"Actually, there was nothing feminine about Miss Bacewicz's piece. It was vigorous, even virile, with (…) a pulsing, throbbing rhythm and bold thematic material…" an American critic, Milton Berliner, wrote in 1952 in the Washington Daily News review of a Concerto for String Orchestra (1948) performance by the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington D.C.

In a book published in 1965 by her long-life friend, an influential Polish journalist and a fellow composer, Stefan Kisielewski wrote: “I couldn’t become convinced of the authenticity of Grażyna’s creative output. I couldn’t believe, and I was not the only one, that a woman can be a real composer.”

These gendered reviews are not outside of the norm for the times they were written in. They are also the perfect examples of the many reasons why it is important we celebrate Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day.

Grażyna Bacewicz (1909-1969) was a Polish composer, violinist, pianist, and a professor at my alma mater in Łódź, Poland. Life was not easy for Bacewicz. She survived two world wars, separation of her family, hunger, fatal living conditions, persecution, a prison camp, and a serious car accident. And then also an environment in which composers who happened to be female and mothers were not treated the same way as their male counterparts. Despite the world she was born into, she did her best to achieve her life and career goals. She composed over 200 works throughout her life. How did this happen? 

If we sum up her career and life (which you can read more about here or here) and try to figure out why she became one of the most accomplished and recognizable Polish female composers of her time, a few distinct features come to the surface:

• deep commitment to her art

• mental and physical capability to overcome obstacles; integrity and perseverance

• ever-lasting internal drive (in her own book she joked that she can do in ten minutes what others do in an hour)

She also made well-informed and thought-through career choices like: 

• studying locally and internationally with respected musicians (like Nadia Boulanger in Paris) 

• performing locally and internationally

• making professional connections and networking

• performing her own works and striving to have her works performed

• continuous work on improving her skills as a performer and composer (life-long learner)

• working as an educator and art and music administrator

These are clearly qualities of highly successful people, and Grażyna Bacewicz was one of them. Her perseverance and skill in navigating the complex world she lived in are impressive and worthy of our admiration. It is important to note that, while successfully navigating many life and career adversities, she was in a better position socially and legally as a woman in the mid 20th century than if she was born even just half a century earlier. 

I personally find a huge inspiration in learning about the lives of successful professional female musicians of the past. I never take for granted what I am able to accomplish as a female in the 21st century thanks to many women who paved the road before me. I also see a need for more cultural and legal changes for women in order to have their voices heard, and in order to be respected in their professions without implicit biases which are still prevalent and palpable. 

It is my hope that the story of Bacewicz’s life can allow all of us to take a moment and reflect on our lives, careers, where women were and are now, and the state of the world around us.

CNN, NBC, the Wall Street Journal, and the New York Times have all covered this significant topic in their reporting - the fast food restaurant Subway is making changes. You may remember last year Subway initiated a competition where if folks changed their name to “Subway” they would get free sandwiches “for life”. Nearly 10,000 people entered this competition. And if you have been in a Subway lately you've probably noticed some big menu changes. 

Ok…where is this going…

High school students were a big deal to a young middle school Brandon. They seemed so much older than me. They had their driver's licenses and some even had jobs (dang!). In youth group, our middle and high school students would sometimes join together for a special activity or lesson. One of the high school students, Patrick, worked at Subway. Patrick shared something about his job that I have not forgotten. He said he would get to the restaurant a couple of hours before it opened to prep the line with all the meats and toppings for the day. He spent much time in the back of the restaurant chopping vegetables. Patrick used that time in the back of the restaurant to talk to God. He would bring up random topics but always trusted that God was listening. Like most high schoolers, Patrick was a busy guy. Chopping vegetables and talking with God was a Sabbath moment for him. 

In the midst of busy schedules, what does the Sabbath look like in your life today? A Sabbath can happen at any time in big ways and small. My Sabbath at this moment may look like going to Subway and ordering an Italian BMT, toasted of course. 

This past weekend, a great group of women gathered at Boyce Thompson Arboretum, the oldest and largest botanical garden in Arizona. The theme of our day was Created in the Image of The Creator. Together, we agreed to put on a child-like mindset and to release ourselves from the expectations of perfection in order to have fun with our creative side. Why? Because, we all have a creative bone whether or not we are aware of it. 

In Genesis 1, we read about God creating the world. Chaos from disorder. Light and darkness. Water above and water below. Sea creatures and land creatures. Seed and fruit bearing plants. And God calls it all good. Then we read God creates humankind (and calls it very good). And here is where we hone in on an important verse: “So God created humans in his image, in the image of God he created them” (Genesis 1:27). 

