❧❧❧ Whatever you can do or dream, you can BEGIN IT. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it. Goethe ❧❧❧
❧❧❧ You were born whole, not broken. Sandra Hammel ❧❧❧
This is a public video, however the purpose of this song is for my son, which is a personal matter. He is 24 years old. Some bonds are deep, some never take at all. The bond that I feel with my son is the deep kind, that of hearts, spirits - between two souls. And he came into my life when he was 8 years old.
I am grateful for this special experience, this special bond.
One day, I hope to do this song with better voice. In the meantime, I upload what I did yesterday and include the live version that I sang for my son as one of his Christmas presents on Christmas Eve 2011, which was shot with the cheapest camera sold. I dream of having a decent camera one day. I just can't afford one.
This song was written December 14, 2011 for my son.
Until Forever Ends
Written by Sandra Hammel
Though we are two hearts, many years apart,
Our bond runs deep, deeper than the blue sea,
Now, you, you sail on,
I stand here and watch you take flight……
Every day, keep your passions alive, breathe free,
Sandra Hammel, retired music teacher and activist, who is trying to raise awareness about the Darfur genocide, has been selected to show her film this Friday at the Compassion Film Festival
My addition: I don't like the picture, but then I don't like any picture of me taken in the last year. I have decided to like being old. However, I wouldn't say that I have totally succeeded. But I am working on it. Young old, but here I am in the years that are no longer even close to young.
The article~
How do you explain a catastrophic event and move an audience to action in five minutes?
Sandra Hammel of Portsmouth will attempt just that this Friday, when she debuts her film “Darfur The Abandoned Genocide” at the Compassion Film Festival at Jane Pickens Theater in Newport.
Hammel, a retired music teacher, became an activist for the cause in 2004 after watching a powerful documentary on the Rwandan Genocide of 1994. "I knew very little about what was happening in Rwanda at the time, but after seeing the film, I decided to educate myself,” said Hammel. “When I heard what was happening in Darfur, I knew I couldn’t be silent anymore.”
Since 2004, Hammel has been extremely proactive about the cause and has volunteered in two major rallies both in Washington, DC, and New York to bring more awareness to the troubles overseas, but in the past few years, the Darfur conflict has not been settled.
“In the last several months, bombing from Sudan has escalated in Darfur, yet we don’t hear about it anymore,” said Hammel. “We are inundated with news daily, yet somehow this entire conflict has dropped out of circulation. The only reason I know what is going on is because I am actively looking for updates on what is going on.”
As for expectations on Friday, Hammel is looking to get the attention of her audience and motivate them to get involved.
“The change starts with us,” said Hammel. “Until we, as people, ask and pressure our leaders to do something, they are just going to let it go.”
As for getting her message down to a five-minute film slot, it wasn’t an easy task but she has faith that it will get through to the audience by the time the ending credits come on.
“I think so many of us, myself included, are so busy and now people are losing jobs and have their own issues so it takes a lot more to move people,” said Hammel. “I completely understand that but it is still so important to get involved.”
The Compassion Film Festival, is a benefit event for Looking Upwards, a local non-profit organization and will consist of a juried collection of short films submitted by local and regional film artists that are all based around the theme of compassion.
If you are interested in checking out the event, you can join the group on April 8 at 6 p.m. at the Jane Pickens Theater in Newport.
For more information about the film series, click here.
Unfortunately the lips and audio became out of snyc due to compression of uploading here at Vimeo. Fortunately, the DVD for the Compassion Film Festival of this video was in sync.
I always put credits at the end and couldn't because of the limit I had to get my message across.
Here are more complete credits:
❧ Special thanks to ❧ Eric Reeves for Open Letter excerpts Mohamed Suleiman for Darfuri sayings Photos ~ Mia Farrow Gabriel Stauring Sandra Hammel ♫ Music ♫ Bridge Over Troubled Water Performed by Eva Cassidy Available at itunes Krista Powell Presented by Sandra Hammel
Genocide flourishes when there is no accountability. It has been flourishing in Darfur since February 2003.
