Amazing
Virtual Music Program Helps Children Discover And Hone Music Skills
Zoom and Skype have brought together 52 children and teenagers of the Gary Sinise Foundation Snowball Express in musical harmony quite literally. These kids from various regions of the world have honing their musical skills this summer with the help of trained musicians, including members of the Lt. Dan Band and Gary Sinise.
Training and lessons on one of many instruments including the trumpet, piano, drums, guitar, violin, and so on, started at the end of July. Some vocal lessons were also thrown into the mix.
The search for instructors to virtually teach musical lessons once a week to kids living across multiple timezones wasn’t as difficult as it sounded. James Stuckmann explained that he only had to reach out to network of musicians, including the Lt. Dan Band.
Stuckmann has been with the band since 2004. He worked with the foundation’s events and Snowball Express teams in organizing the six-week-long program.
The program was a life-changing one for many of the students, but for Vlada Golin, it helped her discover a natural talent in playing the guitar. Her father, Mihail, a Green Beret lost his life in Afghanistan, 2018 when she was only six years of age.
“She’s so focused and so determined on doing it and doing it well,” explained her teacher, Gina Gonzalez, “I told her, ‘If you really stick with it, I think that you could have a nice, long career playing the guitar.’”
Alongside Vlada, Gonzalez taught lessons to seven others in either the guitar or vocals. She’s been singing with the Lt. Dan Band since 2004, and like her fellow band members, has been teaching music to students for many years.
One Wednesday evening session in particular, Vlada was trying to learn how to strum several chords together, but she kept on running into trouble with the C chord and her fingers were hurting.
“This is a marathon, not a sprint,” Gonzalez said to her.
Vlada continued strumming four chords, one after the other, at moderate tempo- and soon enough, she reached harmony.
“I get used to it, and I get the hang of it,” Vlada said about learning tricky chords. At the end of the day, she wishes to attend the School of Rock and start a rock band.
The wave of the pandemic has forced a nationwide shutdown of K-12 schools and the onset of online education, with some taking a hybrid approach involving both virtual and classroom classes on different days of the week.
The global economy has taken a heavy hit due to the pandemic, which has led many administrators to cut costs in order to stay afloat, but at the expense of arts and music education.
New York sixth grader and trumpet player Michael Hansen opted for online classes instead of the hybrid approach offered by the sixth, which means he hasn’t had access to band practice since March.
Michael’s father, Dennis Hansen suffered fatal wounds from an IED explosion during a tour in Afghanistan in 2009. Sadly, Michael has no memory of him since he was young when the tragic incident occurred.
Michael developed some anxiety ahead of his first lesson. He was scared of heavy criticism of his playing abilities from his instructor, as well as, impossible homework activities.
But to his surprise, his instructor, Kirk Garrison wasn’t all that he feared. The jazz musician and composer had an exquisite sense of humor that made it easy for both parties to connect instantly. “When you teach these young people you want to get that bond,” Garrison said. He spent nine years playing in the United States Air Force Band, and has been touring with the Lt. Dan Band since 2005.
According to Garrison, virtual learning with private lessons is just as good as physical lessons for students to become better at their craft, which include reading music and harmonizing rhythms.
“They’re on their own now, and this teaches them to do that and get the answers for themselves by actually reading the music and imagining the sounds and then making the sounds without having someone else spoon feed it to you or teach you by ear.”
“He doesn’t care if I mess up,” Michael explained about Garrison’s teaching style. “He encourages me not to get mad if I make a mistake.”
Some students took the music program as a way to retrace their steps back to a passion that had withered away.
James House was only a few months old when his father, John Daniel House, a Navy corpsman, died in a helicopter crash in Iran back in January, 2005.
Currently a high school sophomore, he began his journey to guitar mastery two years ago, with his grandfather playing musical instructor for the basics. He picked up a few things about playing the guitar, but lost passion along the way due to lack of inspiration.
James possesses a few treasured items from his late father, including homemade videos of John playing impromptu concerts for his family with the same guitar he now uses in his virtual sessions with instructor Gina Gonzalez.
“I don’t have quite a lot of things that I can look at say, ‘this was something that he loved and held and played as well,’” James said of the guitar’s significance. “It’s a really special experience having that guitar that was his and knowing that he played just the same as I am now.”
His grandfather’s birthday is just weeks away, and he has a special surprise in store for him to honors his father and the connection they all share playing the guitar. James is now close to mastering Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Bad Moon Rising,” the song his grandfather tried teaching him years ago.
“Him seeing me play,” James said of his grandfather, “will really mean something to him.”
