Music Theory/Another Play

Wow, have things been frustrating. My mom and I are working on a new play. This play is for special needs. Our protagonist ( good guy) is deaf. Yep, you read right; deaf. So in this play there will be signing going on, along with singing. Yep, my deaf protagonist will be singing in sign language. While the best friend will be signing terribly off key. It's still in the very early stages. You know writing, deleting, re-writing, deleting some more, screaming at the computer, then taking a break to work out coming back and the whole cycle continues again. Like the cycle of prosperity in the Book of Mormon.

We are currently writing one song. I have no problems with lyrics and melody, but translating what I have in my head on to paper is another thing. So yeah frustration is apparent right now. Craft, art, or whatever you would like to call it, takes time. The thing is that when you are your own critic, (a bad one at that), you need to be careful not to hate yourself and give up. Whatever creative thing you do is a new learning experience. You maybe painting, singing, drawing, or sculpting for years but it's still a new learning experience.

The question is now is why am I writing a play that will have sign in it, nobody but the deaf will understand what he is saying? The answer is: Well this is not the first time I have co-written a play for special needs. This one is the first time I have written about a deaf protagonist.. The deaf and hearing alike will be able to understand all of the play....we hope. I'm just hoping that the play will make sense.

Now my music program decided to take a vacation on me, it will not let me save my progressive work. I just need to find my disk and restart it. I worked so hard to figure out the rhythm of one of the songs. I refused to loose it so I ended up writing it down the old fashion way. On paper. Poetic Justice? Possibly. Beethoven, Bach, and all of the other classical composers are possibly applauding me or laughing at me right now. I'm thinking laughing at me.    

Cheers Everyone!

National Poetry Month

Since this is National Poetry Month I have taken up the challenge to write different poetry. Two are Japanese themed structure, one is Onomatopoeia, Grammar, Senses poem, two are Limerick themed, with along with others. This is the first time in a long time that I have written any poetry. Tomorrow is Poem in your pocket day! So find a poem that you love and carry it in your pocket and share it with friends, family, coworkers, and etc.

These are the ones that I have written thus far, for this month:

Autism is a disability.
Autism, blue puzzles, April.
Blue, pants, shirt, and socks!

~

Computers the existence of our lives.
They work,
They Don't,
frustrations, broils tempers.
The new computer have arrived!
excited you hope it will work,
only to find out it has a worm.

~

I am one in a million, just like others.
I write plays, I'm a director.
I can play 4 instruments, I want to play others.
I can sing but in my life isn't a factor.

I know food more then I do people.
I think, in my opinion, people are generally strange, people I don't
understand.
I may be able to help you if you ask me something about food.

I have trials just like others, in that I am just like others,
In these trials I have felt anger and disbelieve.
I try to understand my current trial.
I have found out something new about my trial and disbelieve came.
I am now angry because of the choices of others.

I don't really care about Romance movies, unless they are old.
I am now got currently hooked on Sci-fi.
I blame my brothers for cock picking me.
I laugh at the new Romance movies.
I just think they are funny, it doesn't matter if they are a Romantic/
comedy or not.

~

Tulips
Pleasing to the eye.
Daylight color shows this
Red, yellow, pink, and orange
Sunsets.

~

Snow
Cold, wet
White powder flakes
It's spring, not winter

~

Spring Senses Poem

Spring looks like a roller coaster.
Spring sounds like birds chirping .
Spring feels like winter is trying to stay around.
Spring tastes like warmer temperatures are around the corner.

Bye!

~

I think I can do the Limerick
I just need to ask Rick
To give me ideas for this to work
To think of a subject so I won't smirk
"Day 11 is a challenge" says Sir Mic
Who I is Sir Mic? You might say.
You'll meet him at the end of May.
And Sir Mic shall tell you his Limerick.

~

I have enjoyed all of the poems that we all have been writing during
this month.
So now I hope we all keep writing so the skills we have gained won't bye
with the moths.
The creative writing we all have been writing.
Sometimes the creative juices I have been fighting.
Fighting, for something to come up with.
Lots of fun, poetry are not all myth.

~

I'd like to read things.
She cry's to reach the night stars,
Hopes that Odin hears.
The Norse god says he is mighty,
But he cannot make her stop.