One voice won’t stop a genocide, but that is no excuse to be silent.
Please, use your voice to call upon our leaders to do what is right about something that is very wrong. 1-800-GENOCIDE for President Obama, U.S. Senators and Representatives
RHODE ISLAND RALLY ~ SOLIDARITY WITH WISCONSIN SAT FEB 26, 2011
We are all Wisconsin. We are all Americans. Rhode Island had two rallies to support the right to be in a union, freedom to bargain, Wisconsin Citizens and Wisconsin Democrats who have taken a stand to support "the right to exercise rights" wtihin a democracy. One rally was on Tuesday, February 22, 2011 and the other on Saturday, February 26, 2011. This video includes highlights of the Saturday Rally at the Rhode Island State House. Presented by Sandra Hammel
.................................................... Uploaded by me ~ ilovemylifesblog Correction: Spelling on one side of my poster's last line... Governor Walker. I was very much in a hurry when I did the sign. I had to drive 45 minutes to get there and I was late in leaving by 10 minutes.
Notable ~ The organizer of the Rhode Island Saturday rally asked the attendees how many were Union members and almost all those attending were not Union members.
Rhode Island rally to support Wisconsin on Tuesday, February 22, 2011 ~ Photostream More photos
Comments will be moderated at my discretion. This is a support post for the cause expressed on this post. Those who differ may post their own posts on their own blogs or leave comments where they are accepted by the owner of the blog or website.
Interview with Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker Sunday, February 27, 2011 with David Gregory on Meet the Press. Video of the interview at Meet the Press transcripts
“First they came for the Communists, but I was not a Communist so I did not speak out.
Then they came for the Socialists and the Trade Unionists, but I was neither, so I did not speak out.
Then they came for the Jews, but I was not a Jew so I did not speak out.
And when they came for me, there was no one left to speak out for me.”
Then this posted by HollyandJohn ~
Perhaps the new version goes something like this:
First they came...
First they came for the car unions, and I didn't speak out because I didn't work in Detroit.
Then they came for the air traffic controllers, and I didn't speak out because I thought, yeah they are too entitled.
Then they came for the welfare mothers, and I didn't speak out because I thought, yeah they are lazy, aren't they?
Then they came for the all the industrial workers, and I didn't speak out because I thought, well, NAFTA could be good for me.
Then they came for the free press, and I didn't speak out because I believed it was fair and balanced.
Then they came for everyone's savings and retirement money, and I didn't speak out because I thought bubbles happen and deregulation will make me money.
Then they came for people with houses and predatory loans, and I didn't speak out because they said greedy low-income people brought down the system.
Then they came for the right to an education, and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a student or a teacher.
Then they came for those who organized to fight the rich, and I didn't speak out because I believe them when they said it was about the budget.
Then they came for me and there was no one left to speak out for me. show more
Then this posted by lillymouse ~
Then they came for the mentally ill and I didn't speak out because I didn't have a problem and didn't know anyone who did.
Then they came for the sick, unable to afford treatment, and I didn't speak out because I was healthy and had a job with what I thought was good health insurance.
Then they came for the old and disabled and I didn't speak out because I wasn't either and I believed them when they said social security was broken and there was no way to fix it and we must all settle for less.
My advice ❧ Have many pictures of yourself taken when you are young, because when you are old you will appreciate those pictures.
I uploaded this same video at three places: Facebook, Vimeo and Youtube.
I haven't had a video compress right for months at Youtube. I uploaded this video twice and then removed it from Youtube. It is one thing to compress a whole minute off the original video, but to cut off the ending of the song is unacceptable outright.
Videos upload corrrectly at Facebook (the place for the best compression). Best screen size to view video by going to Facebook. Second best is at Vimeo but this time the audio has glitches in the video even at Vimeo.