Amazing
A Purr-fect Ending: How Paradise, California, United to Find Dundee the Cat
In Paradise, California, a community came together to find a much-loved cat named Dundee, who had survived the devastating 2018 Camp Fire. Dundee’s adventure began when his owner, Suise Heffernan, took him to the vet. After the appointment, she stopped to get pet food, locking her truck with Dundee inside. But when she returned, the truck and Dundee were gone.
Surveillance footage from a nearby store showed someone breaking into the vehicle and driving off with Dundee still inside. Heffernan was especially worried because Dundee has a thyroid condition and needed his medication.
The whole community of Paradise stepped up to help find Dundee. After four long days, their efforts paid off, and Dundee was found. Heffernan had adopted Dundee in 2018, just before the Camp Fire. She lost her home, a barn, and hundreds of acres of timber in the fire. Despite being displaced, Dundee transformed from a feral cat into a warm and cuddly companion.
One community member pleaded, “Just return the cat! Trucks can be replaced, and anyone living on the ridge has lost so much already.” Heffernan shared her agony over not knowing Dundee’s whereabouts, a feeling she knew all too well from losing another cat in the Camp Fire.
Heffernan and her friends, along with independent volunteers, continued their search. Finally, on Saturday, they received a call from someone who had Dundee. A group drove to Chico that evening, where Heffernan was reunited with Dundee, who started purring immediately.
Heffernan expressed her gratitude for the community’s support: “There’s something about the people – they just come together and they are there for you. I just can’t even imagine the hours that people that I’ll never meet put in on his behalf. It is so appreciated.”
This heartwarming story showcases the power of community and the unbreakable bond between humans and their pets.
Amazing
Texas Zoo Fits Grasshopper with Miniature “Neck Brace”
In a remarkable display of veterinary ingenuity, a grasshopper at a Texas zoo was fitted with a miniature “neck brace” after experiencing a unique health issue. The grasshopper, a stick-like breed known as a Peruvian jumping stick, recently underwent a common process for insects: molting. At around six months old, these grasshoppers shed their exoskeleton, allowing for growth. However, this particular grasshopper faced a challenge after molting.
According to a recent zoo blog post, the grasshopper had a weakened area around part of its body resembling a “neck” due to a crease in its thoracic region. This crease caused its head to flop backward when climbing upwards, as these grasshoppers spend most of their time in tree branches.
To address this issue, zookeepers developed a miniature neck brace to temporarily support the insect’s neck in a neutral position while its exoskeleton hardened. The brace was created using a sterile Q-tip shaft and microspore tape to secure it. This innovative solution allowed the grasshopper to continue its normal activities without further injury.
The zoo emphasized the importance of providing exceptional care to all its animals, regardless of their size. “Whether it’s a mammal, reptile, bird, or even insect, all of our animals receive extraordinary care from our veterinary team, no matter how big or small it may be,” the zoo stated.
This story highlights the dedication of zookeepers and veterinarians to the well-being of all creatures in their care and showcases the creative approaches they take to ensure the health and safety of even the smallest residents.
Amazing
The Incredible Journey of Ullr: A Dog’s Survival After an Avalanche
In a story that sounds like it’s straight out of a movie, a dog named Ullr, who had been missing for almost a year, was finally spotted alive and well. Ullr, a mix of Border Collie and Rottweiler, had been living in the wild all by himself after surviving an avalanche. For Jacob Dalbey, Ullr’s owner, this news was the light at the end of a very long and dark tunnel.
Jacob Dalbey’s world turned upside down on March 17, when he was caught in an avalanche near Chair Mountain while skiing with friends. The terrifying incident left Jacob seriously injured and hospitalized, and tragically, one of his friends did not survive. Amidst the chaos, Ullr, who was with them, ran away from the avalanche site. Rescue teams later found dog tracks leading away from the debris, sparking hope that Ullr had survived.
For 341 days, Jacob never gave up hope of finding his beloved pet. He set up trail cameras and left food in various locations, hoping to lure Ullr into view. And then, on a day that seemed like any other, the unimaginable happened. Ullr was captured on a trail camera not once, but two days in a row. “After 341 days, 11 months to the day…it has happened,” Jacob shared on his GoFundMe page, a platform where he had been updating supporters and raising funds to aid in the search for Ullr.
The joy and relief in Jacob’s message were palpable as he thanked his friends and supporters for their unwavering belief and support. “Knowing you believe in us really means a lot,” he wrote, acknowledging the tough journey and the difference their support made.
