Canadiana

American culture is pervasive in many different places around the world, and Canada is no exception. So, when we were in Canada over the past few weeks (British Columbia, Alberta, and Saskatchewan), I decided to actively learn more about things that Canadians hold dear to their cultural identity.

While this list is by no means comprehensive, here are some of those things:

Red Rose Tea -- There's nothing too distinctive (to me) about the flavor, but the brand is very established.

Nanaimo Bar -- This delicious treat has a cookie-ish base, a yummy, custard-y middle, and a solid chocolate top. Appropriately, I ate my first one in Nanaimo, British Columbia!

Tim Hortons -- If "America runs on Dunkin'," then Canada is super-charged by Tim Hortons. It's common to see lines all the way to the door early in the morning, even at some of the locations which have recently popped up in the States. (And yes, it's incredibly good!)

French and English -- Because both English and French are official languages in Canada, its common to see both written out.

Various candy bars -- These three candy bars (Wunderbar, After Eight, and Coffee Crisp) are some of the ones found in Canada. Of the three, I don't really have a favorite, but I had definitely heard the Canadians in the band talk about Coffee Crisp before I had tried it.

As you probably know, Canadians also pronounce certain words differently than we do in the States. This is probably my favorite cultural distinction because different word pronunciations can often be hilarious. In the following sentence, the words demonstrating this have actually come up in conversations we've had.

"While Mario ate his pasta, the sun shone brightly on his mauve llama, who was out and about during drama class. Sorry."

Education/Vacation

A few weeks ago I came to discover that our break this past week was going to coincide with a Mark O'Connor Method Teacher Training Seminar...and I immediately took the chance to sign up.

Mark O'Connor is one of the most innovative musicians of this era, renowned originally for his work as a fiddler, mandolin player, and guitarist. Two-time Grammy winner, and six-time recipient of the Country Music Association's "Musician of the Year" award, he has been gaining notoriety in the classical world over the past twenty years for his numerous genre-crossing compositions (including a symphony and six violin concerti).

What makes O'Connor such a compelling composer is that, more than any composer since Aaron Copland, he is succeeding in capturing a musical aesthetic which is ultimately "American." [If you're not familiar with Copland's name, you probably know his music from this commerical. By the way, that tune, "Hoedown," was actually transcribed by Copland from an early recording of a fiddler named William Stepp.]

And, more personally, O'Connor has been one of my musical idols since I was in 6th grade, when I first saw him in concert.

With Mark O'Connor as a 6th grader in 1998!

Two years ago, O'Connor released a set of method books for beginning string players, modeled in the style of the classical Suzuki Method. The defining characteristics of O'Connor's method are that multiple styles (not just classical) are included, and students are encouraged from an early age to experiment with improvisation.

Every month or so, seminars are offered where you can learn how to teach the tunes in the method books, allowing you to become a certified teacher of the method. What this means, essentially, is that I'm now equipped with the skills to teach beginning violinists in the O'Connor Method, should they choose. If I were to compare learning methods to learning languages, American fiddling would be English, the Suzuki Method would be Spanish, and the O'Connor Method would be some Spanglish hybrid (with an emphasis on developing fluency in both languages).

I don't want to spend too much time talking about the method in detail, so I'll just wrap this up by strongly recommending anyone who teaches strings to attend one of these seminars, even if you're a die-in-the-wool Suzuki advocate. I think he's really onto something, and the videos you'll see in the seminar will show you the proof. And, even if you don't like it, you'll probably still learn some good tools and tricks. [If you're a parent of a beginner, consider checking the directory on his website for a teacher near you to find out more!]

So, after we wrapped up on the road, Daniel, Kristina and I flew to San Francisco for the seminar!

Japanese Tea Garden in Golden Gate Park.

Green tea and mochi.

Daniel and Kristina hugging a giant tree in Golden Gate Park.

Stow Lake (Golden Gate Park).

Next to the freeway -- Golden Gate Bridge is on the right.

A view of San Francisco from Telegraph Hill.

A shot of the hills from Telegraph Hill.

Visiting my friend Dave at Google!

Google bikes -- the employees ride these between the different Google campuses.

Recreation room, complete with a ping pong table, Foosball, and old-school video games.

Google Bowling Alley

I ran into my friend Lindsay, who also works at Google! We had been trying to coordinate schedules to meet up, but weren't able to find time. You can imagine my surprise, then, to randomly see her eating lunch -- and she didn't even work in this portion of the campus!

After having lunch with my friend Dave (pictured later) at Google, we still had some time to kill before heading up to the seminar on Friday evening. As we were driving on the freeway to head back up to San Francisco, we saw signs for Stanford University and decided to stop by!

Crossing the Golden Gate Bridge to get to the seminar.

Dinner at Sol Food in San Rafael. It was easily among the greatest restaurants I've visited.

Daniel, Kristina, and me with Mark O'Connor after the seminar!

When the seminar finished on Sunday, Daniel and Kristina went home and I stayed two extra nights to visit some friends who lived in the area.

