"Clubstitution"

by Phil Houseal as published in the Kerrville TX Community Journal Feb 4, 2009


Here's some good news - not everyone is participating in this economic downturn.

I heard a report on public radio that some businesses are actually enjoying increased revenues. The example they used came from a spa in Massachusetts. The owner reported a sales increase of 10%, and no one was more surprised than she.

It turns out that spa patrons were using a strategy called "substitution." As I understood the term, it means that no matter their economic situation, people will continue to pursue pleasure and self-fulfillment. The only difference is that instead of taking the cruise of a lifetime, they are substituting more affordable diversions closer to home. This woman, for example, was unable to climb Mount Kilimanjaro, but she could afford a weekend of pampering at a local spa.

In other words, they substituted a more affordable luxury. For some of us it may mean grabbing a candy bar instead of enjoying a four-course meal. For others, it means passing up that trip to Italy, and instead signing up for an Italian cooking class.

Club Ed - with hundreds of classes and workshops - can help in this phenomenon. I hereby coin a term : "Clubstitution."

If you find - for economic or other reasons - that you won't be trekking across Asia this summer, you can always sign up for the Club Ed backpacking course. You will hike the hill country, and it will cost less than a hundred bucks. That is "Clubstitution!"

I leafed through my catalog and came up with several more "Clubstitution" ideas for you:

- Instead of experiencing the wonders of Istanbul, "Clubstitute" Beginning Belly Dance. It's a 5000-year-old art form that will help you shed inches and attract attention.

- Lost your seat on the next space shuttle? "Clubstitute" Backyard Astronomy. You can travel the universe right outside your back door.

- About that trip to Italy. We offer a new Pizza and Pasta class - taught by Anthony Coden, a professional chef from France. If you can't go to Europe, we'll bring Europe to you!

- Considering calling in a landscaper? We have many options to "Clubstitute." Make your own Garden Pavers, build your own Raised Bed Gardens, learn to install a Rainwater Collection system.

- Yearning to whitewater raft down the Colorado River? "Clubstitute" River Kayaking, right here on the gurgling Guadalupe.

- Can't even manage that weekend spa trip? Don't need it - we have several Yoga and Massage classes. One is self-massage, so you don't even need a partner!

- Can't travel at all? "Clubstitute" Travel Photography, and live vicariously through others' work.

You get the idea.

And if you still insist on traveling, Club Ed can help anyway. Sign up for Gina Henry-Cook's "Free Vacations" workshop. She'll show you how to go ahead and take that cruise, and get paid for doing it!

That would have to be the ultimate "Clubstitution!"

XXX

Club Ed offers hundreds of classes you can "Clubstitute!" Visit www.clubed.net to sign up, or call 830-895-4386.

Club Ed is the Community Education program of the Kerrville Independent School District. Each year, we offer more than 400 classes throughout the Texas Hill Country, along with online courses, business and individual training, and after-school and summer camps. Comment online at clubedcomments.blogspot.com.

String Fever

by Phil Houseal as published in the Kerrville TX Community Journal Jan 28, 2009

When it comes to playing music, Karen Shirer's favorite stage might be a soapbox.

"The music industry has taken music away from us," she proclaimed. "They make it sound wonderful on a recording, then sell it back to us. As a result, we feel that any music we try to play won't sound like the recording, so our music is inferior."

Shirer wants the masses to take back the music, and she is working on her mission by teaching beginning guitar for the first time in Club Ed.

Shirer herself is an accomplished musician, playing piano and guitar. This fall she picked up the violin for the first time, and has already performed a concert with the Take-A-Bow orchestra of adult beginners. She believes that music is meant to be played by everyone, together and with joy.

"There is so much enjoyment we can find, even as adults, struggling in playing together," she said. "We can enjoy the process as well as create a decent end product. Music does not have to be perfect in order to be enjoyed. It is okay to laugh!"

Shirer teaches from what she calls a "folk" standpoint. That, she explained, means learning music not just in terms of reading notes, but by experiencing it. That means performing in a group.

"You must also learn to read other musicians you are playing with," she said. "Playing is a time to enjoy one another. There is so much about music that connects people."

Shirer starts beginners off learning basic chords, showing the structure and patterns common to many songs. She teaches people to learn to play by ear, so they can hear the chord changes and feel the music. She throws in music theory, but she calls it "pretty painless theory."

