July 15, 2023 (Song #2023): T-19* brings me back to 2004 when  The Wailin’ Jennys released Ruth Moody‘s song, “One Voice”.    This song continues to make me as happy as the first time I heard it. Happy Birthday to Kerri Kohlun! xoxo LYRICS & CHORDS APPLE MUSIC SPOTIFY

July 13, 2023 (Song #2021): T-21*  “Back In The High Life” by Steve Winwood.  LYRICS & SONGFACTS APPLE MUSIC SPOTIFY

July 12, 2023 (Song #2020): T-22*: “Yaicha” by Pousette-Dart Band (1977).   To hear Jon Pousette-Dart talk about this song, click here: https://youtu.be/_R8WTYN9plg APPLE MUSIC SPOTIFY Happy Birthday to Emily Sisto & Walter Egan! 

July 11, 2023 (Song #2019): T-23*: (Ain’t Nothin’ Gonna) Break My Stride by Matthew Wilder (1983).  Happy Birthday To Leslie French Seidman!  We’ve never sung this one together, but I can just imagine her loving it (I hope!) xoxo LYRICS & SONGFACTS APPLE MUSIC SPOTIFY

July 10, 2023 (Song #2018): T-24*: “Ten-Year Night” (1999) by Lucy Kaplansky. 

Happy Birthday to Carmel Gunther Robinson!

*P.S. Starting today, with T-24, I have summer plans that will preclude me from posting a full reminiscence every day, so, here on in, the posts are going to be short and sweet but will still highlight songs that give me brain joy.  Because I have way more than 60 songs that make me happy, some days I will post two or three.  Just keep singing!

July 9, 2023 (Song #2017):  “A Alligators All Around” by Maurice Sendak & Carole King from Really Rosie.  APPLE MUSIC SPOTIFY LYRICS (I could post any song by Carole King, especially any song from Tapestry, but the harmonies on today’s SOTD just knocked me over when I first heard it and it illustrates, perfectly, why I love kids and teaching them. The whole soundtrack is musically fabulous and fun, even though Maurice Sendak’s script is predictably bratty and dark.)

T-25* brings me to 1998, the year I realized I wanted to be a music teacher; little sparks had been subtly brightening my life for years, but in 1998, the flame was fully lit.  I’ve already written about how much I love kids, but I haven’t yet mentioned that, during vacations from school and work, I’d been visiting Barbara Bayers’ music classes at Helen Keller middle school in Easton and Jackie Weisburger at the pre-school where she worked. Jackie also got me a summer job teaching music at the Mead School where we did the play “Really Rosie” and she told me a million times over that I should be teaching kids.  My friend Lisa Schatz Strausser also used to say it every time she watched me play with her own kids: “You should work with kids.”

In business school, when we were assigned the task to read any management book (our choice), most people chose books like: “One-Minute Manager” or “Getting To Yes”, but I chose Tracy Kidder’s Among Schoolchildren and argued that teachers have the most complicated management job around with many constituents (the professor, Mary Ann Hedaa, agreed and we got on like wildfire; she ended up hiring me and my friend Brian Schreiber to be her TAs the next semester).  Even then I didn’t consciously consider being a teacher. Clueless.

The actual tipping point for me was the annual Carol Sing at the Bacharach’s house in December of 1997 (for a beautiful essay about the annual party written by fellow guest Dan Woog, click here: https://06880danwoog.com/tag/12-days-of-christmas/ )

In December of 1997, Rose was 2 ½ and Bennett was 8 months old. After Bennett was born (in April) I left the Mark Spector Company and was now helping my dad, who had started teaching at Columbia Business School after I graduated (I’d introduced him to my Entrepreneurship professor, Murray Low, during the last week of school in May of 1992 and they hit it off; my dad became an adjunct professor at Columbia for the next seven years.  I used to joke that I got an MBA, but he got a job.).  

At the Caroling Party, I saw my former Staples High School teachers: Mr. Leonard, Mr. Harrison, Mr. Woodruff and Mr. Kuroghlian. After fan-girling them with hellos and hugs all around, they said: “Tell us what you’re up to!” 

“Well,” I said, “I’m thinking of buying a franchise called “Music Together” so that I can use my MBA, run my own business and sing and make music and work with kids!” I thought it was a genius idea! 

