Whoah! Sixteen Thousand friends, even! This has happened to me a few times where I sign in and I have reached a round, or significant, number of friends in some way.

Thanks for befriending me and all the great comments I have received from many people!

Adam

Hi:

I have been officially elected into membership to the Pi Kappa Lambda. It is an honorary music society. You can't just join, you are asked to be a member. From what I understand, this is a prestigious thing to be asked. They elect "students and faculty whose academic records indicate superior accomplishment; whose musical and artistic achievements are outstanding; and whose potential for leadership in future musical endeavors and careers is judged to be noteworthy."

Kinda cool...

Anyone know that music, as well as other Fine Arts, at one point was a part of the Olympics from 1912-1948? I didn't...

Read this link here: The Olympics' "Pentathlon of the Muses"

And a more in depth one here: Olympic Artists

Is that cool or what?...

DEALING WITH GIVING UP

In this day in age of our society, especially true in our instant gratification, computer world, do people seem to give up so easily. Look at the magnificent works of art our ancestors used to create, for example, David, by Michelangelo. Not only is the statue contain extraordinary detail but it's freakin' huge. Michelangelo didn't create it in a week let me tell you. I wonder why you don't see works of that magnitude anymore? Have we become that impatient?

Music is difficult thing too. It takes a lot of time and patience to get to a place where something even remotely sounds like music. I know. I've been there. Furthermore, I witness this nearly daily in my students' progress. Matter of fact, this may seem like news to some people. But it never stops! You never stop learning. The more I learn about music, the more I realize I don't know very much at all. I'm sure this could be applied to any topic. I'm constantly working on "new" things.

So why do people give up so easily when things are challenging, difficult? Have "we" in general become that lame? Please read this article by Hale Dwoskin. I think it applies anything that takes effort. Just change the text from "Overcom[ing]…Emotions that Lead to Physical Therapy Failure" to whatever you want: learning music, martial arts, mathematics, whatever applies to you.

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How to Overcome the Emotions that Lead to Physical Therapy Failure
by Hale Dwoskin

For people with arthritis, sports injuries, or physical disabilities, as well as those who have been in car accidents or suffered a heart attack or stroke, physical therapy can be a lifesaver. Often it is physical therapy -- not surgery, not medications -- that ultimately gets you back on your feet and functioning the way you used to.
That is not to say that physical therapy is easy. It's often grueling, painful and monotonous. People are expected to go in to a physical therapy center three, four or even five times a week -- sometimes even daily. And when you are not working with a physical therapist one-on-one, it's expected that you're devoting hours a day at home to various exercises and treatments, like ice packs or heating pads.

"It takes an educated, motivated patient" to recover, points out Bernadine Healy M.D. in her U.S. News & World Report article.

Russell Warren, team physician to the New York Giants and surgeon and chief emeritus at top-ranked Hospital for Special Surgery in New York, agrees.

"Patients can't be idle bystanders," he tells Healy.

Yet it's estimated that more than half of those who need physical therapy do not stick with their programs, Healy says, with obvious detrimental effects on their recovery.

Physical Therapy's Emotional Side

According to the American Physical Therapy Association, "When a physical therapist sees a patient for the first time, he or she examines that individual and develops a plan of care that promotes the ability to move, reduces pain, restores function, and prevents disability. The physical therapist and the patient then work side-by-side to make sure that the goals of the treatment plan are met."

Notice the part about working "side-by-side"? This, of course, means that it's up to you to do your part: to commit to pushing through the exercises, even when it's painful, to continue the regimen, even when immediate gains are not apparent, and, perhaps most importantly, to keep a positive attitude about your recovery.

Otherwise, depression, frustration, anxiety, pain and any number of other negative feelings can sabotage your physical health.

"Belief in, or at least openness to, any treatment regimen can often mean the difference between failure and success," says Hale Dwoskin, CEO and director of training of Sedona Training Associates. "If you are resisting doing a particular action to support yourself in your health and well-being you will often not do it, not do it often enough or not really give it the chance and support it needs to benefit you the most."

