Cache of the Day: The Best Seat in the House

We all want the best seat in the house when we go to an orchestra concert. Front row of the balcony. Center of the orchestra section. The box seats. We assess the acoustics. We look for the “stereo sound” that can be created by sitting in just the right spot where we get the bass of the cellos and lower brass and the highs of the violins. We want the ultimate experience when we listen to that grand symphony.

But sitting in the audience – I don’t care what seat you’re talking about – can in no way compare to sitting directly in the center of a symphony orchestra. And that’s where I sit.

I play flute and all you orchestra aficionados will know that the upper woodwinds sit just about directly in the middle of the orchestral seating chart. Directly behind the strings, we sit just in front of the clarinets as the “bridge” to the brass.

I’d always played in bands during my formative years, not having the benefit of attending a school district with a strings program. Not until I attended college did I even have an opportunity to audition for an orchestra, but I did so at the first chance I had, and I was asked to sit second flute with the Phoenix College Orchestra, a community orchestra not unlike the BSO.

First rehearsal I was seated in The Best Seat in the House, but I didn’t even realize it until…..the downbeat. I heard the clarinets directly behind me. The trumpets just in the center at the back. And, for the first time, I heard…..strings. I had never experienced that sound so close and it caught me off guard. I had to fight the urge to put down my flute and just….experience. There was no going back. I staked my claim to that seat and I wasn’t leaving. I couldn’t believe how this surround-sound touched my soul.

That feeling has never let up. Sure, I can listen to an orchestra and have heard some of the best, live and in person. I still play in the occasional concert band or the pit for a musical. I’ll even do flute solos when asked, or play as part of a chamber ensemble. But nothing – NOTHING – will ever compare to that sound of sitting where I sit.

One time – and this is a true story – I was engrossed in the amazing music that I was hearing during a concert. I seemed to forget that I actually had a part to play. I think I was supposed to be counting rests but instead I just listened. ….until I was jolted from my reverie when I saw the conductor cueing me – several times - for what might have been five or six measures. I realized that I had missed my entrance (which was a piccolo solo) when I saw my conductor mouth the words “Yes, I’m pointing at YOU”. He didn’t seem to appreciate my enjoyment of the musical interpretation.

Of course I don’t blame my conductor for being mad and disappointed and I was really upset that I let him and the rest of the players down. As much as sitting in the Best Seat is enjoyment beyond compare, playing in an orchestra can’t be about me. It’s about the glorious sound we make when we are all committed to creating the music that the composer created with their talent and their gift. It’s about the contrast between what the audience hears as the orchestra is warming up – an interfusion of seemingly random sounds that become a focused driving force once that first downbeat is conducted. It’s about a group of talented, well-trained musicians who have come together, from a variety of experiences, and have chosen to play together because they love it. It’s about transmitting that feeling , by the way that we play together and the way we interpret the music with the unparalleled guidance and direction of our conductor, so that our audience can feel what we feel, in some small way. It’s what we create together.

But every time we play, I still feel I’m a little bit more privileged than any other member of the orchestra.

Because I’ve got the Best Seat in the House.

Cache of the Day - Woman of Promise

Taylor adds another honor to her list as she was nominated and won the "Woman of Promise"award for Lawrence County.  Here are some pictures of her award.  The event was held on May 4.

The Walk With Excellence Program helps recognize deserving Lawrence County women, raises scholarship funds for returning women students and grows the Walk with Excellence Scholarship Endowment for future scholarships.

She gave a great acceptance speech as well, recognizing all the nominees and the future that each of them as.

Momma's proud again!

Cache of the Day - College-bound

Well, she did it. Taylor won the Lilly Scholarship, something she has worked her "whole life for" (her words).

And she really did kinda work her whole life for this. She has worked to keep her grades up throughout her entire schooling (her GPA is above 4.0 at Mitchell High School). She is the Salutatorian for her class. She has been actively involved in her school, from Spanish Club to Student Council to band. And actively involved in her community, including the Ambassadors program.

Begun in 1998, the Lilly Scholarship program offers four-year, full-tuition scholarships to Indiana students who intend to work toward a baccalaureate degree at any accredited public or private college or university in Indiana. The scholarship also provides $800 per year for required books and equipment.