That got them going: suddenly, they were all talking at once: “If you want to work with kids, become a public school teacher.” said Gerry Kuroghlian. (I’d always thought that was a horrible idea because, with all due respect, I’d believed “Those who can do, do, and those who can’t do teach”. I’m embarrassed now.)  

“If it snows, you’re going to be the one shoveling the walkway and canceling classes and then you’re going to have to figure out a time to make them up”, said Dick Leonard. 

Dave Harrison chimed in: “If you’re a public school teacher, you’ll get to make music with kids, but you’ll get summers off and someone else will clear the sidewalks in the winter.” 

Then, Gerry Kuroghlian, again: “Think about the insurance! What if someone trips on that icy sidewalk??” 

Phil Woodruff finally said: “You need to check out this program run by the State Department of Education.  It’s called the Alternate Route to Certification (ARC).  My son did it and it was the greatest thing.” 

“But I don’t know anything about teaching?!” I said, truly confused by their idea.  

“They’ll help you learn!” said Dr. Woodruff.  

Dave Harrison said: “You should put your name on the sub list in Westport and you’ll find out if you like being in a classroom.”

Dr. Woodruff ended the conversation by saying: “Promise me you’ll check out the ARC program; the application is due very soon.”  I left that party in a complete tizzy. 

I am a rule follower and a pleaser, so I checked out the ARC program and put my name on the sub list. Indeed, I only had about a week to pull together my application and references; I called Dr. George Weigle (choral conductor extraordinaire) and asked him for a reference. He said “yes”, but then spotted me walking in the snow at the beach a few days later and said: “Hey, do you play piano?” “YES!” I said. “OK” and he drove off.

A few weeks later, I got a call from the Westport Public Schools asking me to sub for the music teacher at Long Lots, Anne (then) Ward (now) Hadden. The lesson plans required that I give a few worksheets to the students, but it seemed fun enough (my neighbor, Tommy D’Agostino was in 3rd grade at the time and we were psyched to see each other).   

Then, I got another call on March 23rd asking me to come into Coleytown Elementary School because they were desperate for a substitute music teacher for the remainder of the year (the full-time teacher went into early labor and they weren’t prepared for that). 

I went in to meet the principal Kaye May and, as I shook her hand, I said: “My friend Mindy Eichner has told me a lot about you and she thinks you’re fabulous”.  She stopped what she was doing, looked me in the eye and said: “Mindy Eichner? You’re friends with Mindy Eichner? You’re hired!”  Then she called Jim Andrews, the beloved orchestra teacher, into her office; he looked me up and down and said: “she’ll do.” and walked out (they weren’t being picky; all they wanted was a person with a pulse).   

Peter was 100% supportive, as always, and then I called my dad, who was on a trip to Russia with students from CBS and, of course, he was also totally and utterly supportive.  I, however, was sobbing like a baby and riddled with self-doubt, all for a very good reason: I had no idea what I was doing. 

As many of you know, it has all worked out, and then some. I have so, so, so many memories of teaching – happy, sad, good, bad – from kids, to colleagues, to parents, to birds flying in to my classroom in the middle of a lesson – but I’ve gone on too long already.  

Let me just say: THANK YOU to the powers-that-be for leading me in this direction.  I couldn’t have taken the leap without the cushion of support from family & friends that surrounds me every day.

P.S. Starting tomorrow, with T-24, I have summer plans that will preclude me from posting a full reminiscence every day, so, here on in, the posts are going to be short and sweet but will still highlight songs that give me brain joy.  Because I have way more than 60 songs that make me happy, some days I will post two or three.  Just keep singing!

July 8, 2023 (Song #2016): “Where Is The Love” by The Black Eyed Peas (originally posted as a SOTD on January 16th, 2018, the National Day of Racial Healing.) LYRICS & SONGFACTS APPLE MUSIC SPOTIFY

T-26* brings me to 1997, when our sweet, funny, handsome Bennett Elihu Propp was born.  I could’ve posted “God Bless The U.S.A. (aka “Proud To Be An American”) or “Brown Eyed Girl” or his original song, “I Like To Race” (in 2003, the same year that Ron Fair, will.i.am and Justin Timberlake wrote today’s SOTD, both Bennett and Rose worked with their producer/father Peter to write original songs; her’s was called “Little Bit”. They are both mega hits in our family), but I chose this song, because nothing makes this mama happier than hearing her kid sing and rap about love.  