Some telltale signs that you're nearing burn-out when it comes to physical therapy:

Overwhelming feelings of frustration

Doubts that the regimen will help you

Dreading the days you go to physical therapy

Feeling that you've been put through enough

Thoughts of just giving up

Getting Into the Emotional Mindset to Succeed

Whether you're talking about physical therapy or any other challenge that comes about in your life, getting into the right emotional mindset is essential.

Science is revealing that your emotions have a direct impact on your physical health and your ability to heal.

A study in the Archives of General Psychiatry, for instance, found that compared to the most pessimistic people, the most optimistic people had a 71 percent lower risk of dying from all causes (even after factors such as age, gender and smoking status were accounted for).

Studies have also revealed that a positive mental attitude may lead to:

Lower blood levels of fibrinogen, a chemical in your bloodstream that measures inflammation and heart health while under stress (the lower the fibrinogen, the better)

Having an easier time persevering through failure

Delaying the aging process (in terms of how quickly you become frail)
On the contrary, a negative attitude, such as believing that you will not overcome your injury, can actually manifest that reality in your life. This is why it's so essential to treat your emotions, and not just your body, when going through physical therapy…


…"The best thing to do with any treatment regimen including physical therapy is to listen to all your options. Release so that you are clear within yourself about making a commitment to that particular approach and then once you are committed release all doubts and remaining resistance and follow through as best you can," Dwoskin says. "The more you mix releasing with whatever you are doing to support your physical health and well-being, the better the outcome will be."

Hello Everyone:

I'm so glad about this news, very exciting stuff! I have been secretly running for president of the United States of America. I was watching the candidates and I just couldn't take it anymore! Doesn't anyone stand for anything these days?!?! Since May 1st, I have worked tirelessly for this to happen, to get this far.

Take a couple of minutes to watch this clip that aired on the evening news last night:



Stay posted for more news & interviews to rapidly come in.

Hi Everyone:

There seems to be quite a bit of response to an upcoming show I'm doing in Toronto on Saturday, June 21, for the Toronto Jazz Festival. If you are planning on attending you might want to buy your tickets ahead of time.

Here's the link to do so:

Adam Smale Trio - Toronto Jazz Festival

Hi Everyone. I just stumbled across a blog on David Byrne's website (yeah, the David Byrne of The Talking Heads fame). It was entitled "Begone". In it, he brings up a good point as to why the Bee Population may be disappearing.

In it he says "According to Einstein we've got a little over 4 years." He then quotes him:

"If the bee disappeared off the surface of the globe then man would only have four years of life left. No more bees, no more pollination, no more plants, no more animals, no more man."

Now Einstein was no dummy. So what is making the bees disappear? Mr. Byrne has an theory why: GMO Farmers (pharmaceutical companies really). 

I think he might "bee" on to something.

Read it here. It's not lengthy.

This is a response to an article I read by Moses Avalon (or his MySpace page) where he talks about a war between us, the musician/artist, independent or major label, and the "Tech-Masters" of the world who are tying to convince the general public (and even some musicians) that music should be FREE. They hate paying us artists our share for OUR own creations. He outlines that it fits their plans, having free music, so that they can sell their gadgets, and computers, to the consumer.

The article can be found here at MusicDish.com.
(Please, have a read first, then read my response below. I'll wait. No problem)

 

My Response:

I have to agree with Moses to a BIG extent. It sure seems like they, the tech-masters, don't care about us, the artist, making money from our intellectual property—I  bet the techies don't like having their copy-protected software hacked, or stolen—but it's OK for this music stuff to be free when it fits their agenda: selling their product. But why should they care. I don't care about them anymore than they care about me. I only care about myself surviving on this planet, that's life. But when someone starts breaking down something I depend on to make a living, then it's time to "put up the dukes". I say it's time to wake up!

Maybe us musicians can somehow gather together and lobby that all computers, software, and all those gadgets they make, should be made free for our use, so that we can use their stuff that they sweat over, spent money, time, and intellect, to create and market to the masses, so we can distribute OUR music much easier. We might be able to make some half decent money for a change with these things made free for our use.

Let me guess, they wouldn't like that concept very much would they?

I know what Johnny Cash would have said...