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Showing posts from June 25, 2010

Magical Moment 147, "Gantry Plaza State Park"

I've posted "Sparrow" before. It's one of my favorite songs that I've written. As I was touring pianos for Sing for Hope's Play Me, I'm Yours project in New York City, I soon found that after several dozen pianos, my performing repertoire of well-known songs was running low! I resorted to singing a few of my own and I'm glad I did. This location in Gantry Plaza State Park in Queens was so beautiful. Eddie did a great job capturing the surroundings as camera man. Hope you enjoy. "Sparrow" words and music by Elizabeth Grimes, Copyright 2009

Magical Moment 146, "Bye Bye Blackbird, Hello Baby Peacocks!"

Once in a very great while, the planets align, the stars shine brighter, the sun glows stronger, and all is perfectly right in the universe. Today, on this last day of our piano hunt to play 60 pianos, throughout five boroughs, in two weeks, I experienced about two and a half minutes of this extraordinary phenomenon. To me, it was the definition of a "magical moment" to the core. The Staten Island Zoo was one of our last stops on our piano journey. And of all the days and times to drive to this location, we chose Wednesday at exactly 2 pm, which coincidently is the exact day and time out of the entire week that admission is free at the zoo – Wednesday at 2 pm. Really! We walked through the zoo searching for the piano, smiling at the children who were delighted with every living creature that surrounded them, from horses, to goats, to llamas. Eventually we found the piano. When I sat down to play, I noticed tiny little creatures scattering across the floor of the outdoor pic

Magical moment 145, "The Hunt"

Two hunters made their way through a jungle of stone, equipped with all the supplies needed to locate their target. They had been searching for days in the unbearable heat, with the sun relentlessly beating down and showing them no mercy. They rested, only briefly at a local watering hole, before continuing their pursuit. Soon the hunters came to the known territory of their hunted. Their senses suddenly heightened when they became aware of its nearby presence. They squinted hard into the distance searching for its shape and turned their heads, cupping their ears while straining to hear its call. “Sh! I hear it.” One hunter said. “Is that it?” He pointed to the horizon. The targets wore excellent camouflage and blended into their surroundings with ease. “No,” the other hunter replied. “That’s a dumpster,” she said. They stepped cautiously, knowing it could make itself known at any moment. The hunters were no stranger to this game. An amateur would think it was easy to find, given the

Magical Moment 144, "Stuck in the Middle"

I’ve heard of “middle child syndrome,” where the middle born child struggles with achievement issues, gaining attention, and even forming relationships due to their birth order. I’m not a psychologist, but I am certainly a middle child, and not just by birth. I’m from the Mid west . Financially, I’ve always been middle class. I never got outstanding grades, but never horrible ones either. I’ve never been gorgeous, or ugly. Too skinny, or too fat. Too tall, or too short. Too successful, or a total failure. Even my musical ability, in the world of professional musicians is average. I recently took the LSAT exam and received a score in the, yep, in the 50 th percentile. One of my favorite TV shows is “The Middle” for crying out loud. Sometimes I do get frustrated with this pattern however because I feel like I put an enormous amount of effort and care in these things, and yet still come out no better or worse than anyone else - like an ear of corn growing among the thousands in a Neb

Magical Moment 143, "My Student"

I haven't taken on many piano students. I taught 2 adorable children when I was in college, my Grandma (who now has a very respectable repertoire), and 1 student in Fayetteville. Teaching has never been my forte, because I think it's important to learn music theory, in which I am no expert. Nevertheless, I've recently taken on a new student. I've found that he is diligent and eager to learn. After only one lesson, he made his musical debut in none other than the Big Apple itself. Ladies and Gentlemen, my husband... http://www.youtube.com/user/elizabethGrimes83#p/u/0/jDRlDJ1vIhk

Magical Moment 142, "North Platte Meets New York"

After a long day of piano hunting , Eddie and I sat exhausted in the dirt of Brooklyn's Prospect Park. We were waiting for the Texas Tornadoes to begin their free outdoor concert as we swatted mosquitoes and sorted through our pictures and videos from the day. We opted against the metal folding chairs placed in front of the stage for our own section of ground so we could lay out and let the sweat dry as we recuperated from our day's walking. We had no blanket to lay on, so we used the large floor mat from the back of my SUV, which worked well enough to keep us out of the ants and dirt. I suddenly felt rejuvenated when at last the Texas Tornadoes made their grand entrance on stage with the compulsively catchy "Adios Mexico." I was surprised at the large crowd that made it out to see them. In my whole life, there are few people I know that have heard of the Tex-Mex group, let alone like them enough to make the journey to see them in concert. I was introduced to

Magical Moment 141, "Duet"

Me in the middle of Time Square This is the third day of my mission, playing all 60 pianos placed throughout NYC by Sing For Hope . I’m beginning to learn that every song I play is actually a duet. The other musical collaborator is the city of New York. When an ambulance races through the street, sirens blaring, that siren becomes a part of the song. A bicyclist, an obnoxious by stander, a honking UPS truck, they are all members of the harmonious ensemble. I’ve been waiting for a piano located in a quiet area to play “Clair De Lune.” It’s time I accept there is no such thing. Instead it will play “Claire De Lune,” featuring the city of New York. See photos See videos Read other people's stories