Catching up

Has it really been almost three years since my last post? Wow. I can you tell you now, I really regret not keeping the blog up to date! So much has happened and I have a lot of catching up to do. I felt that the blog had come to natural conclusion after leaving Kingston, but looking back, I see that that was really only the beginning.

As some readers may remember, I started this blog when I arrived in Kabul to teach at the Afghanistan National Institute of Music. It's hard to believe, but that was almost exactly four years ago. The experience was so profound that it set my life on a new course and as I look back over the last three years, it's easy to see that Afghanistan was a pivotal turning point in my life. What I have come to discover is that I am no longer content following the old-fashioned and slightly out-of-touch career-path of a "cellist" (and is that even possible these days?), and after my experiences in Afghanistan, I don't think I can ever return to imitating that life. Everything I witnessed there convinced me that now, more than ever, this increasingly globalized world needs education and communication through cultural exchange.

So here it goes, a concise-ish summary of the last three years teaching music in unexpected places!

Belize City, Belize

August, 2014

After returning from Jamaica, Mai and I moved across country and settled in Oakland, CA. I originally grew up in Northern California and I felt strong pull to return to the west coast. Around the same time, I was contacted by Kevin Schaffter, the executive director of MusAid, a global music education non-profit that assists musical institutions in under-resourced parts of the world. Kevin asked Mai and I to join him on a project to teach at the National Youth Orchestra of Belize. Without hesitating, we accepted the invitation.

Not sure what I'm teaching here...

Performing with Mai on a morning TV show

It was a productive project with many memorable moments! At the end of workshop, Kevin took us aside and asked if we were interested in joining the MusAid staff. We were delighted and humbled by his offer and happily accepted. We have now been working with MusAid for just over two years now and have helped launch teaching training projects, repair workshops and large-scale instrument donations all over the world.

Performing with the MusAid faculty

Conducting the National Youth Orchestra of Belize

San Salvador, El Salvador 

June 2015 & 2016

My work with MusAid continued with two trips to San Salvador to work with the phenomenal students of El Sistema El Salvador. I can't say enough about this incredible organization. Through their work offering a positive after-school outlet for kids, they have helped prevent the growth of gangs and drug-related violent crime. With a supportive community of dedicated teachers and staff, they have created a welcoming and creative environment for kids of all ages and backgrounds to learn music free of charge.

Teaching group cello classes (2015)

Performing at the Teatro Nacional (2015)

In 2016, I returned to El Salvador for another productive and rewarding workshop. This time I filled more of a supportive role as a program leader and logistics coordinator. However, I was able to occasionally sneak away from my administrative duties to have fun with the students!

Creative thumb position exercises! (2016)

Leading a Sistema Nucleo Workshop (2016)

Beirut, Lebanon

August, 2015 & 2016

During my time in Afghanistan, I had heard a lot about the organization American Voices and the executive director John Ferguson. John is one of the leading figures in the field of cultural diplomacy and has been doing this work for over twenty years. American Voices has been conducting cross-cultural engagement with audiences in over 140 nations worldwide, with a special emphasis on supporting youth in nations emerging from conflict or isolation. After departing Kabul, I reached out to John to introduce myself and express my excitement about his work. We had a nice phone call and not long after, he invited Mai and I to join the YES (Youth Excellence on Stage) Academy faculty in Lebanon and Kurdistan. In Lebanon, we worked with students from all across the Middle East, including Syrians, Egyptians, Jordanians, Kurds, and of course, Lebanese. In addition to the usual stuff, I also taught composition, which demanded a lot of creativity on my part!

With the great scholarship students from Egypt (2015)

Leading the orchestra in a fiddle medley (2015)

Rehearsing for a faculty chamber music performance (2015)

In 2016, John invited Mai and I back as faculty for the YES Academies in Lebanon and Kurdistan. It's impossible to put into words how meaningful the experience was for both Mai and I; teaching music in that part of the world has a uniquely resonant way of reconfirming my belief in the power and importance of the arts.

With the hard-working Baroque Ensemble (2016)

This fabulous cello section! (2016)

Youth Philharmonia dress rehearsal (2016)

Post-concert smiles (2016)

Sulaymaniyah and Erbil, Kurdistan

August, 2015 & 2016

Conducting the intermediate orchestra in Sulaymaniyah (2015)

Beautiful day off with students in Eastern Kurdistan (2015)

Teaching composition (2015)

These guys came a long way in two weeks! (2016)

Finale performance with orchestra and dancers in Erbil (2016)

Group picture in Erbil (2016)

Ashgabat, Turkmenistan

December 2015 & March 2016

In October of 2015, I received an email out of blue from John Ferguson asking if I like to go to Turkmenistan. He knows me well, and of course, I dropped whatever plans I had and said yes. The primary focus of these workshops is to expose the Turkmen students to American music genres and new styles and movements in composition, performance and song. It's quite a pleasure and challenge to work with students who are at a very high level technically, but who are also incredibly receptive to different concepts and approaches.

Conducting the National Conservatory Orchestra (2015)

Working on new styles with these talented cellists! (2016)

I am so excited to return to Turkmenistan for two more workshops in December of this year and in March, 2017!

What a relief, we're all caught up! Stay tuned for my next post, which will reveal where I am and what I'm doing these days! Until then, thanks for following.