HE WAS JAILED FOR YAWNING
-July, 2010
This is the headline that screamed out at me from the cover of the August 10, 2009 Chicago Tribune.
Naturally, as a Creative Motion devotee, I had to read the story. It seems that a certain courtroom spectator had the nerve to yawn during the sentencing of his cousin in the Will County Courthouse in Joliet, Illinois. For that ill-timed yawn he received a six month jail sentence. The yawn was characterized by a spokesman for the state’s attorney’s office as “… not a simple yawn – it was a loud and boisterous attempt to disrupt the proceedings”. However, the spectator’s father said “It seems to me that a yawn is an involuntary action,” and the cousin who was pleading guilty at the time said the yawn was “not an outrageous yawn”.
I guess now we have an additional admonition for our conference attendees as they resume their daily lives: Don’t yawn in court! The judge just might not appreciate the wonderful release of energy the yawn triggers.
Consider yourself warned!
Yours in motion,
John Morrison,
President, Creative Motion Alliance, Inc.
Classical Singer Convention Highlight
On May 31, I had the pleasure of attending an event at the Classical Singer Convention in Chicago. The convention is sponsored by Classical Singer Magazine, which has grown from its early days as the New York Opera Newsletter to become one of the best magazines and websites for classical singers. Most significantly, it is also the leader of the movement to support young singers as they prepare for professional careers.
The event was the High School and University Vocal Competition Final Round Concert, and there I heard the finalists in these two categories perform for the audience. I really enjoyed the singing – every one of these performers gave to the best of their ability, and the variety of repertoire they sang, from opera to lieder to oratorio, made the afternoon even better.
After the competition was over, along with others I was invited up to the stage for the scholarship award ceremony, where I was pleased to award a scholarship for this summer’s Windswept Music Conference to baritone Adam Lance Hendrickson. Adam is a native of Brookston, Indiana, and earned a B.M. in Vocal Performance from Ball State University in May 2009. While at Ball State, he participated in several operas including Die Zauberflöte, Madama Butterfly, Giulio Cesare in Egitto, and Don Giovanni playing a lead role in each. He participated in the Bayview festival of 2008 playing the role of Dancaire in Carmen. He has worked with several distinguished artists such as John Wustman, Fiora Contino, George Shirley, Nova Thomas, Tim Noble, and Martha Hart. On May 30th, 2008, he made his international recital debut at the Mukogawa University in Japan.
I invite you to join with me in welcoming Adam to this summer’s Windswept Music Conference!
Yours in Motion,
John Morrison
President, Creative Motion Alliance, Inc.
P.S. For more information about the Classical Singer Community, follow this link http://www.classicalsinger.com/
SEPT08-JUNE 09
Random things I’ve learned in my Creative Motion journey...
From Margaret Allen—an appreciation for beauty. Anyone lucky enough to experience the original Windswept Music Workshop remembers the breathtaking beauty of the hilltop setting and the view. The surrounding hills, the layered outline of the rocks in the cliffs, the expansive valley below—something new was waiting to be discovered every day. All I have to do is close my eyes, and I am there. Take a moment today to close your eyes and imagine your favorite landscape, and drink in its beauty.
Also from Margaret Allen—the importance of making your bed. I don't feel ready for the day unless I've made my bed. I am sure some of the compulsive need comes from those weeks at Windswept where it was a required activity. I’ve also discovered that I can’t make my bed without picturing how it will look when it’s made. Now, this is deep! In the impulse I see the whole bed-making done. You guessed it! There is a CM principle at work here! Tomorrow, try making your bed without imagining how it will look when you are done, and let me know how you do.
From Gil Wilson—art does not have to be expensive or complex to be meaningful. You may not know of Gil unless you attended the original workshops or saw his work in some of the Windswept photo albums. Gil was a very talented artist who provided the sets for the operas we pantomimed at Windswept. The amazing thing about Gil was his ability to create a fantastic looking set from cardboard, Styrofoam and a little paint. He never failed to delight us with his creations, and I always looked forward to talking with him about art and what was going on in his life. I still think of him whenever I see everyday materials transformed into imaginative art.
From Martha Russell—nations (and people) have their historical phrases with impulses and climaxes. I learned this through her book, A Music Lens on History. Martha found the musical language of phrase form helpful in identifying the course of historical epochs, and she saw how in history we create chaos by taking compulsive action first and then rationalizing afterwards. If you want to understand what she meant, think about the last three decades, and see if you can discover the events that served as impulses for our current national distress, and then identify how each of these impulses climaxed. Pay attention to whether or not the event was seen whole by its originator (meaning they predicted correctly the outcome), or was the event then followed by fix after fix (or outright neglect) as it unfolded with unintended consequences. And, did anyone want to follow the completion of the event with a candid appraisal? (I think the operative word today is accountability.) Relate this to your life—compare what it feels like when you've accomplished something as envisioned vs. having to expend extra effort to force the outcome. With Creative Motion, you can learn to approach the phrases of your own living with see-yourself-there confidence, and end them with a candid appraisal that sets you up for the next successful phrase.
Let that be my wish for you!
Yours in Motion,
John Morrison, President
Creative Motion Alliance, Inc.
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APRIL 08- SEPT 08
NO ENERGY CRISIS HERE!
If you attended the 2008 Windswept Music Conference at William Jewell College in Liberty, Missouri, you went home with more energy than you knew what to do with! What a great week of classes, coaching and performances! While most of the U.S. was agonizing over how much gasoline costs at the pump, a group of 60+ people were exploring how to maximize their use of personal energy, for the betterment of their lives and the lives of others. How wonderful it was to be a part of this positive energy.
And, that’s where Creative Motion shines. Creative Motion brings us into an understanding of energy through a principle-based approach to music, expressive arts, and life. Using this energy efficiently, we are able to enjoy and perform music more effectively, create works of visual or poetic art that speak from the heart, and accomplish goals and dreams with a sure and certain vision.
It should surprise no one that so many of us have attended Windswept for numerous years. Each time we return, we gain further insights into the Creative Motion principles, and it pays off in a lifetime of creativity and purpose. We face the same challenges and struggles everyone faces in their lives, but we have something extra – a governing idea that allows us to approach every activity and truthfully say, “Here I am to the best of my ability”.
So, please join me in the continuing journey of Creative Motion!
John Morrison, President
Creative Motion Alliance, Inc.
