To herald the upcoming Alliance Conference at Rudolf Steiner College next weekend, Syrendell is re-posting favorite RSC-inspired blog posts from The Waldorf Way. This one was from August 1, 2010. Melody finds the deepest places within our bodies and pulls us to float on each note. Harmony weaves the threads that wrap us in color, warmth, and love. Lyrics resound like a warrior god or whisper like a dreamy lover.
But a choir of voices, oh how truly the song of many hearts enraptures the soul! Morning singing with Eva Cranstoun, enhanced by the acoustics of Stegmann Hall, begins a wondrous, romantic day at Rudolf Steiner College. We enter the room with hardwood floors and plastered walls, and find chairs neatly positioned in a gentle arch with a piano and Eva at the center. Quiet good mornings and hellos and how are yous are exchanged, and with a faint yet purposeful chord from the piano, Eva captures our attention. She smiles, and before even a sound is uttered from her lips, she already appears to be singing. I believe her angels just hover around her, and they are most likely humming perpetually. A room full of striving individuals, Waldorf teachers, with varying levels of singing experience, most with a mild dose of singing confidence. Eva is smiling because she senses, she knows, that each of us are carrying an instrument that can produce sound, beautiful, rich sound. Like all fine instruments, it needs to be prepared and developed. And the musician, with his or her own vocal instrument, must understand the rudimentary skills to use it well. Posture is a key element to prepare us for singing. Eva directs us to slouch with half-present eyes, then to shift to an upright sitting position with alertness in our eyes and a smile. It is an effective technique, for the difference in mood and feeling of readiness is apparent – with the proper posture and mindset, we look ready, we feel ready. We do not sit with stiffness in our bones, or tenseness in our shoulders. We move with gentle rolling motions; we loosen our necks. When we are to sing, we must be aware of the muscles in our bodies and remain supple, yet firm. We must be aware of our breathing, and the muscle of singing, the diaphragm. Air can then travel with ease in and out of our airways to feed the vocal cords. Eva looks at us and when she sees that we are ready to practice our instruments, she gives brief instructions. She demonstrates how we are to hold our lips, our tongues, cheeks, jaws, and teeth to form the sounds. She sings a few notes. With just warm up scales, she sounds absolutely divine! Where is that voice coming from, penetrating through us, vibrating in our bones and our minds? It comes from Eva’s instrument, no doubt cared for and practiced with reverence. She models how we are to treat our instruments. We sing, and outwardly, it does not sound bad at all. Inwardly, confidence is building. She gives us a few sheets of music. Shalom Aleichem is one of the songs and clearly, Eva has the confidence that we are capable of singing in three part harmony. She sings each part, she plays each part. We imitate and sing. First, get the melody, she says. In Hebrew, the words are meaningless to us (unless you can read Hebrew), but no matter, it makes us focus on the melody, on the quality of the sound. Now, get the words. Listen to each other; always listen for each other’s voices. With our vocal development flowing nicely in a week’s worth of Eva’s insights and modeling, we sing a new song, Where is the Moon. Eva mentions that it is a wonderful song to sing for the sixth graders. As a teacher for the sixth grade next year, I am lucky to have a few songs that we practiced for that grade level. I pose a question to her: If I cannot reach the high notes of that song, how am I to teach it to the sixth graders? Eva addresses my concern. I can certainly play the piano to teach the children the melody and the right pitches. However, as is the way of Waldorf, we teach how to be striving, living, loving individuals. You must sing, Eva says with conviction. And I agree with her, I must show courage in the act of singing, this is key to my vocal development. My class must see that I am not afraid, that I am willing to try, for that is the golden lesson after all. And what better way to learn a lesson than through song. Eva teaches the class about vocal development, but I am a romantic, so I believe she is really teaching us about love. Our development as a whole human being depends on embracing each aspect of our bodies and abilities. The vocal cords as our instruments deserve to be cultivated. In their cultivation can we share the love in our hearts. Then, as Mozart joyfully sings out, we can live a truly long life with romance and song! Click here for the original post. Being one with the universe sounds very esoteric - almost fictional where only Jedi Masters and Sith Lords possess the power! For most of us, the concept of oneness with the universe is regarded as supernatural, steeped in mysticism, relegated to only those who are practitioners of meditation and the martial arts, and bestowed only upon spiritual initiates. While we strive for enlightenment, or at least, wellness in daily living, we further dismiss oneness with the cosmos as impractical and without any real world application. It's time to shift our mindset of this concept. Being one with the universe is neither esoteric nor useless, rather, it is physiologic and practical. This blog post won't teach you to use the Force, but it may have you rethink your own ability to achieve personal well-being brought through the simple truth of you and the universe being in dynamic equilibrium. Let's look at the physiology of the human cell. The most updated count by scientists of the number of cells in