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Corrections for Christmas songs and symbols

The StarTribune published an article last week about Christmas music. The point of the article was that most people today are annoyed with how early, how often, and how much they are assaulted with the sound of holiday music in stores, on the radio, and pretty much everywhere they go throughout the months of November and December. What caught my eye and captured my attention most, however, was a little fine-print detail you almost had to read between the lines to see. The titles and [...]

By |December 21st, 2012|Columns, Holidays, Music/Singing|2 Comments

Keep on singing to brighten everyone’s day

“The sun’ll come out tomorrow, bet your bottom dollar that tomorrow there’ll be sun…” I smiled as I listened to a powerhouse voice belting out the popular song from the musical, “Annie.” But I wasn’t at the theatre experiencing it live, or listening to a CD of the soundtrack in my car or home. I was in the checkout line at the grocery story. The singer – whom I couldn’t even see at first because she was so tiny and was on the other side [...]

By |August 3rd, 2012|Columns, Family, Music/Singing, Values|Comments Off on Keep on singing to brighten everyone’s day

“Impossible” songs inspire impossible achievements

The column "Find Your Buried Treasure" appears weekly in the Chanhassen (MN) Villager. This column was published on March 31, 2011. “Impossible” songs inspire impossible achievements “To dream the impossible dream, To fight the unbeatable foe, To bear with unbearable sorrow, To run where the brave dare not go...” Many of you immediately recognized – and may already be humming – the opening lines of “The Impossible Dream,” from Man of La Mancha. It’s one of my favorite songs, from one of my favorite musicals....

By |April 1st, 2011|Accountability, Coaching, Columns, Music/Singing, Values|Comments Off on “Impossible” songs inspire impossible achievements

Christmas bells bring music, memories, and peace

The column "Find Your Buried Treasure" appears weekly in the Chanhassen (MN) Villager. This column was published on December 23, 2010. “Christmas bells, those Christmas bells, ringing through the land, bringing peace to all the world. And good will to man.” You may recognize those words as the chorus from “Snoopy’s Christmas,” a song about Charlie Brown’s pet beagle and his Christmas Eve battle against the Bloody Red Baron of Germany. The Red Baron was a World War 1 ace fighter pilot in real life, and also – occasionally – in the “Peanuts” comic strip. In the song, the Red Baron forces Snoopy’s plane down behind enemy lines. But then – inspired perhaps by the sound of Christmas bells from a nearby village – instead of shooting Snoopy, the Red Baron offers him a holiday toast and wishes him a Merry Christmas...

By |December 27th, 2010|Columns, Family, Holidays, Music/Singing|Comments Off on Christmas bells bring music, memories, and peace

Symphony of the season gives us rich, beautiful music

The column "Find Your Buried Treasure" appears weekly in the Chanhassen (MN) Villager. This column was published on December 2, 2010. The alarm on my clock-radio went off the other morning just as the news was getting over and Christmas music was starting up again. The first song was “The Little Drummer Boy,” which has always been one of my favorite Christmas carols. Since I didn’t have any meetings or appointments for which I needed to hop up and race off to start the day, I stayed in bed long enough to enjoy the song. And because I had no other distractions, I noticed things I never really paid attention to before...

By |December 4th, 2010|Coaching, Columns, Holidays, Music/Singing, Values|Comments Off on Symphony of the season gives us rich, beautiful music