Antonio Pappano

Antonio Pappano, Music Director of the Royal Opera House in London, talks about his life and passion for music with Charlie Rose.

Two of the themes that stood out for me were: 'how one learns' and 'teaching.'



The first theme of 'how one learns' made me think of how when I first started to learn, one had to write things down. There was no Internet or photocopiers (or ones readily available).

By listening, seeing, writing and then reviewing (or doing), the material became yours. The concept of read it, write it, see it and doing methodology drilled in the details. Now days the Internet and copying material makes the process faster, but without the critical dissection, does one trying learn?

…one has to learn how to learn.

How to absorb the material.

How to look at a piece of music and see what is really there, what is the potential

How do you bring it to life?

There are different things that you take into consideration when you look at a piece of music.

The melody line is supported by so many other things.

The movement of the harmony which actually guides the way a piece of music goes.

It is guided by the harmonic structure and rhythm.

The three in tandem are Harmony, rhythm and melody.

It is so easy to look at a piece of music and see all the details, but not see the ABC’s of music which are harmony, rhythm and melody.

What is essential?

The second theme of 'teaching' really draws on the first. Without truly knowing the material or being able to review it again and again with a critical eye, does one ever go deeper in their understanding?

Having the open mind to revisit things you thought you knew and being able to question what you thought, does not provide a method to share or impart your knowledge with others as you only bring your perspective.

By challenging oneself, I believe the greater your understanding becomes and the fun and reward of seeing someone else gain their own frame of reference on the material and knowing that this has the opportunity to be passed onto another generation.

…you try to teach with Enthusiasm, Love, Skill, and Knowledge try to impart something that can really make the experience of listening and watching so much easier and so much more enjoyable.

Aikido and the First Lady: Michelle Obama

I recently came across this speech by Michelle Obama, First Lady of the United States: remarks by the First Lady of the United States at The Cooper Hewitt National Design Awards.

A couple of highlights that caught my attention were the 'art and science' references and made me think of their inter-play in our study of Aikido.

You are scientists and artists. Your work is both practical
and poetic, educational and inspirational. You represent
diverse fields of disciplines but you share the common thread
of superior design.

What I love about design is the artistic and scientific
complexity that also becomes useful: a laptop, a bridge, an
outfit -- (laughter) -- a garden, all drawn from a thousand wells
of inspiration and yet grounded in the basic principles of math
or science.

Peace Week

Peace Week Lesson Plan
Date: September 21, 2010
Instructor: Sharratt

1. International Peace Day
•The International Day of Peace ("Peace Day") provides an opportunity for individuals, organizations and nations to create practical acts of peace on a shared date. It was established by a United Nations resolution in 1981 to coincide with the opening of the General Assembly. The first Peace Day was celebrated in September 1982.
•In 2002 the General Assembly officially declared September 21 as the permanent date for the International Day of Peace.
•By creating the International Day of Peace, the UN devoted itself to worldwide peace and encouraged all of mankind to work in cooperation for this goal. During the discussion of the U.N. Resolution that established the International Day of Peace, it was suggested that:
•"Peace Day should be devoted to commemorating and strengthening the ideals of peace both within and among all nations and peoples…This day will serve as a reminder to all peoples that our organization, with all its limitations, is a living instrument in the service of peace and should serve all of us here within the organization as a constantly pealing bell reminding us that our permanent commitment, above all interests or differences of any kind, is to peace."
•Since its inception, Peace Day has marked our personal and planetary progress toward peace. It has grown to include millions of people in all parts of the world, and each year events are organized to commemorate and celebrate this day. Events range in scale from private gatherings to public concerts and forums where hundreds of thousands of people participate.