an average adult is 37.2 trillion. Your hair, skin, bones, blood, and organs are all made up of cells. In general, each cell of the human body is a functional and anatomic entity that serves the overall health of the human organism. Cells have specialized tasks that contribute to the collaborative efforts of the entire body. The cells are in constant communication with every material and element within the body. Nutrients and oxygen, genetic material and chemical compounds all move about and around through the cells in a perfectly orchestrated symphony. Maintaining balance through all the systems of the body is a key driver of physiological health. This balance - the optimization of functions - in the body is called homeostasis. We often refer to it as a sense of well-being. Now let's look at the physiology of the human body. There are currently about 7 billion humans around the world. Our bodies are not closed systems. The skin cells serve us not so much as a barrier, but actually more of an interface with the world and with each other. We are walking sense organs. We respond to external stimuli. We respond to intake of external elements. We function optimally when our responses to the external world are in sync with the internal world of our own bodies. In essence, each of us are like human cells. By analogy, each human being is part of the larger organism of earth. And expanding the view further out, each planet in the solar system is part of the larger galaxy, which is part of the larger universe, and so on to a vastness that seems so infinite. As earth rotates and revolves, as we celebrate the seasons and birthdays, our humanness - the physiology, anatomy, and sociology of us - responds to time, to the changes in weather and climate, to availability of resources, to our own inventions. An important feature of homeostasis is that life changes over time, it evolves, it moves as the world moves. We live by the rhythms of something larger than the confines of our own bodies. This is the essence of dynamic equilibrium. Oneness with the universe does not seem so far-fetched. A single human cell is connected to the farthest reaches of space! You don't need supernatural meditative power. By virtue of being human, you were born with the inherent gift of oneness. Acknowledging that each of us is part of a living, breathing, giant super-organism in dynamic equilibrium, we can recalibrate our thinking processes about personal and interpersonal wellness. Here are some examples of situations NOT in dynamic equilibrium, and you can discover for yourself how poor health, illness, and dysfunction can arise from it. In the winter season, when the days are short and the sun sets early and it's cold and damp, we are busy driving about, shopping frantically for the holidays, attending big events and eating too richly. In the work week, when there are insurmountable demands from a job that usurp our time and energy, we carry over that level of pressure on ourselves into the home life and into our interactions with our family. In the setting of businesses and organizations, when developing missions, goals, and objectives, we can regard ourselves as closed systems, operating without the pulse of cultural and contemporary communities. And in our own creative pursuits, when we endeavor to stretch our talents and imaginations, we instead tune in to voices of naysayers and give in to negative opinion. So you can see the unwellness that can come from these situations. Vulnerable immune systems and illness. Feelings of being overwhelmed, irritable, and inadequate. Unclear identity, staleness, and disconnectedness with the larger community. A halt in imagination and inspiration. This negativity comes from not being attuned to the universe. Dynamic equilibrium is maintaining balance and harmony in an ever-changing world. It requires being in sync with the rhythms of the day and the seasons. It requires empathy and compassion. We need to use our intuition. We need to be proactive. We need to listen carefully to the whispering of our own bodies and the world around us. In the winter season, slow down and rest. Be at peace. In the busy work week, lean on your family for support. Their love rejuvenates. Be nurtured. In the setting of business and organizations, open the dialog with the larger community and the impulses of the current time. Be innovative. In your pursuit of creativity, dismiss judgmental opinion and make a leap of faith. Be courageous. Like the human cell among tens of trillions of cells in perfect homeostasis, each of us can be in harmonious balance with the seven billion people on earth and with the infinite stars of the heavens. Dynamic equilibrium is not difficult to apply in practice; it is really less of a tool or skill, and more of an automatic mechanism on which our well-being depends. We become part of the natural ebb and flow of life. A giving and receiving happens, nourishing and nurturing all living things. There is no need for supernatural powers, mystic intervention, or Jedi training. It simply is being awake to our oneness with the universe. At the end of another year and at the zenith of the Winter Solstice, we reflect on how we had spent our days. We take inventory of our personal well-being, the value of our work, and the quality of our relationships. We assess how much time we were able to spend with our families. This past year, in running a home business and in home schooling, I am grateful to have reclaimed precious family time. In the pre-Industrial Age of the New World, families worked and schooled together. It wasn't an easy life. They most certainly struggled through hardships we can't even begin to imagine in our modern culture. Frontier homes dotted the harsh landscape, and each member of the