Jacob’s next steps are focused on bringing Ullr safely back home. In the meantime, he has asked for the community’s help in keeping an eye out for any signs of Ullr, including pawprints, barking, or sightings.
Jacob’s harrowing experience during the avalanche, where he was buried under the snow for over three hours with a broken hand and frostbitten fingers, adds a layer of awe to Ullr’s survival story. Jacob’s determination to dig himself out and survive mirrored Ullr’s own fight for survival in the wild.
Amazing
A Newspaper Carrier Who Saved a Home from Fire
In the quiet early hours of a St. Petersburg morning, an ordinary newspaper carrier named Josh Herring became a hero in the most unexpected way. At 3 AM, while most of the neighborhood was still fast asleep, Josh Herring was on his usual newspaper delivery route for the Tampa Bay Times when he stumbled upon a life-threatening situation that would change the course of a woman’s life.
The woman in question, Pam Smith, had no idea that her house was in imminent danger. The fire that had started on her deck was silently spreading, a threat lurking just outside her doorstep. It was Josh Herring, her dedicated newspaper carrier, who turned out to be her guardian angel that night.
As the flames inched closer to her home, Pam Smith was startled awake by a persistent banging on her front door. Wondering who could be at her door at such an hour, the 75-year-old approached cautiously. From the other side, a man’s voice rang out, “Pam, I’m your paper man, and your deck’s on fire!” She swung the door open, and to her horror, she saw the deck ablaze, with the flames threatening to engulf her house.
Without a moment to lose, Josh Herring sprang into action. He rushed to the nearest hose, which luckily was within reach, and began spraying water on the fire. In a state of panic, Pam Smith joined him, taking turns to battle the flames that seemed determined to devour her home. Together, they fought tirelessly for 45 minutes until the fire was finally extinguished.
Pam Smith, still shaken by the ordeal, couldn’t find enough words to express her gratitude to Josh Herring. With tears in her eyes, she said to him, “If you never stopped by, I might not be here today. I might not have my house.” Her heartfelt words conveyed the immense impact of Josh’s heroic act.
Josh Herring, a humble newspaper carrier who had been faithfully delivering papers for six years, downplayed his actions. He explained that it was purely coincidental that he had decided to make Pam Smith’s house the first stop along his delivery route that day. Had he chosen to start his route in reverse, it would have taken him about three hours to reach Smith’s residence.
Pam Smith’s response to this revelation was profound. She said, “Just to think, if I had never ordered the paper. I love the paper, and I will order the paper until I die.” Her unwavering loyalty to the Tampa Bay Times had led to this fateful encounter, where the simple act of ordering a newspaper had unknowingly brought her a real-life hero in the form of Josh Herring.
Amazing
Florida Man Plays Guitar During His Own Brain Surgery
In an extraordinary medical procedure, Christian Nolen, a man from Florida, played the guitar during his brain surgery at the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. This unique approach helped doctors protect critical areas of his brain while they removed a tumor.
Why Play Guitar During Surgery?
The surgery was conducted while Nolen was awake. This method is used to continuously monitor a patient’s brain functions during the operation. Nolen was asked to play the guitar to give the surgical team real-time feedback on his motor skills. This was crucial because Nolen’s tumor was in his right frontal lobe, an area that controls important functions, including hand movement.
The Discovery of the Tumor
Nolen’s journey began when he noticed issues with his left hand while playing guitar. This symptom led to the discovery of the brain tumor. Only ten days later, he was in surgery to have it removed.
The Surgical Procedure
The surgery started with Nolen under general anesthesia. Then, for a critical part of the two-hour operation, he was awakened and asked to play the guitar. “Upon awakening, it was quite overwhelming to see everything around me and to fight the natural reaction to sit up,” Nolen recalled.
A Critical Moment
During the surgery, the doctors noticed that Nolen’s hand function began to decline as they were removing the tumor. The tumor was affecting the part of the brain that controls hand movements. Thankfully, the doctors were able to remove the entire tumor without injuring Nolen’s hand.
Unique Aspects of Awake Brain Surgery
During an awake craniotomy, patients can engage in activities that don’t increase pressure in the head. Dr. Komotar, part of the surgical team, mentioned that some patients even sing during brain surgery. This helps the surgeons assess their language capabilities while removing tumors from areas associated with language.
A Successful Outcome
Christian Nolen’s story is not just about the removal of a brain tumor; it’s about the incredible advances in medical science and the human spirit’s resilience. Playing the Deftones and System of a Down on his guitar during brain surgery, Nolen not only aided his medical team but also demonstrated an inspiring strength and courage.
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