2. Music and Techniques
Where is the Love? by the Black Eyed Peas
•Technique: Review Conscious Embodiment by Wendy Palmer
oBoth Wrists Grasp by both Partners – pushing
oBoth Wrist Grasp All Direction Throw #2

Pray for me Brother by A.R. Rahman
•Technique: Both Elbow Grasp Breath Throw
A Sense of Wonder by Van Morrison
•Technique: Front Strike Front Step-in Throw #2
oImagine practicing this in a field in Japan, in a favela (slum area) outside São Paulo, Brazil, in a hot, smelly dojo in Detroit, a Southern California beach in January, or at the Shuharikan in St. Paul, what do they hold in common?
oWhat do you perceive these individuals think about when they are common to or leaving the dojo?
oUsing a definition of Aikido as "the Way of harmonious spirit," how do you integrate your study into your everyday life?

Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes by Jimmy Buffett
•Technique: One Wrist Grasp Side Step-in Throw #1
oWhenever I train and study this technique, I envision training with Alistair Thomson sensei in the early 1990’s. His technical explanation and performing of the technique was a wonderful experience, but more so the time spent with him and talking about the Shodan grading I was about to undertake with Gordie and his openness about the continuity of training and what one gains made a greater and deeper impression on me.
oWhat is a memory that you share about your training?
oDoes this affect or impact your life outside of Aikido? If so, in what ways?

Days like this by Van Morrison
“You won’t repay me directly, but you will do things for others, just as I have done for you.” With that statement she showed me a path that I have taken-a lifetime of mentoring and friendship with young people, many of whom were foreign students in America, as I had once been in Munich. (pg. 19) East toward Dawn: A Woman’s Solo Journey Around the World by Nan Watkins.
•How do you envision Aikido affecting your life in the future?
•How can it be a vehicle or mechanism for you to impact those in your life and those less fortunate that you?

East and West

I just picked up Somebody Else's Century: East and West in a Post-Western World by Patrick Smith based on a publisher's review.

The opening quote caught my attention:

History is marked by alternating movements cross an imaginary line that separates East from West...
-Herodotus, The Histories

Now if that isn't the perfect description of someone born and raised in Minnesota and studying Aikido at the Shuharikan in St. Paul, I don't what is!

I'll add more as I get through the book.

Dancing the Small Dance

The poem below resonated with me and brought to mind the book and wonderful photos in It's a Lot Like Dancing: An Aikido Journey by Terry Dobson, Riki Moss and Jan Watson.

Dancing the Small Dance
I want to dance,
On the edge between the new and unfamiliar,
And the old and familiar,
Reality.
Dancing, moving, feeling.

The music and the movements come from everywhere.
And a lovely way of knowing
Is to identify with
The dance,
Rather than identifying with
The dance critic's interpretation of
The dance.

It might be an awkward, poorly choreographed dance,
But it is MY dance nonetheless,
And dancing MY dance,
Gives me a deep sense of serenity, surrender, and grace.

I am not alone in this dance.
My movements are enfolded in the movements of all life,
All sadness,
All triumph,
All joy.

cb Hop, poet

The Age of the Unthinkable

I recently listened to the May 11, 2009 Charlie Rose interview with Joshua Cooper Ramo on his book The Age of the Unthinkable: Why the New World Disorder Constantly Surprises Us And What We Can Do About It.

His main themes were:
• We have to look at the world differently
• Focus on Resilience, instead of deterrence
• Not always be direct in our negotiations, look at indirect negotiations
• Learn to give away power




The book include a number of excellent thought provoking ideas that one can use in their personal life, at work, in our respective countries and larger world.

I grouped them as ideas for upcoming Aikido classes as:

What is it
"The main argument of the book is not particularly complicated: it is that in a revolutionary era of surprise and innovation, you need to learn to think and act like a revolutionary." (pg. 11)

"...we need policy makers and thinkers who have that intuitive revolutionary feel for the inescapable demands of innovation. We need early adopters, men and women who touch newness and change as an almost totemic reminder of what is possible in the human spirit and who are honest about the fights and struggles that lie ahead." (pg. 37)

Responsibility
[George Kennan] said "Today you cannot even do good unless you are prepared to exert your share of power, take your share of responsibility, make your share of mistakes, and assume your share of risks." (pg. 19)