"I teach practical theory," she explained, "like how to use chord changes in your music by listening as well as by reading."

The thought of playing in front of others terrifies some beginners, especially adults. But Shirer feels it is important for players to step out of their comfort zones.

"Music is about sharing emotion, but it does not have to be scary," she said. "You are sharing delight as well. We know there is a bit of nervousness, but we don't want people to feel scared. We try to foster a supportive and encouraging environment."

That is why she came up with Acoustic Easy Jammin' to follow her beginning class. Musicians of all levels can perform together, taking turns leading the group. It evokes a kind of "playing around the campfire" experience.

"I love the campfire sing-along, playing songs people already know from when they were young. In the jam, the focus is not on learning new songs, but rather on learning how to play them and enjoying the sounds of the different instruments."

So turn off the radio and take off the headphones, and head to Club Ed to learn to play real music.

"Learning something new does the brain an amazing amount of good," Shirer said. "It keeps you young, and nurtures the joy that music just brings to your soul."

XXX

Club Ed is offering classes in guitar, piano, singing, and dulcimer in the spring session, now underway. Karen Shirer's guitar classes begin Feb 19. Visit www.clubed.net to sign up, or call 830-895-4386.

Club Ed is the Community Education program of the Kerrville Independent School District. Each year, we offer more than 400 classes throughout the Texas Hill Country, along with online courses, business and individual training, and after-school and summer camps. Comment online at clubedcomments.blogspot.com.

"Fake it" til you play it

by Phil Houseal as published in the Kerrville TX Community Journal Jan 21 09


Craig Coffman wants to give "faking it" a good name.

"Faking it" - or playing by ear - is the concept behind his popular seminars Instant Piano and the new Instant Guitar. It is Coffman's contention that you don't have to look at little black dots in order to harness and enjoy the power of making music.

"That term 'fake' isn't really a description of what is going on," Coffman said. "The guy in a piano bar may be using a fake book, but don't call him a fake musician."

Coffman has been traveling the country since 1993, leading over 200 seminars a year in which he teaches adults how to play piano in one day.

Many of his students took conventional piano lessons as kids, but gave up out of frustration, impatience, or being rapped on the knuckles by autocratic teachers. Those piano teachers are horrified by Coffman's more natural approach to music theory.

"If you are playing pop music, you must be more free about it," he explained. "Music is based on hearing and imitating the playing. Pop music has always been handed down that way. You can't write down everything that is going on in a pop song."

Coffman teaches Instant Piano as part of a national program. He has created his own workshop based on learning guitar "instantly." The Arizona resident plans to ramp it up across the country soon.

"This is a revolutionary concept to most people," he said. "When you talk to people and tell them they can play and don't have to read notes, that is shocking."

Coffman guarantees that his students will leave the workshop able to play simple songs with both hands. They can take home a book and CD to help guide them. It must work, because over five years no one has asked for a refund.

"People call back all the time with astonishing testimonials. One lady in Illinois had tried her whole life to learn piano. Three months after my class, she invited me over to listen to her play. She was 86 years old!"

Coffman is passionate about what he does, and tries not to disparage traditional piano instruction. But he has heard many piano teachers lament how many students drop out of lessons.

"If you can play piano by reading notes, you are in one of the most exclusive clubs in the world," he noted. "So I come along and make it easy for a broader group of people to learn to play. That makes me feel good; it makes me feel like I am doing something to enrich people's lives."

So the next time you overhear a "note reader" use "fake book" as a derogatory term, remember this: "Piano players use 'fake' as a badge of honor," Coffman said, then growls, "We don't need no stinkin' music!"

XXX

Craig Coffman will teach Instant Piano for Hopelessly Busy People, How to Play Piano by Ear, and Instant Guitar on Sunday, Feb 1. For information, visit www.clubed.net or call 830-895-4386.

Club Ed is the Community Education program of the Kerrville Independent School District. Each year, we offer more than 400 classes throughout the Texas Hill Country, along with online courses, business and individual training, and after-school and summer camps. Comment online at clubedcomments.blogspot.com.

The Case of the Town Treasure!

It had been an interesting day. It got a lot more interesting when SHE walked in.


She was tall. Confident. Smart. Someone who looked like a certified PhD - Pretty High-class Dame. Someone with a story to tell.

So she told it.

