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Quest Quote

“There’s no such thing as a wrong note as long as you’re singing.”

- Pete Seeger at his 90th birthday concert

Quix Pix

Every month we will share some of our currently favorite books, music, movies and TV shows.

Movies

The Station Agent – This wonderfully quirky movie about Fin, a 4-foot tall man with a passion for trains and a desire to be left alone, is oddly compelling, touching, and funny. Featuring an array of likeable, yet oddball characters (who Fin finds himself befriending much to his resistance), The Station Agent is a poignant and humorous reminder that everybody has something in common.

Pocket Poem

Small enough to fit in your pocket, big enough to be of use.

I hear America singing, the varied carols I hear
Those of mechanics—each one singing his, as it should be, blithe and strong
The carpenter singing his, as he measures his plank or beam,
The mason singing his, as he makes ready for work, or leaves off work
The boatman singing what belongs to him in his boat—the deckhand singing on the steamboat deck
The shoemaker singing as he sits on his bench—the hatter singing as he stands
The wood-cutter’s song—the ploughboy’s, on his way in the morning, or at the noon intermission, or at sundown
The delicious singing of the mother—or of the young wife at work—or of the girl sewing or washing—Each singing what belongs to her, and to none else
The day what belongs to the day—At night, the party of young fellows, robust, friendly,
Singing, with open mouths, their strong melodious songs.

By Walt Whitman, 1900

From the Founder

Happy fall! The leaves are just starting to change here in New England. The air is crisp and energizing and I’ve been enjoying taking breaks to cut and stack this winter’s firewood.

I continue to be amazed at the extraordinary power of music to help people give their best. This month we are featuring our popular Rock Band Inc. program during which teams learn how to play guitar, bass and drums and perform a song with their own original lyrics.

Happy birthday Gandhi! October 2 was Gandhi’s birth anniversary. He said, There is more to life than increasing its speed.” Perhaps you’d like to take this moment to pause and enjoy all of the features of this month’s newsletter, and the beauty of the changing leaves.

On with the quest,
Rob Fletcher

What music gets you excited, relaxed, productive? What lifts you up, calms you down? What’s soundtrack helps you to give your best?

Sometimes music can provide an outside perspective that can guide you out of a funk and help when pain visits. By creating your own soundtrack, you begin to harness that power and enable yourself to find the strength to give your best to yourself, your work and everyone around you.

Click here for the complete Topic of the Month.

Heading out on the highway, looking for adventure? Want to be a rock and roll star?

Here’s your chance to live the fantasy as our rock and roll facilitators lead your teams through this exciting and memorable musical experience. In just two hours, each rock and roller will learn enough technique on a rock instrument to perform several classic rock tunes.

Participants are grouped into bands and learn the basics of guitar, bass and percussion. Guitars are tuned in an innovative tuning that makes it easy for the "guitar players" to rock out. Bass guitar parts are designed to sound good, yet be easy to play. And if you can walk and breathe at the same time, you can play some great sounding percussion parts. Lead singers learn basic singing and microphone technique, how to be a good front man/woman, classic stage moves and how to do your hair in a crowded van zipping down the Jersey Turnpike.

For a complete program description, please click here.

Click here to get inspired by some classic rock and roll video clips!

A few years ago I was a faculty member of a community arts school in Connecticut. I taught private lessons in guitar and also some rock and blues classes. My friend, the bass and drum teacher, and I came up with an idea for a class that we felt would be fun and successful – the Rock and Roll Boot Camp.

The course was open to any guitar, bass, drum or keyboard player who had basic skills on their instruments.  And if you could blow a tune on a sax or trumpet, we would not turn you away. Most of the students were middle-aged and realized this might be their last chance to “live the rock star lifestyle.”

The classes were run as real rehearsals and at the end everybody would perform at a venue in downtown New Haven. Most of them had never played in public before. There was some anxiety before the shows but they went off well. The students found their places...

Click here for the complete Quest Story.

Take a quick break from your work and try these yoga poses right at your desk. Click here for Seven Helpful Yoga Hints.

This pose releases tension stored in the hips, which in turn helps release tension in the lower back.

Stand and face your desk. Rest your right leg up on the desk.

Try all variations. Each provides a different benefit. Decide which gives you the most benefit.

Begin each variation by first standing tall facing your desk and then leaning forward leading with your heart once your leg is in position on desk. Don’t collapse your chest.

A – Point your leg in front of you as if your knee were the tip of an arrow pointing straight ahead.

B – Form a 90 degree angle with your upper and lower leg on the desk top. Lower leg is parallel to edge of desk. Rest your knee on a prop (thick book, phone book, etc.) to avoid knee strain.

C - Form a right angle with leg again. Try without a prop.

Quix Tip

Soundtrack

Think of a project that you’re going to work on today or this week that you’d like to energize.

Picture yourself in action, completing the hard work as if you were in a movie.

What kind of music would you like to hear playing if you were the director? What songs best fit this dramatic, exciting scene?

Play that song list, album or radio station that will help you perform at your best.

Statisticity

Q. What percentage of recorded music sales where digital in 2008*

1. 20%
2. 30%
3. 40%
4. 50%

Panza's Proverb

"It is easier for the reckless man to become truly brave than for the coward."

Sancho Panza, Don Quixote’s squire, was famous for his proverbs.

Spread the Word

This is your monthly word challenge. Identify the correct definition for the following word. Once you know the definition, spread the word!

Oblectation

1. A confoundment
   
2. Disagreement
   
3. Delight, pleasure
   
4. Conclusion

Good News

Take a break from bad news headlines and watch this video of street musicians from around the world playing together (from the award-winning documentary “Playing for Change”). Click here to see a larger image.

Have you read some good news lately? Send us a link and spread the good news!