What I created, actually uploads correctly at Facebook every time. Youtube compresses the videos so much that any attention to the timing gets defeated here. Youtube cut off the ending entirely and overall cut one full minute out by bunching together the single jpegs at a much faster tempo than the original. This is no masterpiece, but still it would have been nice to get what was created. To add to my complaining: Youtube's limited choice of the display picture leaves a lot to be wanted. Facebook and Vimeo give you many choices for the display picture of your video. Pretty Mary Yes, there are ONLY 2 chords - F and B flat - in the original song of "Pretty Mary" and mostly only the F chord. I added C in the coda. Anybody can play this song.
Raw title: Sandra Pretty Mary without descant #1 720x480 4,3.mov
Update I have "tricked" Youtube's compression software into including the song to the end by adding more visual on the end of my previously finished video. Youtube still compressed the original and subtracted two full minutes from the video. If you want to see the altered version... .............................................................
............................................................. Uploaded by ilovemylifesblog
Raw title: Sandra w Beauty Once Known.mov ~ This is just for my sake.
I took my neighbor, who Tom was kind enough to give me a complimentary ticket for.
The sound is a bit distorted in the videos that domperrouploaded due the camera being too close to the speaker. They sounded much better at the venue....lots of fun.
Prior to the concert, in the afternoon, we had a dance workshop taught by the dancers of the band.
A few of us from the audience danced every chance we got, while others watched and listened.
Please support your local music venues. They won't make it without our support - our showing up.
............................................................... Roderick Camelia's band - he is playing guitar in this video. Roderick played guitar at Common Fence Music, Portsmouth, Rhode Island with the band ~ Rumbafrica. Uploaded by rcamelia
UPDATE February 24, 2011 The Portsmouth Patch - online news website - photos by Jennifer Balch has posted 16 pictures from the Rumbafrica Common Fence Music night of music and dance.
Precinct 2701 (Prudence Island Fire Station) — Option 1: 51; Option 2: 6
Precincts 2702 and 2703 (Portsmouth Multi Purpose Senior Center) — Option 1: 373; Option 2: 270
Precincts 2704 and 2705 (Common Fence Point Community Hall) — Option 1: 352; Option 2: 197
Precincts 2706, 2707 and 2708 (Portsmouth Town Hall) — Option 1: 604; Option 2: 514
Precincts 2709, 2710 and 2712 (Aquidneck Island Christian Academy) — Option 1: 818; Option 2: 703
This is the letter that arrived in the mail, the day before the vote. It has falsely stated opinions in it. Who wouldn't have voted "no" to funding the schools, if you believed this letter to be true? Click the letter image to enlarge.
Commentary: Divided We Fall
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On the facebook page to Save the Arts and Sports in Portsmouth, RI, a person wrote that we need new leadership in the volunteer group who tried to save the arts and sports programs in our town's public schools.
I wrote this in response on that page:
I think it is not time for new leadership. The leadership was outstanding and I am grateful for it. It is simple to put down leadership. It is not simple to lead. When anyone criticizes leadership or says we need to have new leadership, I wonder why that very person isn't the one to be the next leader. Possible reasons are that it is time-consuming, thankless and very difficult.
Even good leadership needs people who are interested. Caring about the community's responsibility to provide funding for education is a touchy subject because for many people it will always come down to how one feels about teachers getting paid via the local tax dollars. And those who didn't vote who have children in the schools - have children in schools now that are offering a half year of what has always been offered the whole year long. There is a great divide and if those who have children in the schools, and those like myself who don't and are in our sixties, but still care about the education of "our" community's students, don't vote when voting is our way to say what our priorities are, then those who are motivated get their way. It takes more than leaders, it takes the rest of us to get involved.
❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧
Portsmouth, Rhode Island, Portsmouth Public Schools and Portsmouth family on BBC America
The final cut...if you saw the rough cut video of where I live, you will recognize some things. However, some things were deleted and some things added to this one. It took me compressing it four times to get it in this quality. Not perfect, but it's okay. Enjoy the beauty of this area. And watching it at youtube, will allow you to see it in 720p and in an expanded screen size - just double click on the video and it will take you there.
........................................................... Uploaded by ilovemylifesblog
If you go to youtube, click the expand arrows at lower right of the video for viewing on a larger screen. And watch in 720p if possible. To go to youtube, double click on the video.
This video is to show my love for where I live in Newport County, Rhode Island, on Aquidneck Island ~ once land of Native Americans, now a land of immigrants, ancestors of immigrants and Native Americans. Most of the video clips and photographs were shot in Newport, Rhode Island with the others being shot in the adjacent town of Middletown, save one in Portsmouth. I live in the town of Portsmouth, but claim Aquidneck Island as my home. Aquidneck Island includes three small towns: Newport, Middletown and Portsmouth.
Music
Al Green ~ Here I Am
Odetta ~ Hear Me Talking to Ya from the CD titled Blues Everywhere I Go
Please, support artists who don't ban youtube use.
Credits: Videogaphy and photography ~ Sandra Hammel The opening song is extracted from video that I took at the Newport Jazz Festival, August 12, 2007. It is Al Green singing Here I Am as clips of him singing at the 2007 festival are edited in. The view after showing Al sing is the view the artists see from the main stage at Fort Adams park.
Included in the tribute video: Newport Jazz Festival at Fort Adams State Park Narragansett Bay ~ views from many places, including a ride on a sailboat showing the shoreline Views of Jamestown on Conanicut Island Eastons Beach, also known as Newport Beach and First Beach Newport Bridge - renamed The Claiborne Pell Bridge Dance company "Island Moving Company" on St. George's lawn Black Ships Festival Taiko Drumming - New York City group
Brenton Cove Sachuest Beach, also known as Second Beach Sachuest Wildlife Refuge Third Beach Newport Art Museum
Cliff Walk and views from it Trinity Church Touro Synagogue The International Tennis Hall of Fame grounds Goat Island Ocean Drive, view from Brenton Point Park Newport National Golf Course Ida Lewis Yacht Club
Touro Park, The Stone Mill Channing Memorial Unitarian Universalist Church Bellevue Avenue, Newport, Rhode Island Kings Park, Rochambeau statue and gazebo My beloved sunset and cloud photos Picture of my son when he was 11 years old Ducks at Brenton Cove Kay Worden statues: Father and Daughter, The Hurdy Gurdy Man, The Wave, The Skater
Darfur event includes: Americas Cup Avenue Washington Square -- (important scenes of Steven Spielberg's "Amistad" were shot on Washington Square)
Link to interior picture of Saint Mary's Church. St. Mary's is at corner of Spring Street and Memorial Boulevard and it is the church where Jacqueline Lee Bouvier married John F. KENNEDY on a warm summer day September 12, 1953. Seated in the pews of St. Mary's were 800 people of power and privilege. The Peruvian ambassador to the U.S. was there; so was the ambassador from Spain. Joseph Martin of Massachusetts, Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, attended as did numerous congressmen and senators from around New England .
Jamestown, Rhode Island a great website about the area - Jamestown is on its own island - Conanicut, which is across the Narragansett Bay from Newport, Rhode Island on Aquidneck Island. The area has a mix of names from the Native Americans and England's town names adopted.
I went to an audition tonight and I am making an attempt to re-enter life to feel normalized after an emotionally-charged event - an audition. We sat there and watched and listened to everyone audition. It was posted on their website to start at 6:30 p.m., but it was well under way when I arrived at 6:15 p.m. After being there for five minutes, I felt like leaving. I am no good at singing in public, but I have been trying to put myself out there.
I had recorded my own accompaniment and took a cd player to use, if they allowed it. But I was told "no, we want to hear you sing with a live pianist", although another auditioner sang without any accompaniment.