Follow along...If we are created by God and in God’s image. And God is a Creator. Then we too are creators. When we begin life we know this inherently! We take blocks and create buildings. We use refrigerator boxes to build rockets. Wagons become airplanes and a tree is our castle. We experiment with playdough and sand, paint and crayons. As we grow older, the mediums change but something else does too. For many of us, somewhere along the line, we adopt a mentality that unless we are fine artists, master lyricists, or talented musicians, we don’t have a ‘creative bone in our bodies.’ Maybe it’s because eventually our art begins to get graded by whether or not we can color in the lines or make a painting look realistic. So we just stop exploring that creative side. When we give up creating, a part of our spirit that’s connected to our Creator God, becomes a bit malnourished. 

Whether it be in the kitchen or on canvas. Recycling resources or recording records. Journaling your devotional time, turning Scripture into poetry or allowing God’s creation to inspire you in the garden. There are a multitude of ways we can be creative. I encourage you to explore where your spirit is fed through creativity. Have fun. Experiment. Lose the expectation for perfection. You might discover a new hobby and something more about who God created you to be!

We are committed to the development of the whole child. Conscious Discipline is a framework for Emotional Intelligence and is the social-emotional curriculum utilized in the classrooms of our preschool. Conscious Discipline is a shift from traditional forms of discipline through its emphasis on self-control, creating a compassionate culture and school family, and focus on internal motivation. Children are empowered by clear expectations, routines, and structures to develop interdependency and helpfulness. Grounded in brain-based research, Conscious Discipline allows children to strengthen the executive functions in their frontal lobe through developing self-regulation.

An Overview of Conscious Discipline:

• Conscious Discipline helps children learn how to regulate their behavior, rather than having behavior regulated by an adult. Its effects, therefore, are powerful and life-long.

• Conscious Discipline’s success is based upon working with the children to create a safe community, teaching them to identify their own emotions, and finally teaching them how to regulate these emotions.

• Conscious Discipline is effective at school AND at home.

• Conscious discipline is a brain-based approach. When you understand what a child is capable of based on his or her stage of brain development, you better empathize with and react to this child’s behavior.

• The Conscious Discipline model was created by Dr. Becky Bailey, PhD, a former educator.

The most important part of Conscious Discipline, however, cannot be seen. It is the empathy and understanding communicated by teachers, parents, caregivers, and children. There are several concepts and phrases that we find powerful here at PPP. As caregivers, our most important job is regulating our own emotions and behaviors. Not only does this act as a model for the children, but it allows us to be neutral and do what Becky Bailey calls “downloading calm” to any situation. 

The preschool is offering an informative parent workshop on Conscious Discipline taught by Diana Brown, M. Ed. focused on 10 Principles of Positive Discipline. This three-week workshop will be held on February 21, 28, and March 6 from 6:30-8:30 PM in the preschool Atelier. Cost is only $25 per person. To RSVP, please email denglund@pinnaclepres.org. For more information on Conscious Discipline, you can also visit their website: consciousdiscipline.com/methodology/brain-state-model/

On Thursday February 8, 2024 Jacob Adler gave a lecture entitled The Metaphysics of Sound for the Fran Park Center series “Faith & Science”. Jacob delved into the fascinating realm of mystical experiences, exploring their diverse forms, triggers, and potential scientific explanations. Mystical experiences were described as profound altered states of consciousness that could lead to insights into absolute truth, unity with the cosmos, and detachment from the self. These experiences were said to occur unexpectedly or be intentionally induced through practices like meditation, prayer, or psychedelic drugs.

Historical and contemporary examples of mystical experiences were shared, ranging from the migraine visions of Hildegard of Bingen to Dostoevsky's ecstatic seizures and near-death experiences recounted by Juliana of Norwich. The role of psychoactive substances in inducing transcendental states was also touched upon, with anecdotes illustrating profound spiritual revelations. 

The scientific exploration of mystical experiences was examined, focusing on neurological studies. Research indicating the involvement of specific brain regions in facilitating these experiences, such as the temporal lobe and temporoparietal cortex, was highlighted. However, the lecture also acknowledged the limitations of purely neurological explanations for the profound meaning and significance attributed to mystical encounters.

The use of music as a tool for inducing mystical experiences was discussed, citing examples of compositions and musical styles designed to evoke meditative trance states. Personal experiences organizing music events aimed at fostering spiritual and emotional journeys within a community setting were shared.

In the second half of the lecture, the mathematical underpinnings of harmony in music was explored, particularly the harmonic series and just intonation tuning systems. It was suggested that understanding these mathematical relationships could deepen appreciation of the inherent beauty and complexity of music and potentially enhance the ability to induce transformative experiences through sound.

Jacob performed an excerpt of Charlemagne Palestine's piano work Strumming Music to demonstrate trance-inducing repetition, the harmonic resonance of piano strings, and psychoacoustic effects. This performance was followed by a stimulating Q & A session with the audience. 

If you’d like to rewatch the lecture it can be accessed here.