The Sound of Growing Up- Westchester Putnam Music Business Photography by Kelly Schwark

I have been blessed beyond measure- no doubt about it. One of the things that I count as an enormous blessing in my life, is the way that the public school that I had attended embraced the arts. Let's face it, not all of us can be Ivy League graduates with advanced degrees in bio-mechanical engineering. (Although we did have a few that have moved on to call themselves such!) Nor should we be taught that the measure of success is a large salary and lengthy title. As adults, we know that there is more to life; the things that make our heart full aren't always the same things as the person standing next to us in line at the grocery store. We can't forget to teach that to our kids.

The ability for an educational institution to not only recognize this, but to broaden it's ways in which it encourages self discovery in various forms, is imperative in our society. Our world would be such a cold drab place without art and music to enrich our lives. We can not learn to appreciate the world around us in its entirety without pausing to appreciate the things that move us. Whether it is discovering the answer to a mathematical equation, putting pen to paper to compose words in a beautiful way, marking up a blank canvas to show others how you see the world, or breathing life into a piece of music that was written hundreds of years ago- there is something that thrills every single one of us. If we are able to discover what that is when we are children, the possibilites are endless. If you were blessed early in life to learn what makes your heart smile, then you know exactly what I mean.

I suppose I have a soft spot for orchestral performances, for it was a music trip my sophomore year in high school that changed the course of my life. There, in Virginia Beach, a young violin player became smitten with a young clarinet player. The rest is history.

 

Why am I writing about this now? I was lucky enough to take a drive up to my hometown last week, and spend some time with Tiffany at Radovich & Dean Music. R&D Music was the place where my parents purchased my violin more than 20 years ago (doesn't seem possible that it was that long ago!) and it is the place that continues to encourage self discovery through music, for all ages. Tiffany, a classmate of mine and my husband's and an AMAZING oboe player, is back at the family run business of R&D Music. We had a great time catching up and she filled me on on all of the amazing things that the staff at R&D is doing to keep the community engaged with music. Honestly, if you are need of instruments or gear, repairs or rentals, or if you are looking for a dedicated teacher to help you discover your inner musician, you can not go wrong with Radovich and Dean Music, located in Putnam County, Carmel, New York. The brief visit was enough to spark some wonderful memories and was the perfect muse for my photography!

  

To view more photos from my visit, please view the slideshow.