We were to sing one upbeat song and one ballad - only 16 measures of each.
My first song was good considering I didn't lose control of being relaxed, as is my typical behavior. That didn't happen until the second song. I suppose part of that was me, but part of that was the accompanist. He was good, but he didn't know how to "blues" up the music for Bring It On Home to Me - a Sam Cooke song. And I am used to the accompaniment that way. At first I thought he was playing it too fast, but I tried to slow him down and it still wasn't working. It was more the style he was playing. Too many notes, too fancy for a simple bluesy song. It overpowered the spirit of the song and I couldn't "feel" the music as I do when I sing and accompany myself. There is soul in the music and he was putting no soul in the way he play the keyboard. You get used to things that allow you to feel the music, meaning I can get lost in the music and not be so conscious of those watching me. And that is when my breathing gets nervous - when I start thinking of all eyes on me. And once that happens it is hard to reign in the nerves and sing relaxed. So the notes start to shake. I can't hold out anything longer than long enough to sing the syllable, because sustaining the note makes the shaking voice so evident.
Surprisingly the applause was long enough to keep going until I got to the back of the room where I had been seated. And one of auditioners, turned around and gave me a thumbs up and an affirmative "that was good". But it wasn't good. Because I do it so much better at home. With soul. Relaxed. Not tensing up the throat. So, tight sounds were coming out.
I asked one of the three "judges" at break time, if there would be more auditions later and she said yes. I said, I wanted to try again because I hadn't done too well. And her body language seemed to say otherwise. We'll see. But, the second song really didn't make me feel successful.
.................................................. Uploaded by ilovemylifesblog This is better watching it at Youtube. You won't get the black bars at the top and bottom, there. Double click the video and it will take you to Youtube.
This work is a work in progress and is in rough cut form at this time, so I ask you to honor my request not embed, link anywhere or download it, until I get the final cut done. I am reserving these things for myself.My Apple computer is in the repair shop at the moment, so I can’t work on it. But I want to share what I have so far with all who also love this beautiful part of Planet Earth.
I’ll see how this “honor system” request works.
This video is to show my love for where I live.Most of the video clips and photographs were shot in Newport, Rhode Island with others being shot in the adjacent town of Middletown.I live in the town of Portsmouth, but claim Aquidneck Island as my home.Aquidneck Island includes three small towns: Newport, Middletown and Portsmouth.
I have no credits on the video itself at this time.
Music:
Al Green ~ ”Here I Am”
Odetta ~ “Hear Me Talking to You” from the CD Blues Everywhere I Go
Please support artists who don't ban youtube use.
Credits:
Videogaphy and photography ~ Sandra Hammel
The opening song is extracted from video that I took at the Newport Jazz Festival, August 12, 2007.It is Al Green singing “Here I Am” as clips of him singing at the 2007 festival are edited in.The view after showing Al sing is the view the artists see from the main stage at FortAdams park.
Included in the tribute video:
Newport Jazz Festival at FortAdamsState Park
Narragansett Bay – views from many places, including a ride on a sailboat
showing the shoreline of Newport
Views of Jamestown on ConanicutIsland
EastonsBeach, also known as Newport Beach, FirstBeach
NewportBridge – renamed The Claiborne Pell Bridge
Island Moving Company on St. George’s – prep school lawn
Black Ships Festival Taiko Drumming – New York City group
TouroPark’s stone structure
Brenton Cove
SachuestBeach, also known as SecondBeach
Sachuest Wildlife Refuge
ThirdBeach
NewportArt Museum
One of the Darfur events I have organized include:
Americas Cup Avenue
Washington Square – important scenes of Steven Spielberg’s “Amistad” were shot here
Councilor Karen Gleason says schools must get back to basics
It is not enough to care and stay home.
The Portsmouth School Department proposed budget would mean an increase of $0.29 per $1,000 of house appraised value, an effective increase of 2.54%, and the increase on an average $350,000 house of $100.