household tended to a crucial piece of survival. Whether it was growing crops, raising livestock, baking bread, spinning, carding, and weaving wool for clothing, educating the youngsters, and developing skills for barter and trade, it all centered in the home. Despite the hardship, what they had (without really knowing how precious it was then) was time together. Then the hammer and steel of the Industrial Revolution forged a world economy, and the family dynamic began to shift. Cottage industries were born, families worked for textile distributors and family members worked outside the home. The kids had to be schooled elsewhere. People - parents - were pulled away from a family-centered life to a work-centered life. Globally, the industrialized nations mobilized a work force that was determined to race against each other. To make a living. To make ends meet. Commerce created job opportunities, new technologies, and amazing advancements in all fields. Economies grew and flourished but it was family time that shrunk and dwindled. It is now a scarce commodity. What we don't have (knowing how precious it is now) is time together. Lack of time is distressing. We often express the common sentiment, "There aren't enough hours in the day!" Because our time is parceled out to all the important stuff of our lives, it feels like we are running from one thing to the next, feeling guilty when we are engaged in work, feeling rushed when at play, feeling pressed when making dinner. A fraction of our time here, a fraction there. It takes a lot of effort to be fully present for self, for work, for the kids. This year was a time of new beginnings for our family. This year, our part-time businesses became full-time. Combined with home schooling, the rhythm of daily living changed. We experienced a paradigm shift. It feels like something of the frontier families of yore, minus the livestock. In taking inventory of how we spent our days, it seems that we have reclaimed more family time. My wife and I had previously been employed by school districts and other companies in various capacities. Not being major risk-takers (we are both first-born - you know, conservative, responsible), we preferred the security and stability of traditional jobs. It was what our parents modeled for us, it was how providing for family was done. Yet, we have always had some pull towards entrepreneurship, to do something on our own, in our own way. Our love of arts and crafts, design, and teaching, and sharing our passion for these things with others was motivation to delve into home-based business. This is how Syrendell grew. And if one home-based business was not enough, we also started Reverend Tan - our wedding business. This stemmed from the joy of our own wedding 21 years ago with a gracious officiant who helped us customize the wedding words that reflected us as a couple. Our approach with our clients is to provide that level of personal touch to accommodate mixed faiths, cultures, and partnerships. Reverend Tan has also grown. With both businesses going full-time, we are thankful and elated. The adventure of home schooling has always been exciting for us. Our children have been in public and private schools, which contributed to the overall educational experience our children received. But it is the pure happiness of home schooling, of learning and experiencing the world together, that we cherish. Perhaps the drive of doing something on our own, in our own way, just as it was for starting a home business, is the same impetus for choosing to school at home. More parallels exist: home school and home business both allow for unbounded creativity, flexibility and spontaneity; both foster imagination, inspiration, and innovation; both are responsive to the currents of a dynamic culture; both, in Waldorf-speak, stretch our thinking, feeling, and willing. Ultimately, our combined adventure into home school and home business has allowed us to reclaim more family time. Under the same roof, we are accomplishing curriculum as well as commerce. We are designing main lesson pages as well as website pages. We are, in the same room, checking math and checking emails. We are playing harp for seasonal songs for our children and playing harp for processional songs for our couples. We go on a nature walk and gather pine cones to appreciate their beauty, which later become table decor at a wedding reception. Or vice versa, flowers from a wedding come home to become subject matter for scientific illustration. Certainly, it's not all glorious and seamless. There are challenges, there is a lot at stake, there are risks - but this is part of small business, and home schooling. Channeling the inner frontier family, we could only hope to have as much courage, determination, and perseverance. In taking on home school and home business, Jennifer and I are finding fulfillment, reclaiming precious time with our family, and nourishing our creative spirits. A family-centered life can only make us better people - for ourselves, our children, and one another. To all of you who lead a family-centered life in your own way, blessings and best wishes. Happiest Holidays and an Enchanting New Year! Rudolf Steiner College hosts programs that offer individuals young and old the Waldorf experience of thinking, feeling, and doing. The Craft Corner for children delivered just that! Organized by Rudolf Steiner College and Waldorfish co-founder Robyn Wolfe, the event gathered instructors for a day of holiday crafting fun. Syrendell's Rick and Jennifer Tan were happy to offer watercolor card making, needle-felting ornaments, and making custom-blended bath salts and herbal teas. Other instructors offered wood-working, wet-felting, and baking to make it a memorable treat for the youngsters.
