The Kitchen Musician ~ June/July 2016

In this issue, I share a song written to honor ten retiring teachers and staff representing a combined 305 years of service to The Park School. Please join me in my kitchen for “The Gift of a Heart”.


Index
  News:
  This Month’s Music: “The Gift of a Heart”
  Upcoming Shows
  Featured Non-Profit: The Steppingstone Foundation

Tom-at-PCA-April-2016b-www
Photo: © 2016 Dan Tapppan


News

Last month was the 9th anniversary of my humble blog, “The Kitchen Musician”. I started this project as a way to inspire me to keep writing. Looking at my song list, I see seventy songs (plus or minus) written since 2007. Thank you to everyone who has encouraged me on this artistic journey.


This Month’s Music
The Gift of a Heart


The Gift of a Heart
© 2016 Tom Smith (ASCAP)

“If you want to go quickly, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” This African proverb is a favorite of mine. I have worked most of my career managing technology systems and helping organizations match those systems to their mission and goals. Occasionally, I have been encouraged to push forward even if it meant leaving some people behind or eliminating what was described as “unimportant traditions”. I have always found this proverb to be a useful way to frame my approach as we balanced the urgent need to “go quickly” with the ultimate goal to “go far”.

Retirees-www
My retiring colleagues from The Park School. Photo: Kate LaPine

I have been extremely fortunate that for thirty three years I have shared my professional life with many extremely talented teachers, administrators and staff at The Park School. Longevity has been the norm at Park with teachers often spending their entire careers at the school. This month I joined nine others retiring after a combined 305 years of service. To add even greater meaning to the event, one of these is my wife Margo who completes her amazing and highly successful forty four year career at Park! She and all of these folks have had an unmeasurable positive impact on the lives of thousands of students and many colleagues. Together, we have certainly gone far.

Margo and I are not completely severing ties with Park School. We both will consult on special projects, Margo with diversity education and curriculum design and I with technology. In addition, we will continue the great joy of being grandparents of two Park School students. Other than that, we both are looking forward to throwing ourselves into many non-Park projects – but only those that are consistent with our goal to slow our busy lives down a little.

I am reminded of a lyric to a song I wrote in 2011,

I worked to share the joys as the sail climbed up the mast
As I pulled the sheet with those who bound their passion to the task
That’s why sailors long for sea when work is done
That’s one more sail around the sun.

May you be blessed with work you love and people to work with who share that love.

Tom

(If so inclined, I invite you to leave a comment by scrolling to the end of this page.)


Upcoming Shows

Sunday, Sept. 25, 2016 at 2:00 pm, Concord, MA
The Chanticleers joyfully return to the Old Manse in historic Concord, MA. Kate Chadbourne, Pat Kenneally, Robert Phillipps, Linda Abrams and I perform traditional Irish/English/American and original music with guitar, harp, flute, banjo, boudhran, harmonica, and other instruments. Weather permitting.

Saturday, Nov. 4, 2016 at 7:30 pm, Tiverton, RI
Chuck Williams hosts four songwriters from the Rhode Island Songwriters Association community. I am pumped to share the evening with Grant Malloy Smith and two other songwriters TBA.

Click to view details for all upcoming shows.


Featured Non-profit: The Steppingstone Foundation

CSA-2014_home-teasers-289x194Founded in 1990, The Steppingstone Foundation is a not-for-profit organization that develops and implements programs that prepare underserved students for educational opportunities that lead to college success. Since its founding, they have set 1,805 underserved students on the path to college. I am proud that The Park School has been a partner school since the beginning, and I have been a witness to the successful matriculation of many Steppingstone students.

Please join me in supporting The Steppingstone Foundation.

What do you think?

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4 Comments
  • Tom
    June 27, 2016

    The Gift of a Heart
    © 2016 Tom Smith (ASCAP)

    How many girls, how many boys
    Classrooms filled with joyful noise
    Living testaments to you
    Here’s to your care, to your skill
    To the lives they will fulfill
    The greatest work that one can do

       It’s both the end, and the start
       Though it’s time for them to part
       They’re leaving with the gift of your heart

    You are my mentor, you’re my sage
    I seek the wisdom of your age
    Your guidance by my side
    But more than that, you are my friend
    We turn the page, this chapter ends, but friend
    There are chapters yet to write

       It’s both the end, and the start
       Though it’s time for us to part
       You’re leaving with the gift of my heart

    When your work springs from your soul
    The finish line is not the goal
    Every teacher understands
    But now it’s time for me to pass
    My baton into the grasp
    Of your strong and skillful hands

       It’s both the end, and the start
       Though it’s time for us to part
       I leave you with the gift of my heart

       I leave you with the gift of my heart

  • Elaine
    June 27, 2016

    Dear Tom,
    Congratulations on your retirement!
    After reading this, I had a nagging thought, and then I realized it was this quote. Google helped me to find it…

    “The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well.”

    ― Ralph Waldo Emerson

    Many years ago I think it was you who gave me a special book about Emerson.
    Anyway, this quote seems appropriate for you guys as you retire from your work. Best wishes to you and to Margo. My motto in retirement is “One day at a time”. This comes to me from my mother who said it was from an old hymn.
    Love,
    Elaine, aka “Cuz”

    • Tom
      June 28, 2016

      Hello Cuz,
      Great to hear from you, and to know that retirement is working well for you. Love the Emerson quote. I get a lot of quotes from Mr. Google too. 🙂

  • Joe Fredette
    July 12, 2016

    Hey Tom,
    Just wanted to say congratulations to both you and Margo on your retirement!! What a huge milestone…, done in tandem no less. You’re an amazing and inspirational couple and I have no doubt you have both positively impacted the lives of so many students at the Park School.

    Your song is so beautiful and fitting – truly a gift of the heart.
    Wishing you both a long, happy, and healthy retirement!
    Cheers!
    -Joe