It seems one night she was inside the old movie theater, doing "research" for a friend.


She came across something much more interesting than a ticket to Casablanca. It was an old piece of paper. Singed, torn, and stained. But what it said was as clear as the conscience of my second grade Sunday school teacher.

There was a treasure in town.

The dame tried to find it on her own; but all she came up with were ghosts and memories. So she came to me.

I pushed back my hat and pushed out a grunt, then stared at her.

I guess I stared a little too long - she had to ask a second time if I wanted the job of finding that treasure.

It was hard to imagine a better treasure in this town than the one I was looking at. But I needed the kind I could take to the bank.

"Sure," I told her. "Let's go on a treasure hunt."

===

The game’s afoot, fellow detectives!

Help Flatfoot Phil solve the Case of the Town Treasure. Follow the link in "Learning Links" to find more clues to this mystery, or visit www.clubed.net for links to the solution and the rest of the story.

Have fun and see you in class!

Hints to start Your Year

by Phil Houseal as published in the Kerrville TX Community Journal Jan 7, 2009

It is a new year, so here are some of the top tips we've gleaned this season from our community education teachers. May they help you navigate the months ahead!

Keep your knives sharp by not putting them in the dishwasher or silverware drawer, where they will bang against other utensils.
Dr. Tom Harris, Tool Sharpening

You only need to learn three things in order to draw: 1) How to represent the shape of things; 2) How to produce textures; 3) How to understand the difference in values.
Frank Sant'Agata, Drawing

Your web site design should be based on the content, not the other way around. Don't rely only on "branding." Branding is for cattle.
Christie Kitchens, Web Design

When flyfishing, a good cast should feel the same way a pitcher feels when he is pitching.
Mike Andrews, Fly Fishing

The best way to improve your writing is to write less. Remove unnecessary words, especially needless modifiers such as "very" and "nearly" and "really." Really!
Bobbie Christensen, Writing your First Book

Apple Cider Vinegar is not only good for plants, but for humans and animals as well. Use it:
for plants as a fungicide and miticide by adding two tablespoonfuls to a gallon of water for foliar spraying
for soil by adding one tablespoonful to a gallon of tap water to correct the pH balance of the soil
to detoxify harmful agents in human blood and organs by taking one teaspoonful daily in grape juice
to kill fleas and ticks on dogs by adding one teaspoonful to their drinking water
Harold Pieratt, Growing Roses

To make arrowheads more quickly, work slower. To finish a point, you must strike the flint 200-300 times. Any one blow can abort all your effort if done improperly.
Jim Morris, Flintknapping

The first step to singing better is learning how to recognize and control your "chest voice" versus your "head voice." Then it comes down to being able to match pitches.
Marsha McCoy, Singing for the Really, Really Scared

Toss those white elephants! The top tips to better organize your home: 1) have a place for every item in your house; 2) have a command center that is the place for every paper that comes into your home; 3) surround yourself only with things that bring you joy.
Laci Secor, Home Organizing

One inch of rain on a 6500-square-foot roof will produce 4000 gallons of water.
John Kight, Rainwater Harvesting

Most people kill plants by over watering.
Dr. Tom Harris, Gardening

Top three ways to travel free:
1) Maximize frequent flier miles using a credit card, so you can fly for free
2) Put together a small tour that will let you travel free
3) Earn a free cruise by putting together a class to teach aboard ship
Gina Henry-Cook, Travel for Free

The fastest way to learn to play piano, and the key to improvising on the piano, is to learn basic chords.
Craig Coffman, Instant Piano for Hopelessly Busy People

Top reasons most small businesses fail: 1) lack of planning; 2) lack of experience; 3) under funding. Take time to develop a business plan before you start.
Lisa Hindley, How to Start a Small Business

If you're looking for an instrument to pursue as a hobby, start with the mountain dulcimer - it is easy to learn, and most songs are played in one key - usually D.
Jan Layman, Beginning Dulcimer

Like we like to say: Everything I know I learned in community education! Have a learning year!

XXX

Our Spring 2009 Club Ed catalog has been mailed and is also online! Visit www.clubed.net to sign up, or call 830-895-4386.

Club Ed is the Community Education program of the Kerrville Independent School District. Each year, we offer more than 400 classes throughout the Texas Hill Country, along with online courses, business and individual training, and after-school and summer camps. Comment online at clubedcomments.blogspot.com.