P.S. Today, July 8th, is the day that my father-in-law Richard was born; he would have been 89 today and I miss him and his stories and jokes; watching Bennett and Peter and Richard convulse with laughter was one of my favorite things ever.  He was quietly proud of and loyal to his hometown (Albany), his immediate and extended family, his religion (he was a founder of B’Nai Sholom in Albany), his college (Union), his profession (internist/hematologist), health-care reform (he founded the Capital District Alliance for Universal Healthcare), his ancestors (from Shkudvil, Lithuania and Propps all over the world), his garden, his clarinet, his other hobbies (photography, fly-fishing and fly-tying, tennis, golf, cross-country skiing, snow-shoeing, reading and biking) and, especially, his wife, his kids and his grandkids. He died in April of 2019, but we think about him every day.

July 7, 2023 (Song #2015): “The Babysitter’s Here” by Dar Williams (1993) Happy Birthday to Alison Werner Cooper & Emily Borden! Xoxo  LYRICS & SONGFACTS SPOTIFY APPLE MUSIC  

T-27* = 1996, when I worked at The Mark Spector Company.  At the end of the summer in 1995, Rose was about 3 months old; she was sweet, social, smiley and always watching what was going on around her.  Her calm, peaceful, engaged manner inspired people to call her “an old soul”.

Rose’s first summer, weather-wise, was brutal: temperatures hovered around 90 degrees with 90% humidity so going outside wasn’t an option, except for a few minutes at a time.  I felt bad keeping her inside, but even worse taking her outside in the heat, strapping her into a carseat and then rushing her into an over-air-conditioned store (I kept thinking I’d be arrested for taking her outside – it felt illegal).  

In late August, it dawned on me that both Rose and I needed outside stimulation; she was ready to start making friends her own age (ha!) and I was ready to go back to work.  Of course, this was hard for me to accept: in a 7th grade paper for Bernie Berube at Bedford Junior High I wrote emphatically “I love kids! I will have a hundred kids!”.  

Three months in, I was shocked to find that I wasn’t ok with sitting in a small apartment all day watching my beautiful, sweet infant sleep. I thought it would be a dream come true, but, in fact, it was hard; I was disappointed and embarrassed when I realized I was restless and cranky.

With Peter’s help and support, I made the previously-detestable decision to go back to work and prayed that my kid would be better off when I did. Fortunately, there was no family drama: our families fully supported the idea and thought it was the healthiest decision for us, both financially and emotionally.

So, off we went, job & daycare hunting! The first daycare we learned about was from our friends Mindy Eichner (Malinda Johnson to you) and Jennifer Utz Worsfold; they’d sent their kids to the amazing Lucille Saponare. Lucille’s daycare had a spotless reputation, so, of course, it was full. 

Then our friends Melissa & Adam (who were living in Fairfield at the time), introduced us to Jen, who was taking care of their daughter Maya.  Jen had room for us and we were thrilled.  All went well, until the day Jen abruptly announced that she was closing her daycare and we had a week to find a new one.  Somehow, the daycare gods shone their light upon us and Lucille had an opening (insert a million heart emojis here). 

Lucille’s home and the daycare space were clean, friendly and adorable, but I was a wee bit nervous about sending Rose to spend the day in a basement with only high casement windows. My mom set me straight: “You are lucky that she has an opening! The kids are so happy and Lucille is so nice; Rose is going to thrive and you need to send her here immediately.”  She was right, of course.  I still can’t see Lucille at Stop & Shop without tearing up with gratitude.  Mom and Lucille: THANK YOU!

As far as work went, my friend, roommate and bridesmaid, Amy, and I wrote an outline for a business plan for a marketing company (we even had a logo designed for “Broad Street Marketing”, named after a street at Colgate), but then she got pregnant with her 3rd child and our idea fizzled out. 

Then I found a scrap of old newspaper in my wallet.  A few years earlier, Mindy had found a classified ad clipping for a Music Job from the Westport News that she carried in her wallet, planning to share it with me the next time she saw me. I then carried the ad around for a few more years so, by 1995, the faded, crumpled piece of paper was about five years old.  I thought: well, shucks, it couldn’t hurt to call the company, could it?  

No, it couldn’t; as it turned out, The Mark Spector Company, whatever that was, was hiring!

When I interviewed for the job (office assistant, receptionist, tour marketing), I learned that Mark was Joan Baez, .38 Special and James McMurtry’s manager and his office was in downtown Westport in a house near the intersection of the Post Road just west of Wright Street. 

