Blog #34: Testing the Twitter Waters....

So after fighting it & calling it ridiculous, I'm now going to give twitter the obligatory test drive. Seeing as how you cannot turn on a tv or surf the net w/out hearing/reading the word twitter, and seeing as how I am about to embark on a 3rd cd release and can use all the promotion I can get.... I'm going for it.

There's just one slight little detail that I have yet to wrap my brain around. Finding subscribers who are going to give a hoot about any/every little thought that pops out of my messed up head. I can barely think of anyone I care to subscribe to for that purpose, so it seems a little silly to expect anyone to find their way to my domain and expect them to care. And, so it goes... the evolutionary process.

I made a comment somewhere (and I'm sure it's been observed elsewhere & regurgitated all over the place) to the effect of, first came blogging (here we are with THAT one) followed by facebook (not mentioning the myspace trainwreck) and now here's twitter.

I heard on the news this week that twitter execs are looking at an upcoming surcharge for twitter usage. If that's the case, then my twitter use will be shortlived at best. They don't charge me to blog & now 5 years into it, I'm still limping along with that technology. Thousands of words typed & I still haven't said a damn thing worth reading.

So, here's your invitation to come, join in & watch my twitter trainwreck at http://twitter.com/JavaMusiK . I truly have no clue what I'm doing, so it should be a real hoot. Meanwhile, you can be on the lookout for twitter updates on my upcoming cd recording throughout the month of June.

Peace!

Jeff

BloG #33: It has been quite slow as of late...

This was originally posted exclusively on my MySpace page, but since I still consider this my blogging home...

The last year has seen me focused on settling myself into a new job, new house and new bigger church that I'm playing organ & piano for this year. While that has meant a general improvement in my life as a whole, it has also meant I have just needed to basically keep my nose to the grindstone for awhile and hold fast to whatever I have as still being concrete.

Change is often good, but can easily remove you from the familiar, which can sometimes be unsettling. Toss into the mix the depths and peaks associated with the recent loss of my father and finishing my masters degree, and the plot thickens.

Some might say a musician's music takes a back seat during times like these. While the jury is still out on my perspective with this idea, I prefer to see it as a development of future repertoire not yet composed. The suppression and release of emotions associated with all the change, highs and lows can only lead to more flavor in the context of what is yet to be created.

When composing, I can only explain the process as a feeling that I am merely an observer to what is transpiring, even though the transaction is taking place through my fingers. This may be a reflection and release of the suppressed responses built up over time finally constructing into musical expression. Then again, I'm probably just full of crap and speaking complete jibberish here.

Meanwhile:
JavaMusiK will see a presentation of my music in the Colorado mountains near Estes Park at YMCA of the Rockies June 9. I always enjoy these shows. This will be followed by some possible studio time in Iowa. We remain hopeful that a 3rd release will finally begin to take shape. Money is currently the biggest factor. Fingers crossed. Visit JavaMusiK.com to stay up to date on this front.

In addition, Alpine Road Publishing has been patiently waiting for my computer which has become infirmed recently. Files of sheet music transcriptions are being held hostage b/c my short-sightedness led me to not necessarily back-up those files before the laptop went on hiatus. Hope remains that data will be safe. Look for new transcriptions to be added to the fold sometime mid summer. Currently, 2 composition transcriptions (Alpine Road & The Awakening) are available at our lulu.com store.

Thank-you for your interest and support. Our music is always available for your listening pleasure at CD Baby and iTunes, as well as royalty-free licensing. You can also find some pretty cool JavaMusiK merchandise at our CafePress website. Go take a look! My music is available for live presentations and event bookings through JMK Ceremony Music. Inquiries are invited. Contact info can be located in the article or through our official website's contact page. Stop by and say hello.

Jeff Van Devender

BloG #32: Recent & Upcoming Concerts 4 My Guilty Pleasure

Okay, I'll admit. My musical tastes fall into the somewhat lame category. I said somewhat. Not totally. Compared to many, I'm quite MOR in my tastes. But then, I see others & wonder....