There was a fight going on June 23, 2010 at Town Hall last night - Portsmouth, Rhode Island Town Council Budget Hearing 7:00 p.m. - 11:00 p.m.
There is only one reason not to attend the Portsmouth RI Town Council Budget Meeting July 14, 2010, 7:00 p.m. at the Portsmouth Middle School
if you are available
and you want Portsmouth Public Schools to be what they need to be for 2010-2011.
That reason is that you don’t care enough.
The 5-2 voting tradition on Portsmouth School budget by the town council is based on getting rid of the union at any cost.When we wake up and see what we lost because we weren’t available to show up – many will be stunned.Those members who vote to level fund (keep it where it was last year) the school budget say they care about the education of our community’s students.But that is not believable by watching them.
While the vote was 4-3 at the June 23 meeting, it is only a vote that is provisional.It will change back to 5-2 - scoring a savings of $100 increase (on a house appraised at $350,000) over the upcoming tax year at best for those who want taxes to remain the same as this past year. Even if we get the increase of 21 cents per thousand provisionally voted for June 23, it doesn’t allow the School Department to receive what is needed to keep competitive sports at PMS and PHS, music, art.And this is after the School Department already cut needed special education teachers.The Portsmouth Taxpayers Association members are attending these meetings.The handful of us that stayed through to the end at 11:00 p.m at last night’s Town Council meeting can’t change the direction we are headed without more taxpayers showing up who truly care about the schools’ offerings.It is not enough to care and stay home.
The vote June 23 was to move the tax rate per thousand dollars from last year’s $11.26 to $11.47 in regards to the school budget.That isn’t enough, but better than what will most likely get voted, if any indication of past voting and comments will tell how the council members’ votes will fall in the end.The Portsmouth Taxpayers Association is in control of the current Town Council, so expect the school department’s budget to get what the Taxpayers Association wants.
We only will have control of what the council votes if we pressure them to vote a reasonable budget. (And for future budget years, if we vote for reasonable candidates in the upcoming election). Paying teachers according to what the Portsmouth Taxpayers Association members and their representatives feel the teachers deserve is what is driving the contention. The desire is to break the union – it came out repeatedly. And the children are the ones who lose out while adults play in a political playground with the community’s future.
What do you expect from the Portsmouth Public Schools?And at what cost will you be willing to give up what we have come to expect from the schools?
Students who want to go to college will be filling out applications to be accepted. It will be difficult, if not impossible, to apply for music or sport's scholarships at colleges if we don't have sports teams for scouts to come and watch the potential sports students or music and arts classes for potential college majors.
Not only do people look at tax rate when moving into a community, but a huge impact on worth of homes is the community public schools. But this fact gets lost in the effort to keep taxes at a level funding.
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According to the Town Charter, a "Budget Referendum," can be done with the required number of citizens signing a petition to do so. And the question to be voted on is written by the petitioners and verified as a valid question by the Town Clerk.
Stay tuned for a possible "Budget Referendum" to fund our community's students learning opportunities.
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$1.2 million increase was asked for by the Portsmouth School Department for 2010-2011 year - it was voted down by a 5-2 vote by the Portsmouth Town Council with the vote to "level fund" the school department. It would have increased the taxes $.29 per thousand dollars of appraised house values in town.
When I went to high school gasoline varied in price between 17 and 28 cents a gallon.Just saying….
COLUMBIA CITY VS. WAWASEE BOYS HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL
When I was in high school - graduated 1967 - my dad was the high school basketball coach in this very gymnasium. He was the very first coach of what was then a brand new school building and a newly consolidated county-wide high school....then called Columbia City Joint High School - as it joined many high schools in one. In Indiana, "Hoosier hysteria" is what we call basketball.