Prior to winning the Lilly, Taylor has methodically considered a variety of schools to further her education and, after visiting Hanover College, Indiana University, Franklin College, and DePauw University, she has decided on University of Evansville. The Business School there has an awesome entrepreneurial program, and will be a great place for her to pursue her under-graduate degree in Accounting.

The announcement was quite dramatic, as Taylor was surrounded by her grandparents and her dad and, although I was a couple of hours away in Indianapolis, I had a chance to share in the excitement via speakerphone.

Here's an article from the local paper, in which Taylor graced the front page.

I hope you can join us at her graduation and celebration weekend, beginning on June 4.

And then....she's college bound!

Cache of the Day - March Madness

I can't let March get by without an homage to one of the bastions of Indiana's culture and heritage - basketball.

Although Indiana University is not in the Final Four (nor did they make the finals), we cannot live in Bloomington without always cheering the local boys on.

I can't believe I've lived here almost 12 years and had not attended an IU basketball game until this year. Getting absolutely BLASTED by Wisconsin (we decided to leave once WI doubled the IU score, which was early in the second period), we still enjoyed the experience nonetheless.

Here are some shots of the game and Assembly Hall....and the rabid fans that I am sure will never stop rooting for the home town team.

Cache of the Day - SHRM Leadership Conference

As the incoming President for the local Bloomington chapter of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), I was invited to attend the annual Leadership Conference in Washington D.C. this past month. I had a chance to go last year as well, but this time I was the only one representing the chapter.



With SHRM leaders throughout the country and as far away as Egypt, we had a great opportunity to maximize our effectiveness as leaders by learning of best practices and by learning of the SHRM mission and objectives. We spent three days strategizing ideas to implement once we got back to our chapters. We had great speakers that framed our perspectives on how to maximize our potential, and how to create a sense of ownership, commitment, and accountability with our volunteer teams back home.


Here is (left to right) Aaron Garofola(President-Elect/ WVHRA), Angela Acrey (President/HRPDA), Lawrence O-Neill (CEO and President of SHRM) and his wife, me, and Chuck Gillespie (President-Elect/HRPDA).


Although the meetings were held adjacent to SHRM headquarters in Arlington, Virginia, we were able to get some time to visit D.C. I had never visited the Capitol before, other than from the outside, but I joined a tour that took us through the dome, the artwork, and the history. My biggest regret was having to catch a flight back to Indiana. The Senate was in session, and if I didn't have to get back to the airport, I may have had a chance to see the debate begin on health care reform.



The experience was a great one and I have started to out together our strategic plan for SCIHRA, our local chapter. Looking forward to a great year!

Cache of the Day - A Pageant That's Not a Pageant

Taylor was not a fan. Never has been. Doesn't "do" pageants.

Yet she decided to participate in the Junior Miss pageant so she could (1) have the possibility of winning scholarship money for college and (2) increase her involvement in activities that could support her opportunity to win the Lilly Scholarship.

After several weeks of preparation, including rehearsals for fitness routines, getting the right dress and getting it altered, preparing for a talent event, and researching and understanding current events, Taylor was able to showcase the total "her" in the actual event this past Saturday night.

She did great. She was poised, she was confident, she was everything that creates an impressive young gal. Nothing could make her momma prouder, or anyone else that knows her and has loved her.

Although she didn't win any of the scholarship awards, she did win the scholastic achievement recognition....and she was just great.

Makes me cry.

Cache of the Day - Louisville Weekend

Deb and I decided we just HAD to go see Ingrid Michaelson in concert, but the closet venue on her tour was in Louisville, Kentucky. So, rather than drive back to Indiana late on a Friday night, and in the rain, we decided to stay overnight in the city.

Here we are hanging out at a cool Irish Pub before the show.

Here is Ingrid Michaelson and her amazing band. The music was great, she had a very nice opening act, and the show was fun.

We stayed in downtown so we went to Fourth Street Live after the concert. The next day, after morning bagels and coffee, we went to the riverfront and walked a bit.

On the way back, we stopped at the Huber Winery in Starlight, Indiana, for a little tasting.

And, being Halloween, we got into our costumes and enjoyed the Rocky Horror Picture Show in downtown Bloomington.

Fun weekend!