REFLECTION & REASON

The new 2014 feature film version of the 1982 hit movie Annie was fabulous, and I enjoyed every minute of it because of the nostalgia wrapped up with familiar music and cultural advancement. It warmed my heart. "Black Annie" (ever since the Saturday Night Live sketch, I can refer to it as nothing else, lol) follows the original plot, where a foster kid hopelessly waiting for her parents to return for her stumbles into some luck when she connects with one of the richest men in town. Given the opportunity to spend some time with him, she manages to win the ol' guy over with her charm, escape foster care forever, and dance her way into a happy and secure future filled with true love. Nothing has changed, story wise. The sadness of the orphanage/foster home and the meanness of the foster mother are still the same. Annie's optimism and mischief are familiar. But what happens with this version is that society has changed, and some of the old elements have a new swi...

I've been playing piano since I was 3 years old, and my parents enrolled me in lessons. I didn't know better...I practiced, I played, and I fell in love with the instrument. It is what I know, and what I like ...from before I even knew what I knew and liked! I have been teaching piano for over 15 years, and I have an innate passion for the instrument. I think it's beautiful. It sounds beautiful, it looks beautiful, and there is no instrument in the world that can move me like the piano can . And the only thing I love more than playing the piano myself...is hearing someone else play ! The rare occasion when I can catch a live pianist, I'm in paradise. I pay big bucks to hear the likes of a pianist on a grand stage with fabulous acoutics and a fancy brand of piano. As much as I enjoy classical music and what it represents in the world of piano playing... I ADORE R&B and pop music on a piano. Combined with a strong voice, fabulous lyrics, and lots of heart...there is ...