"There was something profound and amazing in the dynamics of the piles (of sand), he thought: their ability not only to translate order into chaos, but also to translate chaos into order." (pg. 54)

Current state
"The main lesson is that just because something is too terrible to contemplate doesn't mean it's not going to happen." (pg. 56)

[Lawrence Summers], head of the National Economic Council said, "adopt a probabilistic view of the world and discard the black-and-white models that make for success in academia." (pg. 34)

Next steps
"It is senseless to aspire to periods of 'peace on earth' during the lifetime of anyone reading this book unless we begin to change how, where, and why we do fight. Threats to our physical security are complex, new, and growing. They demand nothing less than a complete reinvention of our ideas of security" (pg. 99)

[Aharon Farkash], former head of Israeli military intelligence said "look deep, focus on things that move and change, never ask the usual questions." (pg. 144)

“Deep security doesn’t answer all of our questions about the future. Indeed, it’s predicated on the idea that we don’t have all the answers and, in fact, can’t even anticipate many of the questions. What it is instead is a way of seeing, of thinking, and of acting that accepts growing complexity and ceaseless newness as givens–and, used properly, our best allies." (pg. 108)

“Perhaps the best way to think of deep security is as a kind of immune system, a reactive instinct for identifying dangers, adapting to deal with them, and then moving to control and contain the risk they present." (pg. 109)

“Learning to think in deep-security terms means largely abandoning our idea that we can deter the threats we face and, instead, pressing to make our societies more resilient so we can absorb whatever strikes us. Resilience will be the defining concept of twenty-first century security, as crucial for your fast-changing job as it is for the nation. We can think of resilience as a measure of how much disturbance a system can absorb before it breaks down so fundamentally that it can’t easily return to the way it once was." (pg. 172)

“Resilience allows us, even at our most extreme moments of terror (in fact, precisely because we are at such a moment), to keep learning, to change. It is a kind of battlefield courage, the ability to innovate under fire because we’ve prepared in the right way and because we’ve developed the strength to keep moving even when we’re slapped by the unexpected.” (pg. 178)

“Construction of a resilient society need not be complex. The aim is simple enough: to withstand the surprises that await us; to absorb the worst nightmares and walk away with the core attributes of our freedom intact.” (pg. 190)

“Resilience isn’t a just a passive virtue, it’s also something we have to be able to incorporate into the way we act in the world, whether it is regulating financial markets that change faster than we can think or, as we’ve often done in the Middle East, stepping into unstable landscapes of ethnic and religious fury.” (pg. 192)

“Among the elements common to successfully resilient systems was an ability to constantly reconceptualize problems, to generate a diversity of ideas, to communicate with everyone from fisherman to truckers, and to encourage novelty and even small-scale revolts or crises and recoveries instead of waiting for a big, unanticipated collapse.” (pg. 197)

Peace
“What Jean Monnet, one of the most masterful strategists of the last century, wrote in 1951 is true today: ‘World peace cannot be safeguarded without the making of efforts proportionate to the dangers which threaten it.’” (pg. 240)

“We owe everything to human creativity. Everything that lasts, that changes our lives, that emerges from what was once unimaginable has its roots in that initial spark of innovation.” (pg. 240)

“I want to propose [is] that we focus our attention also on the very smallest parts of the system, on people, and bet that the one thing we know for sure is that we can’t predict what they’ll do. In other words, the last step to deep security in a world of unthinkable granular surprise is to push-as hard as possible-for even more unthinkable granular surprise.” (pgs. 242-243)

“As Niels Bohr remarked in later life, ‘Every valuable human being must be a radical and a rebel, for what he must aim at is to make things better than they are.’ Conformity to old ideas is lethal; it is a rebellion that is going to change the planet.” (pg. 262)

Sacred Space

"Your sacred space is where you can find yourself again and again."
-Joseph Campbell

What a fabulous quote from The Guru - Joseph Campbell!

What or where is your sacred space?

If you are looking for a "sacred space" to train, come to visit the Shuharikan in St. Paul.