At the end of the classes, the students gathered at the beautiful Stegmann Hall on campus and they gift-wrapped many of their creations to give as gifts for friends and family. It was truly a special day for them and for us! We would like to extend a special THANKS to our friend Judy Forster of Pine Lake, Georgia, for donating gorgeous, luminous hand-dyed wool for our needle-felting project! Check out her Etsy Shop. The eighth grade teacher of East Bay Waldorf in El Sobrante, CA, was in the classroom preparing for his new block on the Industrial Revolution. I came in to say hello, excited and nervous about starting my first day at a Waldorf campus as the specialty math and science teacher. Mr. Loubet turned away from the blackboard with a smile and piece of colored chalk in hand. He had kind eyes and a welcoming smile, and when he returned to his work, my attention went to the blackboard. It took me a moment or two to realize what I was looking at: an Impressionist-style scene of a European city, 4 feet tall by 5 feet wide, rendered in chalk. Blackboard chalk! It was remarkably beautiful and colorful and alive. (It was worlds away from the white chalk my teachers used to make me learn spelling words on the board!) Mr. Loubet's chalk drawing radiated with warm, loving light. It was more than art, it was a beacon of creativity, human striving, and Waldorf wonder. That morning, Mr. Loubet inspired me to regard blackboard chalk drawing as a blessing and meditation, as well as an art form to engage us in the appreciation of learning. So in the years that followed as a Waldorf teacher, I approached every chalk drawing as an opportunity to connect to the curriculum and the children. Every drawing was mindfully chosen and meticulously executed. Every drawing told a story and taught a concept. Every drawing was a labor of love, nearly three hours of my weekend spent in the classroom to be ready to signal a new block. I would return home covered in chalk dust. And when the end of the block came, usually 4-5 weeks later, I would then erase the drawing, and get the board prepped for a new one. Three hours to draw, three minutes to erase! It is the way of Waldorf Chalk Art. It was meant to be transient. Like Tibetan sand mandalas. Like life itself: it is born, it is precious, it returns to the earth, like (chalk) dust in the wind. One chalk drawing was difficult to part with. It was my rendition of Leonardo da Vinci's The Last Supper. It took me not three hours to draw, but instead twelve hours - half of my Sunday on a weekend before the
I hope that, in the classrooms I was grateful to be in and for the students I was happy to teach, the transient nature of my chalk drawings had made some kind of impact, in just the same way that Mr. Loubet's kindness and artistry had made a mark on me. Wilson was super proud of his pencil drawing. Working with black and white pencils on toned gray paper, he created this really cool illustration reminiscent of Renaissance-era sketches and drawings. This style of drawing is an exercise in light and shadow, which is perfect for middle school-aged students in Waldorf as it aligns with the curriculum, and equally perfect for any student working on shading and realism. Unlike drawing with black pencil on white paper, using toned gray paper allows the artist to modulate light and shadow with both black and white colors, giving depth and glow to the work. It takes sensitivity to tonal values to transition from black to white and vice versa. The subtle technique of shading takes practice. When you further add contrast to the work by putting dark and light side by side, the piece really pops!
In the spirit of what Syrendell is all about - sharing the joys of the arts and music and connections - here is a video produced by daughter Joey Tan with her friend Katie Krasnansky. They spent an afternoon at home arranging, editing, performing, and recording Lana Del Rey's Summertime Sadness as a cover song. Joey is with the Davis Senior High School's Jazz Choir under the direction of Mr. Bill Zinn, and Katie was also with the Choir and graduated from high school this year. Mr. Zinn is a brilliant teacher guiding his students to find their own brilliance. The opportunities that Joey has had to choose music, arrange, create ensembles, and perform on stage have given Joey (and her classmates) the self-esteem and self-confidence to share their beautiful voices with us. Please enjoy this piece - a collaboration of brilliance and friendship. Have a joyful day! Be thankful for the blessings and moments. Appreciate the big and small things. Find the art and beauty that surrounds you. Honor the past by living joyfully in the present. Honor the future by living mindfully in the present. Love deeply and give of yourself with compassion. Trust your intuition, even if it means reaching for a second piece of pumpkin pie! Happy Thanksgiving! -- from the Tan Family We are happy to introduce the new logo and new website! Syrendell is a living and breathing entity for the Tan family and it grows just like we grow. It evolves as we evolve. We wanted a clear, modern look to represent our web and marketing presence. We've moved into the 21st century and technology has allowed all of us to connect with each other through social media and other digital platforms. And yet, as you travel through our website, you will discover that the core of our work is connecting with each other face to face, hand in hand, shoulder to shoulder.
While the website may reach around the world, it is the people around us, our families and community, who we spend the most time with. Children who we guide in handwork and woodwork. Grownups who we teach wet on wet painting and Tunisian crochet. Families who consult with us for guidance into their homeschool adventures. And being parents ourselves, we value the closeness and nearness that is afforded by a family-owned business, and for this we are further feeling blessed by the energy of Syrendell. We thank our supporters and friends who have stayed with us over the years, who have ordered our wooden snails and sprites, and ebooks on crochet patterns. They continue to honor us as their children play with our streamer wands and fairy houses, and as their children grow through homeschool experiences. Teachers, administrators, and other business owners who advocate for education rich in creativity, imagination, authenticity, responsibility, and adaptability, thank you for your global charge of giving the children the love and support they need to live and lead the world they are making. Syrendell is grateful to make a difference, no matter how great or small. |
Archives
June 2023
|