It felt like a sign. I wasn’t a huge fan, but I loved dancing to “Hold On Loosely” and respected the heck out of Joan Baez (and always thought that my guitar teacher, Joan Slosberg, and she were somehow the same person, since they had the same first name and sort of looked alike) plus Joan’s Diamonds & Rust album was one of my first records. 

I loved the title song “Diamonds & Rust” and “Hello, In There” by John Prine, who became another favorite of mine when my parents gave me his Diamonds In The Rough album in 1972 (I sang the song “Clocks & Spoons”). (Later, one of my guitar teachers taught me John Prine’s “That’s The Way That The World Goes Round” – click “CC” for the lyrics – which is a somewhat inappropriate song for a kid to sing, but it was a crowd favorite. When I heard Bonnie Raitt sing “Angel From Montgomery”, my passion for John Prine was sealed. Later, Peter and I both fell in love with his In Spite Of Ourselves album and his performances at the Newport Folk Festival.)

But, back to Joan Baez: I loved working with Mark and Rose seemed super happy at her daycare (plus Mark had been very generous and allowed me to come in late on Wednesday mornings so I could take Rose to the YMCA for a “mommy & me” gymnastics class, where we made a super new friend, Jen Kanter and her adorable son Will).  I had a chance to talk to Joan and see her at concerts and she was always gracious and friendly; my job required me to help with Tour Marketing, so I spent a lot of time speaking to venue managers and radio stations in an effort to come up with ways to boost ticket sales.

Where does Dar Williams and today’s SOTD fit into all of this?  Well, during Joan’s 1996 tour, Dar Williams was her opening act.  I was (I know I say this a lot) completely smitten by her voice, lyrics and harmonies.  She was super sweet to work with and even sent Peter and I a baby gift when, in 1997, we gave birth to the adorable Bennett Elihu Propp (see T-26 tomorrow for more on that!). 

Dar’s songs are incredible; if you haven’t heard them, go straight to your favorite music streaming service and listen to “Iowa” (SOTD #1571 from 4/20/22), “When I Was A Boy” (SOTD #1935 from 4/19/23), “The Christians and The Pagans” (SOTD #1090 from 12/25/20) and “You’re Aging Well” (SOTD #385 from 1/20/19). Then go back and listen to each of her albums all the way through.  It will be a day well-spent.

P.S. RE: babysitters.  I remember that Rose never liked having a babysitter and would put herself to bed minutes after we left for the night.  Her babysitters were sweet and kind and couldn’t understand what they’d done wrong, but we told them it was just an early example of her independence and ability to take care of herself and her needs.  It cracked us up.

P.P.S. Caroline, Alex, Russell and I had many, many babysitters, including Mrs. Watson, an older woman who presented my parents with smiley-face (or frowny face, if we were naughty)-filled report cards when they got home, Ellen O’Connor (about whom I’m sure Dar Williams wrote “The Babysitter’s Here” and whose laugh I sometimes hear coming out of my own mouth), Donna Stephens (who impressed me to no end by bringing textbooks to study with after we went to bed; she couldn’t believe the junky snacks my mom left for us), and several teachers and teacher’s kids: Tyra & Greg Fullam, Liza & Lenny Paglialunga and Linda Uddyback.  I’m so glad my parents got out of the house occasionally; we were a handful, for sure.

July 6, 2023 (Song #2014): “The Chain” by Ingrid Michaelson.  LYRICS & CHORDS APPLE MUSIC SPOTIFY T-28* brings me to 1995, one of the best years of my life.  In the summer of 1994, Peter and I went with our family and friends Jay & Emily Schmalholz to the second “Woodstock”; it was pouring rain and our feet were filthy and 30 of us slept in one hotel room, but it was fun.  Shortly thereafter, Peter and I found out we were pregnant.  In May of 1995, Rose was born and our lives were forever changed.  She was the most beautiful being on the planet and brought even more love and harmony into our lives than we could have imagined.  I used to love to cuddle and play and sing with Rose; I could look at her forever.  When she was a little older, I made her this “Harmony” playlist so we could sing harmony together (I could have used almost any song in this playlist:) https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2nK1GDUDUXwqCTfow0L6Zh?si=ba3b322731de4843

P.S. We do a mean “Ho Hey” a la Lennon & Maisy

P.P.S. Rose: I was going to feature “2-Dollar Shoes” by Rosie Thomas, but I wasn’t sure you’d remember loving it as much as I did.