Dad with the CCJHS basketball team behind him when I was in high school
Yesteryear 1988 Melville Elementary School Ms. Hammel, Music Teacher Providing an evening music workshop to parents with their children to let the parents experience being a music student along side their children
This Year I attended a meeting tonight, June 9, 2010, to bring attention to the cut in the Portsmouth Public Schools budget by 1.2 million dollars for the upcoming 2010-2011 school year. This will be a disastrous cut for our community, for our children and education. And the other reason for the meeting was to organize so that we can make an impact on the Portsmouth (Rhode Island) Town Council hearing to be held next Tuesday, June 15, at 7:00 p.m in the Portsmouth Town Hall chamber.
The state of Rhode Island is cutting educational aid funding to communities and if we don't pick up the slack, the children's education will be greatly diminished. This is nothing new. I have seen this happen starting when I was in college and the administration decided to eliminate the thriving music department. Then at the contractual March 1st deadline to send out "pick slips" (termination of employment) in my second year of teaching, I received my pink slip. And this, then, began a career-long effort to keep music in our schools.
June 2, 2010 Budget workshop at which the Town Council voted to tentatively cut $1.2 Million from the Portsmouth Public School proposed budget. Councilor Karen Gleason speaks to Superintendent of Schools Susan Lusi when she is asked to speak about the budget.
SCREAM NOW OR SCREAM LATER NOW, WILL BE THE EASIER SCREAM If parents don't "scream" every time this "slash and burn the education" is in the cards, the whole education system will fail. And when we have practices of firing entire teaching staffs as was the case in one Rhode Island town this year, because of low performances of the students, I would like to ask what we expect to happen when we can't get a grip of civility and find funding for the students of today?
Town Council Members of Portsmouth, Rhode Island
Town Council email addresses: pmcintyre@portsmouthri.com, hlittle@portsmouthri.com, kgleason@portsmouthri.com, khamilton@portsmouthri.com, jplumb@portsmouthri.com, dcanario@portsmouthri.com, jseveney@portsmouthri.com
Contractually all pink slips had to go out in March, so legally cutting more teachers isn't going to work. And the state mandates that the students get the arts, so what they will get is a "spit in the eye" of music, art and physical education most likely. It is hard to water down music in a schedule, for example, that has traditionally only taught music to elementary students once a week for less than an hour. You try teaching something or learning something that you have for 45 minutes or less a week. And the other cut likely is sports. As Ms. Leveque said at the meeting at the Portsmouth Middle School June 9th, it isn't like we can cut second grade.
................................................................ Uploaded by jmcdaid
Melville Peter Deffet as a 3rd Grader
Parents forming an excellent train for the song Little Black Train
My letter sent to the Portsmouth Town Council and copied to the Portsmouth School Committee:
June 9, 2010
Dear Member of the Portsmouth Town Council,
My name is Sandra Hammel, live in Portsmouth, taught music in the Portsmouth Public Schools starting in October 1973 and left after 29 years. All those years I stood up to keep music in our community's schools, attending many School Committee and Town Council meetings and going out on a limb to preserve the minimum of giving the students a weekly music class at the elementary level. Minimum. Music classes should be every day. Music skills are those very skills that the very young benefit from because they develop and nurture the readiness skills needed to learn to read - auditory processing skills, such as auditory awareness, auditory memory, auditory figure ground, auditory discrimination, etc.
A quick google search brought this up:http://www.succeedtoread.com/auditoryskills.html "A common weakness is in auditory discrimination skills. For example, many poor readers do not 'hear' differences in letter sounds. To them, the five short vowels sound almost exactly alike." Music lessons develop the abilities of the child to better discriminate differences of sound and therefore helps the child be more successful not only in the music classroom, but in the reading lessons. This is not "new" news, but well accepted for multiple years. However, many even who should know these things, don't. Oftentimes, teenagers who drop out of high school, do so because they have struggled with their reading skills which affect so many of the subjects required in high school. So if we are serious about keeping our students in school until they graduate this should be on our radar screen of what is a priority.
