Busy

November 9, 2014
The fact that I have not written here in over two months speaks to how fast time has accelerated recently. I am working more than I have ever worked and doing my best to learn new skills and techniques of teaching older kids. It has been a challenging period for me, but I am enjoying it immensely. Seeing the musical abilities of children rapidly improving through the elementary years is awesome and inspiring! Unfortunately, this schedule has made Ivy time increasingly rare. During the week, I see her from too-early in the morning until I leave for work. She is…

Summer’s End

September 3, 2014
It has been creeping ever closer, and yesterday was D-day: the start of school. It begins and Summer ends, with all the freedom and travels and family time replaced by institutional regulations. I have always loved my schools and the learning and teaching that occurs within the walls, but will eternally dread the return to regimented schedule! Summertime was fantastic while it lasted, and we left Brooklyn every weekend but one. Bellport, Warwick, Osterville, Chester, Portland and a phenomenal final week in Bar Harbor made Ivy's first Summer a Northeast classic. I love these places so much and loved introducing…

2014

January 14, 2014
Time Check: 2014 is two weeks old. Ivy is five months old. I am 36 1/12 years old.   Free Me-time is extremely limited these days, which is why it has been over a month since writing here and it is 11:00 pm, which has become obscenely late-night for me recently but is the only time that everyone else is sleeping so I can be selfish and creative! In theory I could have these hours every night as I did Before Ivy, but somehow I am drained after a day of work and play and find sleep to be the…

The First Thanksgiving

December 4, 2013
This may rank as my best Thanksgiving ever. I don't really remember the first five or ten of my life and Ivy may someday overlook it in her list of greatest Fourth-Thursday-in-Novembers, but I can't think of another incarnation of this Holiday that brought together such delicious food and incredible expanding family. We spent Thursday in Armonk with Alaina's family and a beautifully prepared, classic spread of Turkey, Ham, Stuffing, Potatoes, Cranberry and Incredible Pies. Ivy is the newest addition to the next generation on this side, with six cousins under 13. It is a fun crew and I always…

Six Weeks

September 25, 2013
It has been a challenging six weeks and we are still adjusting to our new sleep-deprived lifestyle, but it has also been incredible and amazing. Watching her grow and develop new skills (eye-tracking! head-swiveling!) has been wonderful and inspiring and I look forward to seeing her everyday when I come home from teaching. Even a frown and scrunched-up crying face is the cutest and most adorable sadness, and when she smiles I am enveloped in joy and love. This is the greatest adventure I have ever embarked on and my life has been enriched more than I could ever have…

One Week

August 20, 2013
Seven days we've spent with her and I am still out of my mind with joy and happiness. There have been some challenging moments but most of the time is bliss, enjoying the simple company of this child as she sleeps serenely or opens her eyes wide and sees the world unbiased and pure. She is so sweet and delicate as I hold her in my arms and have no choice but to nuzzle her nose and kiss the softest skin I could ever imagine. I am completely in love. I have always loved being around kids and looked forward…

Ivy Dorset Taylor

August 11, 2013
My daughter arrived on August 11, 2013 at 7:24pm at Maimonides Hospital in Brooklyn, NY as she and her mother performed the most unbelievably amazing act I have ever witnessed. This is all I am capable of putting into words at this point as I try to process what happened in Labor and Delivery Room 3 from 9am to 9pm today. Maybe with some time and perspective I could describe the event in greater detail, but I will never be able to communicate any real sense of what I experienced there. Love is Born!

Welcome Spring!

April 9, 2013
After a two-week vacation in which I logged 7 ski days (@Wildcat, Black, Burke, Stowe and Magic!) I am ready to spring into some warm weather, and today was the first T-shirt day of the year. The windows are wide open and I hope I don't have to close them until October (early Spring naïveté). While I worship the winter and its white alpine bounty, I might have a harder time appreciating it without the warmth of summer. Being outside can be beautiful or miserable, depending on surroundings and weather, so anytime the factors align pleasantly, I am sure to…

Teaching Music

February 1, 2013
I have a fun career. Going to work is great when you play music with kids. Getting out of bed is hard, and dealing with occasional bad behavior can be difficult, but in general, I am always excited to be working in such a joyful environment. I am inspired by young people everyday and admire their playfulness and emotional investment in activities. They learn fast, locking into rhythm and tone as they walk and talk, and without inhibitions to mute the pure enjoyment. I often record classes and lessons to playback with the students and I pulled a few from…

Supergood Reality: 14th Street @AiOP 2012

October 9, 2012
Raquel de Anda makes art happen! When Alaina's college roomie moved to Brooklyn a few months ago, she was immediately integrated in numerous projects and coordinating art of all varieties. One of these is Art in Odd Places, an annual community art festival taking place all along 14th Street in Manhattan for 10 days, so I decided I would perform a sidewalk version of Supergood Reality. Since then, I have been visualizing what it would look like and considering infinite possibilities. Last night, it came alive! My Studio has been untethered! Into a "granny-cart" frame, I loaded a 12V battery,…