~

That friend you dream about.
He is loyal and fun.
becomes your secret keeper.
Like's you no matter who you are or what you do.
If only people are like your favorite stuffed animal.

Cheers Everyone!

Is this art?

Robert Frost once said:

"Art is anything that moves you."

With that said, this is what happens when I get bored. So yes, I did sketch this.

This is a sketch of my electric violin. It sounds really bad without an amplifier, something that I don't have. It's possibly a good thing. I compare it with one child's voice. It's cute, it's sweet on it's own. Hook it up to an amplifier then the quality of this instrument becomes a rich majestic tone. Much like the richness and majestic tone of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.

I like to compare this instrument to the Atonement. Without it we cannot achieve our potential.

Google SketchUp

I have found an article called Google workshop to help parents and teachers of children of Autism. Using a 3D program that is used and originally made for architects, however the entertainment industry have used this program also. Google have decided to put the program to use for a different type of audience, that audience is children with ASD,(Autism Spectrum Disorder), called Google SketchUp .

This is free to download, watch a video, create your own models, share with friends, and it is also for educators.

Also on Saturday February 6 10 a.m. to noon at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, Utah, 320 Alfred Emery Building, 225 S. 1400 East in President's Circle. The designer of SketchUp and a designer for Universal Creative will be at the University of Utah for a presentation on Google SketchUp.

Cheers!

Valentines day craft

Ok I'm not really a crafty person, I need to be in the mood to do things like this. The mood needs to be after, I have no problem cleaning up after the mess. But I got creative. My mom had these wood cut outs, I painted one she did the other.

Mine is the pink one on the right. My mom did the one of the left. The creative part is that I used Pink Twinkle, glitter nail polish, on the wood lace that surrounds the word love. On the word it's self I used Pink glitter glue. It doesn't look half bad.

For what my mom used was just regular acrylic paint. But used red glitter glue on the on the small heart, and the same glitter glue was used for the dots on the white wood lace.



What a great way to decorate for Singles Awareness Day. You know what they say:

"The sky is the limit!"

Cheers!

You can leave your religion on the door step. Thank you!

I came back from VT. The woman that I VT is inactive and bitter about the church, and would like it if I would leave my religion on the door step. I have known this inactive sister for quite a long time. About three years ago she and her husband has stopped smoking. I was so proud of them! But over time I would talk to her and her husband, and was appointed to be her visiting teacher. My companion and I are the only ones that she would let in to visit teach her. From time to time I have bean able to tell her of some experiences that I would have with an LDS program called "Special Needs Mutual." She would laugh or be in awe with some of the experiences that I have shared. But never apostolate or teach.

Well I have found some painting's in the December Ensign (pg 39) called "GARDENING IN THE RAIN" By Brian Kershisnik and the other on, (pg 41) call "THE FACE OF NEW ENGLAND" by Robert Duncan. This inactive sister loves art and so I took over the Ensign to show her the incredible paintings. She laughed at "GARDENING IN THE RAIN." She thought that it was cute, so did her husband. But "THE FACE OF NEW ENGLAND" she loved, she couldn't believe that it was a painting. Robert Frost once said:

"Art is anything that moves you."

I didn't apostolate or teach to her, I have only shown her and her husband the paintings in the Ensign. So who said that the Ensign cannot be in every home, in one time or another. They have come so far.

Rewriting another play

Writers are usually told to rewrite their work, for whatever reason. When it comes to plays it is different. You rewrite to fit the number the cast, the dialog; if it is a musical then it would be the songs, or choreography.

This particular of rewriting will be a play that I co-wrote for special needs. It is a very cute Christmas play called "Back to Bethlehem" It is about a boy who is special needs who want to be a "normal" boy with normal needs. He has given the task to prepare the hay to be made into a soft bead for the baby Jesus, at the end he is blessed. This play was put on by special needs 3 years ago. The way this play is written is so perfect for special needs. After the performance their wasn't a dry face anywhere to be seen. One amazing sister said to me, (her name shall stay anonymous)

"My husband and I went to see "The Savior of the World" last night. This was far more better."