After I visited Matt in Zacatecas and stood on his balcony and roof for amazing views of the town, I could never have imagined visiting the homes of two other friends just weeks later and having the same experience. But, somehow, this tour ended up becoming the tour of friends who have incredible views from their rooftops and balconies! What are the odds?!

From Dave's roof. [Click on this to see it larger.]

With Dave, my friend who works at Google.

From Katie's balcony, overlooking the bay. (Somehow we managed to spend 24 hours with each other and not once take a picture together...Katie, how did we let this happen?)

At Classical Revolution, a classical/chamber music event that takes place every Monday night at Cafe Revolution. Founded in San Francisco a few years ago, other chapters have popped up all around the country--check out their website to see if there is one near you!

Overlooking the Mission, a neighborhood in San Francisco.

A mural in the Mission.

Katie and I grabbed sandwiches from the incredible Tartine Bakery, and headed to this nearby park to eat--an afternoon activity I'd highly recommend!

[Before I forget, if you're a coffee drinker, I implore you to visit Philz Coffee -- it was the best coffee I've ever had. We loved it so much that we stopped by every morning before the seminar for coffee and breakfast!]

I still can't believe how much sight-seeing and education we packed into one weekend. The three of us shared one hotel room to cut on costs, so having a third person (Kristina) really made it feel like we were away at camp. We'd get back to the room, exhausted from a long day of learning (which can be legitimately hard!) and would all be so excited to sleep. But, we'd start talking, lose track of time, and then suddenly realize that it was way past midnight! A hilarious experience, for sure.

Thanks to Dave and Katie for letting me stay and visit!

Milestones and Landmarks

Never before has being home felt more like visiting home.

I arrived three nights ago after finishing up our tour of the Pacific Northwest, going to a seminar in San Francisco, and then staying in San Francisco a few extra days to hang out. Now, I'm looking at today's to-do list and it includes three main things: 1) write a blog entry, 2) replenish my toiletries, and 3) board a plane at 7:30 p.m. to go back on tour. 

It feels less like a three day break, and more like three nights at the Morris Inn & Suites, with fully furnished rooms, a stocked fridge, a cat, and parents.

Quite luckily, my time home coincided with my high school's graduation. Not only did a violin student of mine graduate, but also, more poignantly, my incredible choir teacher retired after 29 years of teaching. Easily one of the most brilliant music educators whom I've known, he was incredibly inspirational and motivational in my development as a musician. I'm so grateful I was able to be there for his final conducting performance at Dobson High School!

With Mr. and Mrs. Evans.

Attending graduation is always bittersweet because it brings back memories of how much I loved high school. How have the past seven years of my life passed so quickly?!

But now is not the time for emotionally-charged reminiscing! No! I must write about happier things, like the Pacific Northwest!

I'd been looking forward to this past bit of tour for quite some time, especially after having just visited for the first time a few months ago. I love the area because it the opposite of so much of Arizona: it is rainy/wet, has lots of trees, and is overwhelmingly green.

Riding the ferry from Edmonds to Kingston, WA.

We asked a stranger to take a photo of us with the mountains in the background.
This was his first attempt.

This was his second and final attempt. While he successfully captured Kiana's windblown hair (which is incredible), we never did get a good group photo...but this one is hilarious.

The beautiful Olympic Mountains.

While on the ferry, our GPS device accurately showed that we were, indeed, floating on the water.

Is this not the largest tulip you've ever seen?

Driving across a huge bridge with the Olympic Mountains in the distance!

Early morning ferry ride from Port Angeles, WA, to Victoria, British Columbia.

Port Angeles, WA.

On the ferry, with Port Angeles and the Olympic Mountains behind me!

A park in Victoria.

After performing in Nanaimo, BC, we took a ferry over to Vancouver, and drove down to Puyallup, WA, where I met up with my newly-engaged friends, JJ and Jenna. While heading to a nearby coffee shop after lunch, I wondered aloud about finding a park in which to hang out because the weather was absurdly beautiful, especially for such a rainy area. About one minute later, we happened to drive by Bradley Lake and our afternoon plans were quickly solidified.

Bradley Lake [Click on the photo to see it larger.]

Canadian geese and their young gaggle of babies!

With Jenna and JJ after the show in Puyallup, WA.

Thank you, JJ and Jenna, for taking the day off work to drive up from Oregon! It was so luxurious to spend a whole day hanging out with you!

After Puyallup, we drove to Kennewick, WA, where, coincidentally, one of my great friends from high school lives with her husband. In stark contrast of my day with JJ and Jenna, I saw Katy--quite literally--for about 2 minutes. We had made plans to get dinner, but then the band needed some last minute rehearsal in preparation for our upcoming tour in China. Katy and her husband, who are the owners of the Kennewick Coffee Company, were awesome enough to drop by large containers of coffee and tea, and a bag of scones for us to enjoy with dinner, and then I had to get back to rehearsal. They couldn't see the show because of prior plans, so the only time I saw her was when she arrived to drop off the coffee. While our meeting was unfortunately short, it was nonetheless great to see Katy very briefly! Plus, the coffee and tea were both really, really great. Please check out their shop should you find yourself traveling through Kennewick anytime soon!

Off to grab lunch with my dad and pick up toothpaste and floss!