And rationalizing of the inclusion of music in our schools using this argument isn't the only reason for music's existence in our community's schools. Because this doesn't begin to express what is so advantageous from the standpoint of music's benefits itself. Music can stand on its own as reason enough to be part of the basics of education, although most people may not realize those reasons. But when tied to other subjects it seems to enable people to say, "Hey, well, maybe it is justifiable to include in the discourse of what should be included in the experience of our children's lives."
All the years I taught in Portsmouth Schools, I had no children going to the Portsmouth Public Schools because I had no children. That changed late in my teaching career because a young boy entered Hathaway Elementary School in the second grade who was in foster care. That boy has been my son since his fourth grade year and now is an exceptional engineering student at Northeastern University. I have no students in the Portsmouth Schools at this time. So, I speak now as a taxpayer who pays for others' children to have what they need. I care about the community. I care about the children in our community and the education that we as a community provide for the children.
I speak about music here. But, the Portsmouth Town Council members who voted to cut the Portsmouth Public School budget over a million dollars will necessitate cutting more than music from the schools. I say "You are wrong to do this". I am well aware how these things go. And I know that those who feel brave enough to cut the Portsmouth School budget have their supporters.
Even some of those who feel emboldened to cut, can step back, reconsider and make a braver decision and fund our schools. There will never be a day that this problem goes away. We just need to get smarter about how we are going to get through this immediate year's budget problem, but then get really smart and figure out ways to get ourselves a long range solution in action to thwart future years' similar dilemma. If we care.
There is no better investment that we can give ourselves as a community, than the education that we provide for our community's children. They are our future leaders. They are their future. Sincerely,
or Portsmouth will be the Pits regarding Education .................................................
................................................. Uploaded by PortsmouthSchools June 2, 2010 Portsmouth RI School Department Budget Meeting Part 1
First video of last week's town council/school committee budget workshop. There are 13 separate videos. The 1st one starts out discussing the open space/recreation bonds, but ends with Dr. Lusi presenting the FY 2011 budget.
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................................................. Uploaded by PortsmouthSchools June 2, 2010 Portsmouth RI School Department Budget Meeting Part 2 .................................................
................................................. Arguing Part 11 Motion to "Level Fund" Uploaded by PortsmouthSchools
Tribute to influential teachers ............................................. .............................................
The North Central College Choir that I sang in Uploaded by ilovemylifesblog
In honor of Paul Warren Allen, who was the head of the North Central College Music Department and Conductor of the North Central College Choir recorded here in 1968. Three years later the college eliminated the music department.
I love my life. I love where I live. And I am passionate about my passions. I love to dance. Necessary to live: music, piano, singing, writing, acting, painting.
I have been fighting for and supporting the arts all my adult life. Since 2004, I have been working with other activists to end the Darfur genocide.
I have traveled to Europe many times since my early twenties. Places I have been: many USA states including Hawaii, Montreal, Canada, Barbados, France, Spain, Luxembourg, England, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, Greece and Germany - and have wonderful memories.
My last trip was in May - June 2013 to Spain.
I would like to travel to Europe and Kyoto, Japan.
I love the southwest where I have visited Hopi, Navajo, Zia and San Idlefonso potters.
Life is exciting and I intend to live it full-out to the end.
B.S. and M.M., both in music
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Khartoum, Sudan Stop Genocide Time
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Spain Time
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Melbourne Time
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Hawaii Time
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RAFA NADAL -BRING BACK LONG PANTS - SLEEVELESS TOPS
Double Click on Videos to Enlarge
Darfur - The Abandoned Genocide - a video by Sandra Hammel
Want to help? Call 1~800~GENOCIDE
"May I Suggest" by Susan Werner
Satchita - Playing for Change
Stand By Me ~ Playing for Change
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Genocide is not only a word,
it is crying of the whole human race.
There is nothing redeeming about being silent
when speaking up is the humane thing to do.
The honor and integrity of the human race is at stake.