My bishop wanted me to put this play on for the ward. I so didn't want to. This play is so dear to my heart, because it is written for special needs and they did an excellent performance. The question is how can a cast of non special needs put on the same quality of performance, with a very simplistic play and not be insulated, or bored?

So for the past year, yes year........I know. I have been thinking about this, and been putting it off, for reasons that were poor. You know like "I'm too busy." Truth was I just plane didn't want to do it. So now for the past week I have been thinking of how I can rewrite the play "Back to Bethlehem;" make it more of a challenge for the cast, as in something that would be much more interesting for the cast and audience to keep their attention, but keep the integrity of the original simplistic play.

I keep coming back to one truth. Every time we talk about the Savior and His role within our lives, the spirit will always come. So how am I going to do this? I think I have figured it out, and notes have been taken down. I plan to sit down after the Holidays, birthdays, parents anniversary, New Years and start writing. Then it should be ready for when I start directing it.

Gardner Village

These are only a small sample of what is at Gardner Village in UT. These are so supper cute.

The one up above is so Margaret Hamilton.
She just needs her monkeys.

Student driver

She is fishing with dynamite, that is the only

way to fish.

The sign says "Baseball Tryouts today"

Road Show photos

Ok I have like 8 photos. The best part is, this Friday it will be all over, I'm still counting down. Thank heaven's the lack of sleep is catching up. I'm not a photographer as you can plainly see. This show looks great. I thank my cast for all of the hard work they have done to make this possible. Their work makes our work (my Mother, Andrea Fife, and me) come alive on stage. Thank you once again!

Found old notes

While I was looking at an old note book I had found my old notes to a play I directed for special needs. It had my original drawings of how I wanted to have the stage set up. The drawings were very primitive, only because I cant draw to save my life. I helped write a play, pacifically for special needs. It was about a boy who was special needs wanting to be normal. But in the end found out that he had a special purposes. I even had some audience participation.

All of my actors were special needs. Some couldn't read, all couldn't memorize those lines. But I had people who could, read their lines and my actors repeat the lines. It was perfect. After wards so many people told me as well as other's how much they loved it and it touched them.

I loved working with them. They took direction, they wanted to be apart if it. I just wish that the people I'm working with right now would take direction and have the same enthusiasm as my special needs cast had.

Last min. touches

I need to do last min. touches on the props for the Road Show. I have a bench that needs to be painted. So I'm off to Lows to find the paint.

The weird thing is that this bench needs to be the color of raw copper. So that means a lot of creating painting.

Get this last practice the other person that is in charge of this did not even show up. He needed to be there. I was so disappointed in him. When you are committed to do something be there, people are counting on you. So yes, everyone is needed and important.

This is so amazing!!!

Take a look at this art promo by Deirdra Eden Coppel



By the way Happy April Fools Day. The art work isn't a joke.

A Ghost in the Teachers' Workroom

My SIL Andria is published read "A Ghost in the Teacher's Workroom" Click on the link below.

Empty
Have you ever wondered what happens in teachers' lounge or workroom? And have you ever wondered what happens if that room is haunted?
http://www.associatedcontent.comarticle/1493360/empty.html

Paul Smith

Paul Smith, the man with extraordinary talent was born in Philadelphia on  September 21, 1921, with severe Cerebral Palsy.

Not only had Paul beaten the odds of life wit spastic Cerebral Palsy, a disability that impeded this speech and mobility but also taught himself to become a master artist as well as a terrific chess player even after being devoted of a formal education as a child. 

When typing, Paul used his left hand to steady his right one.  Since he couldn't press two keys at the same time, he almost always locked the shift key down and made his pictures using the symbols at the top of the number keys.  In other words, his pictures were based on these characters.    ..........%^&*()_.

Across seven decades, Paul created hundreds of pictures.  He often gave the originals away.  Sometimes, but not always, he kept or received a copy for his own records.

His mastery of the typewriter grew,  he developed techniques to created shading, colors and textures that made his work resemble pencil or charcoal drawings.

This great man passed away on June 25 2007, but left behind a collection of his amazing artwork that will be an inspiration for many.

The brilliance of special needs.  They are not just nameless people.  They are brilliant.   Do and say things that are not within their disability  capability.  They are brilliant!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

For more information, and more samples of his art, please go http://www.paulsmithfoundation.org/