now! 






 to it, andto it and

"A Night in Central America" by Michele Medina

This is called "A Night in Central America."
This has meaning. The wood and the candles are the most significant. I did this to relate the Honduran culture to my own Nicaraguan culture.
The wood panel represents 2 things: the cities, pueblos, buildings, and the infrastructures of places in Central America. The wood also represents the father figure, a foundation of the family as well as representing my own father because he is a carpenter.
The candles represent the resources available in Central America. Sometimes there is no light or electricity (among other resources), but there are other things you can use instead to fill your needs (such as candles or sun for light). The candles also represent the mother figure, the giver of light and hope. If you notice there is melted wax as the soil of the painting and as the stars.
Then of course, the verdant nature is represented by the eglantine in the sky (as if the candles were trees and there was a canopy of green), and the moon representing the night.

Mozart, Manu Chao, and Improvisations in F

March 18, 2012 17:26 On March 17, the students of The Day-Star School in Juticalpa participated in a mini-concert that I pulled together with the help of La Sociedad de la Cultura. It was an amazing event. It was wonderful! We all got to share and appreciate each others talent. We had a lot of support from the teachers and students. Everyone kept asking me when the next time we were going to have another concert. I have a few more months left in Juticalpa, and it will be my pleasure to pull together another concert!

I began the program, introducing the performers in English and Spanish. My beginning piece was Mozart's Sonata 34 and many people commented on my manual dexterity. Quite a compliment! Then I introduced Victoria and her brother Leo. They played "In the Mood" on saxophone. Then I played Bach's Andante in A Minor, a piece that I have been working on ever since I got to Juticalpa. After that, Roger played a guitar solo, then Josue and Roger both played La Chispa Adecuada. It is a beautiful melody and their dedication to the guitar was apparent. My favorite part of the program was something that went unplanned. Since a performer did not show up, Josue and I had to think fast. Josue woke up on Saturday morning with a tune in his head. He improvised it and so we decided that he would play it and I would improvise from his music. It was perfect: authentic, original, peaceful, beautiful, and inspiring.

Another teacher, Ted, played and sang songs by Manu Chao with Leo the saxophonist. Then, one of my 8th graders Tania sang "My heart will go on" from Titanic with Leo. The other really wonderful part about the whole show was my student Jorge. He played "Can you feel the love tonight" by Elton John on the keyboard. Everyone was very impressed with his piano skills. I'm pretty sure that he does most of his playing by ear. Most of these students play music by ear, and reading music isn't something that is very common here.

I am so proud of my students! I wasn't sure how it was going to go, and there wasn't any electricity that day. I was a little concerned about Jorge and his keyboard, but he had a battery for the keyboard. These students are so dedicated! It was such a pleasure to work with the Cultural Society, with the students, and other teachers. The next event will be just as great!

La Historia de Honduras Website

Absolutely beautiful music.

http://stores.imaginemusicpublishing.com/-strse-953/Michael-Patilla-Guitar-Solo/Detail.bok

Artists and their Visual Symphonies

I've been working hard on a school-wide art show at The Day-Star School in Juticalpa. It's going well, especially since it's about a month away. At first, I was only going to have it for grades 7-12. But, though I knew it'd be more work, I decided to let grades 4-6 enter too because I know that they are very talented too. Plus, it's been fun getting to know some of the other kids.

 So far, I've got over 120 entries, and I'm not done organizing the names yet! The director and I decided that I am going to have to select the best art -- which might be a challenge because some students are so talented. I'm getting help from other teachers, and my students are going to be required to help me set up and take everything down. March 12-23 is going to be a busy time for me because of this event.

One thing that is very important to me during my time in Juticalpa is expanding the culture. I volunteer with the Society of Culture in Juticalpa and many times someone says something about "There is no culture here". Living here has been frustrating at times because there is not a whole lot to do and it's highly suggested that you don't leave your house past 7 pm. I've gotten used to it because I focus on work and am pretty dedicated to the Society of Culture and La Casa de la Cultura (see Facebook page that I started!). For example, I have set up a recital that will include students and teachers. I'm going to play Bach and possibly De Falla (depending on if it's ready or not) but I'm really excited to improvise with my students who play the guitar. I'm not sure what else is going to happen on the day of the recital, but the nice thing is that we can plan it relaxed and let the program work itself out.

Finally, I have also arranged and art show at La Casa de la Cultura. This will take place in April, and so far I will involve the best entries from the Day-Star School art show. Every little attempt to augment the culture here seemed slow at first, but now I'm seeing results! It's really exciting, and I'm getting to know my own students on a different level. One of my students Ricardo painted this picture with his friend Jorge. Before I even suggested combining art and music, the two friends decided that they were going to paint their assigned landscape and refer to music. I was impressed I loved looking at their piece as they were painting it. I can't wait to see what they contribute for the art show!

Quote: “Art is a beautiful symphony that we musicians love to play.” – Ricardo