This past week I have been working on editing the spring issue of Take Note, the journal for the Manitoba Registered Music Teachers' Association.  I am always impressed by the level of musical activity in Manitoba from the reports and advertising I receive for publication.  There are many talented and committed teachers working diligently behind the scenes to enrich the cultural lives of their communities.

I have also written two short articles which will be published this spring in Focus on Festivals (Associated Manitoba Arts Festival journal).  Encouraging Young Student Composers and Publishing Music which may be viewed at this website also.

I enjoyed a four-day workshop at the end of February on Iconography in Winnipeg, MB with Fr. Damian Higgins (Georgia, USA).  This was my first try at iconography and it turned out surprisingly well.  Part of the process was to trace the lines of our images with pencil on gesso board followed by many layers of different colors in tempura paint, working from the darkest to the lightest.  Mistakes could be easily fixed by adding on another layer of paint.  After some thought, I have found similarities with this visual art and that of writing music.  

"Art washes from the soul the dust of everyday life." – Picasso