enterMusic.org | a life in music

Is it September? Is it 2007? Is summer over? I want to make sure my calendar is correct, because, as Kermit the Frog says, "Time's fun when you're having flies". We have an amazing program ahead for 2007-2008, as we enter our 7th year of the Fox Music-Hamilton HS Music Mentor Program. Who's ready? I am!-9/24/2007

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Another great year...and as I say at the end of every year, "This was the best one yet!" Our final drum circle was fun, emotional, rhythmic, and joyous. We look forward to our 2006-2007 group with great anticipation. Have a fabulous summer!-10/4/2005

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See you...in September. And here we are already. I am looking forward to the first 2005 meeting with all the mentors and mentees....and I hope that everyone is bringing their best "What I did last summer" story. (Mine involves Snoop Dogg, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, two oceans on two different coasts, and Johnny Cash!) Sharpen your pencils, everybody! We are ready for take-off in 10-9-8....-9/9/2005

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April showers have started...and it's still March. I look forward to our next meeting, where we will start talking to juniors about ideas and strategies for college. Elvis Garnett, my mentee from last year's program, is having an amazing first year at Santa Monica Community College. And everyone is ready for SPRING!-3/22/2005

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October-time..and the living is busy! Today we had this year's first meet-n-greet lunch, and it was clear to everyone that this will be an incredibly interesting group to share the upcoming year with. I am amazed by the energy, diversity, and experience in the room, a result of all the new talent- both mentors and mentees - that joined the group. I enjoyed seeing all the returning participants, and I welcome all the newbies to Mentor-land!-10/28/2004

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Last Thursday night, an incredible thing happened: when I fell asleep, it was September...but by the time I awoke, October was everywhere! The Fox Music Mentor Program begins the 2004-2005 year with one of the original founders coming back to help organize the program. With the support of Patrice Theard and the Los Angeles Mentoring Partnership, we welcome back Cheryl Mollicone, as we all look forward to sharing a fantastic new year. In addition, watch this space for news of the Digital Music Lab that's blossoming in Mr. Bruning's class! Stay tuned!-10/2/2004

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Spoon..moon..dune..JUNE! Skoolz out for summer (almost), and that means the Fox/GRAMMY program is on hiatus for another year. Our final lunch this year was just about the best one yet! Patrice had diplomas and trophies for all the mentees, Katie won a fruit basket, several participants received tickets to the Prince concert (a generous gift from a supporter) and after lunch, everyone - mentors and mentees - banged on drums to celebrate our progress and friendship. We rocked NARAS headquarters! Congrats to our graduates...and happy summer!-6/6/2004

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Mayday! Mayday! We are grooving right along, just hitting our stride, and the year is almost over! Last week, the mentors and mentees spent an incredible 2 hours on the Fox Scoring Stage, listening and watching while composer Christophe Beck scored "Garfield", a new Fox film. The mentees were invited to stand silently in the studio while the orchestra played, and many Hamilton High musicians stood right behind their "instrument" while the recording took place, watching professionals at work. After the session ended at 5p, all the mentees had the opportunity to speak to the players, and discuss what a real "day in the life" is like when you play in an orchestra. It was a fun and fantastic event for all.-5/19/2004

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Is it April? (And why did T.S. Eliot write, "April is the cruelest month"?) Man, time flies when you are living a life filled with all those M's: music, movies, mentors, mentees, magic, and M & M's, (peanut, of course.) The entermusic FILM division is in full effect, casting and crewing up for the debut of the initial production. Now it is time for the COMPOSER to be selected. Who can score a film? Who can impress the judges at Fox? (Simon Cowell, stay away.) Who will get the gig? Watch this space!-4/20/2004

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Our program has gained lots of momentum these past few weeks. In particular, the "mentor feedback" session proved that there is a lot of passion and focus now, particularly in the area of preparing college strategies for the mentees. On a personal note, Elvis Garnett, Jr., spent some afternoons on the Fox Scoring Stage last week, watching and listening while the "Day After Tomorrow" score was recorded by an orchestra. It was a genuine sharing of a "day-at-the-office" experience for both mentor and mentee.-3/1/2004

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What a great day we had yesterday. Mike Knobloch treated the entire group to a "Cliff Notes" summary of the world of film music, showing examples of scenes from recent films, played with and without music. I think the mentees all enjoyed the presentation of clips from Cheaper By The Dozen, X2, and Drumline. We also had a chance to review our pre-Grammy votes, and to check out how closely we predicted the winners (we had some pretty good guesses!) There wasn't a lot of time for one-to-one interaction this week, but hopefully we'll get more of that at our next session...-2/12/2004

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We are blowing up! The mentor program started to get some "traction" (a big new word in Hollywood) as we met this week to discuss the Grammy Awards, the music business, and all of our favorite artists. 2004 looks like it is going to be a very creative year for everyone, mentors & mentees alike. Yesterday, I spent an hour in Mr. Bruning's class, and heard some hit-bound material from Elvis and Nick. I just hope all of you mentees remember your dear old mentors when you are rich and famous! Peace out, RK-1/16/2004

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I made some resolutions on New Year's Eve, and one was about mentoring. I reminded myself that being a mentor is a commitment, and that it will take perseverance to remain consistent as a mentor. But as I am always reminded every year: the rewards are so great! Happy 2004, mentors and mentees.-1/2/2004

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Wow, am I surprised. Yesterday, I was wondering if I could get to Hamilton at 3:15, and then be back at Fox for a big meeting at 5pm,. I worried that it was tight, and wondered if I'd get anything out of the 90 minutes in between. As always, that hour-and-a-half with all of the mentors and mentees was incredibly interesting - and fun. Elvis and I just started the process of learning about each other, and we hardly scratched the surface!-12/18/2003

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Only two weeks until 2004! I have been trading e-mails with my mentee, Elvis, and I am learning alot through our "question-and-answer" process. ...I hope everybody else is using e-mail - and this entermusic.org web-site - to communicate ideas, dreams, plans, and personal histories. -12/17/2003

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Well, cats and kittens, we are off to a roaring start for the 2003-2004 Fox/Grammy Music program. By now, (almost) everyone has been introduced to their mentor or mentee, and by next week we'll be starting some amazing new friendships. Here's a shout-out to Hamilton High! Bring it!-12/10/2003

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