February 6, 2021 - Present - More New Students - Growth
In February of 2021, we were about to be infused with some of my favorite new students. They were of all levels. Some had extensive music training, some did not. It didn't matter. They were about to hang with us for a long stretch of time, and we were going to watch them grow.
Elliana had actually come in the year before, but she didn't really step into our composition world until 2021. What Elliana has is a gorgeous voice and a knack for creating melodies using chromatics as she writes them. We would focus on lyrics and melody writing, and adding emotion behind her singing. No joke, she has the potential to be a superstar.
Here is her song, "Flight", which Huxley began working with her on later in the writing process. As we were still in COVID, the two of them recorded this in their respective bedrooms while on Zoom in Arizona and Minnesota. It was actually hilarious. The photos embedded might tell you what the session was like. But the end result was amazing. As I am not an engineer, I put out so many calls that night asking for guidance on how to mix the song. (Thank you Amy Liu and Matt Peterson.) It came out well and was one of my highlight moments of the entire pandemic.
CLICK ON the video below for Elliana and Huxley's song "Flight".
I met Jordan and Lundy Frishman through my day job. Their dad, Andrew, was the Executive Director of one of the organizations the Fox Family Foundation had funded, Big Picture Learning. We happened to get on a call one day, and I happened to mention that I ran a music education nonprofit, and then I happened to get a donation out of the blue from Andrew. And he happened to ask if his kids could sit in on a Saturday session. And as it happened, they never left. More than three years later, we have watched the kids grow and mature in the program.
Both of the Frishmans had guitar and piano lessons. Jordan fancied herself more of a pianist, and Lundy was more attached to the guitar. But they both really started at the beginning in terms of composition.
When you're starting kids off, you have to figure out how to navigate their learning. As you now know, I have zero abilities with beginners so Christopher Lee, as a give back to Inception, started mentoring Lundy. And then as he got busy with his senior year in high school and college apps, a new mentor whom we will talk about later, Samara Rice, began to work with Lundy. But when Samara left, we tried to fill the gaps. I took Lundy sometimes, and Jason Lee, one of our students, worked with him. (Jason was actually. amazingly successful. Maybe because they were closer in ages.)
Jordan, in the meantime, flip-flopped between me and Karen, and then between me and Samara and Karen. Then we hit Fall of 2022. Our staff turned over. The thing was, Jordan's Bat Mitzvah was coming up. I had one session with her, where we explored Hebrew music and the scales. We also laid out the portion of the Torah that Jordan was to speak and compose about. And here we found our niche with Jordan: writing based on an existing story, making it easier for her to find success.
Right around this time, however, Jonathan Allentoff was a guest mentor. As I knew he conducted at colleges, community orchestras, and synagogues, I thought he might be able to offer more to Jordan than I could. They worked together on her piece "Veiled Deceit". A couple weeks before the Bat Mitzvah, Maksim Velichkin, Emer Kinsella, Kristine Llanderal, and I, set about to record her piece. It was extremely well received, and her parents and family were extremely happy and proud of her.
So then we asked Jordan about her Bat Mitzvah which led to my all time favorite moment from Inception. Here it is with her score.
After Jordan's success, we asked Jonathan if he would work with Lundy too, and of course he did, and of course it was very successful, and of course we've seen Lundy grow exponentially.
These days, Jon and I alternate mentoring Jordan. With no disrespect meant to any of the other current students, it is the spot every other week I look forward to.
Jon does this amazing thing where after every lesson he sends a thank you note to Jordan and Lundy and recaps what they worked on. I do no such thing. Except one day, Jordan and I were talking about her over-reliance on ChatGPT, so I sent her this note using AI:
Dear Jordan,
I wanted to take a moment express my gratitude for the incredible journey we've shared in music. Working with you has been an absolute job and privilege. Your dedication and hard work has been truly inspiring,. Each lesson with you has reminded me of the transformative power of music and learning and growing together.
Thank you for trusting me to guide you along this path. Your progress and achievements have filled me with immense pride, and I am grateful for the opportunity to witness your musical journey unfold.
As you continue to pursue your musical dreams, know that I am here to support and cheer you on every step of the way. Keep embracing your love for music and never stop reaching for the stars.
With sincere appreciation and warmest regards,
Akira Nakano
She wrote back:
Dear Akira Nakano,
Ah, so you've finally taken a moment to express your gratitude, have you? How touching! I must admit, it warms the cockles of my heart to receive such a heartfelt message... Well, maybe just the ventricles.
Your passion for music, coupled with your dedication and hard work, has been a real treat for me, like listening to a broken record on repeat. But hey, at least you're consistent!
Thank you ever so much for trusting me to guide you along this path. It's been an absolute delight to witness your journey from tone-deaf amateur to slightly less tone-deaf amateur. Truly, I've never seen such progress!
As you continue to serenade the world with your musical endeavors, remember that I'll be here, silently judging and critiquing from afar. Keep reaching for the stars... if you back break before then, Just try not to hit too many sour notes along the way.
With best regards, your loving student, Jordan
P.S. And remember, when life gives you sour notes, just play them louder and call it jazz. Keep practicing, because who knows, one day you might even reach mediocre.
Jordan
Jordan and the Frishmans are the only family who share my sarcastic sensibilities.
Jason, Abby, and Justin also joined us in 2021. On their first session, I had lost a bet to Angela during Ear Training, and she had dared me to sing "I Am Changing" from Dreamgirls on the composition class, instead of just singing for the little kids. Please note, I am not a singer. But everyone logged on, I said, "This is because of Angela." And I proceeded to sing.
It was also new mentor Samara Rice's first day. I'm surprised any of them stayed.
Jason, the middle child, and violin player, was steeped deeply in technique. He was super talented, but the mission with him was getting him to break out of the box. He didn't love it, but he eventually did it on our winds recording where his piece was about a circus, and one of the birds, represented by Javier on sax, got loose and went crazy. It was awesome! Jason eventually wrote "Charis" which took third place is the ASMAC orchestrating and arranging competition in 2023.
Click on the video below to hear a mock-up mix of Jason's piece.
Abby played the flute and would write cute little melodies. Jason helped her along. But then she paired with Eiko during the Young Choreographers and Composers Project and for the foreseeable future. Together they created their own style which brought Abby along. Here is her 2023 composition, "Christmas". We intended to record this, but ran out of time in Feb 2024.
Click on the video below for the mock up version of "Christmas".
Jason and Abby were fiercely dedicated to peer mentoring. Jason frequently taught intervals in Ear Training class and was joined by Abby to private mentor our youngest ear training student, also a violinist, to much success.
Justin was a stunning part of Inception. But I will talk about him in upcoming chapters.
The thing about all the kids on this page I have written about, they are ALL humans of character. (That is not to say others aren't.) I would add Huxley, Angela, Christopher, Bradley, Leo, Agata, Greg, etc. ok, fine.
But what we like to say about Inception is, that while growth in music composition is awesome, what we are really trying to teach is collaboration, creativity, respect, and leadership. (Yes Jordan, I know I sound like a broken record.) And when we accomplish that, we are doing our job.
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