February with its winter chill is certainly a time for “musings.” Sometimes I think about the many ways a short musical statement (or song) can be tweaked. In a compositional artform called “Theme and Variations,” the basic theme is laid out followed by a set of variations. Each variation has a change of some kind, such as timing, phrasing, dynamics, tonality, harmonies, inversions…you name it! What began as a short ditty can become a delightful set of variations, all connected to the theme in some way.
Sometimes I look at our music program at UU Middleboro as a composition of theme and variations. The basic theme is excellence (NOT perfection!), camaraderie, flexibility, and communication. This is the given. The variations come with the variety of people who participate and in our repertoire.
We have a couple more months of relative quiet as we make special music on Sunday mornings and continue our musings of winter. But look out for April, when we will spring into action once again! Our Jazz Concert has a firm date of Saturday, April 6, at 7:30 in the evening. Jeannie Gagné and Stan Strickland (with support from the Middleboro and Lakeville Cultural Councils) are bringing a full quartet of delightful JAZZ. Later in the month, on April 27, we will have a “Springtime Gala and Tapas Galore” fundraiser, chaired by Tony Soares, featuring UU Middleboro musicians and friends.
Here’s to Theme and Variations!
Susan Hotchkiss, Director of Music