So, the last couple years have been quite cool for those of us who had an appreciation for super groups that disintegrated in the mid 80's. In fact, many including me, finally gave up & thought these reunions just plain would never happen!

I'm speaking of course of The Police & Van Halen. These 2 ruled the roost & no other band were in their league at the time of their demise. Unfortunately, I just never got my act together to get to one of their shows during their ascendancy to oblivion.

I did make it to see Sting & David Lee Roth a couple times each over the next couple years, but as fun as it was, I always left wishing their bands that made them famous were still on the stage with them. Did get to meet Steve Vai following one of the DLR shows. Still have the autograph. Was amazed how physically small he was in real life. He was very kind & patient as he spoke with us.

The Police had just struck out on their first tour in 24 years, and I got a floor seat at the Pepsi Center in Denver June 7,'07 on Sting's side of the stage. Sat next to people who flew over from San Diego just to see the show. Our section sang every word of every song & loved every moment of the show. I finally got to experience a Police show live without a TV screen providing the perspective for me. Cool!!

Then, February 1,'08 saw the Van Halen reunion I had waited so long for, minus Michael Anthony, due to biological VH family member Wolfgang replacing him. If that's what helped bring Eddie to getting back with Dave & wearing a smile while doing it, then more power to em. My cousin had just moved to Colorado & was in the midst of a nasty divorce, so what better way to take his mind off of the bs than to 'Dance The Night Away' with a few decibels behind some great tunage. Their smiles were infectious & the music felt so good.

October 26,'06 saw my family head to an AARP convention in Anaheim, CA. And if you're not totally laughing your ass off at this little deal, you're just not paying attention! We noticed Elton John was going to be playing for this event (omg, I AM getting old!!) & the ticket prices were such that we could order enough for the whole family to go. Normally, when I see him one ticket is more than what we paid for 4 for this show! So, despite sitting amongst many who weren't necessarily his biggest fans, we had a great fall weekend in Cali. Even got some sun & surf while it was snowing back home in the CO mountains.

This weekend on April 4, we are going to see Elton solo in Colorado Springs. I am hoping the average attendee age will be somewhat lower than the Anaheim show. I love being able to take my daughters to see Elton, b/c I hope that they can get a glimpse of what once inspired me to keep going in music all those years ago. Amazingly, I still get inspired when I see him now.

Next comes Chicago. Elton John & Billy Joel will be playing two nights at Wrigley Field. I'll be there July 21. I saw them twice together January & April,'01 in Salt Lake City & Denver. Great shows & worth revisiting again. Price is sky high, but what an opportunity! I go by the thought that these guys aren't getting any younger. If you have any desire, see them now! Youth is fleeting & once it's gone, well....

I actually got to meet Jeff Hornacek (Iowa State alum.) of Utah Jazz fame at the Salt Lake show. Still have that autograph too! I've also met Ben Stiller, Rosie O'Donnell and John Elway at various Elton gigs. Still have the autographs of all but Elway, even though i was the one who had a pen to loan him for all the signing he did. He had nothing better to do since he was waiting for his then-wife Janet at the facilities following the show. As for Rosie & Ben, I was sitting arms reach away at a Vegas Red Piano concert. 6th row aisle in front of Elton.

Anyway, many other past concerts could be cussed & discussed here, but my fingers are wearing thin along with possibly your patience, so we'll save some of it for a future writing. I will mention before closing that the U2 Red Rocks concert in '83 was more incredible than the movie & we were so lucky to actually be there. More on that in the next writing about this topic.

Meanwhile, wish me and the 7 other people I'll be going with this weekend lots of fun at Elton solo in Colorado Springs.

Cheers!

BloG #31: Boston Conservatory Welcome address by Karl Paulnack

Discovered & reposted from the trentalange blog at this link: http://trentalange.tumblr.com/post/82322799/boston-conservatory-welcome-address-by-karl-paulnack#disqus_thread

Boston Conservatory Welcome address by Karl Paulnack

Subject: In times of financial crisis, this might be important to remember

Welcome address to freshman class at Boston Conservatory given by Karl Paulnack, pianist and director of music division at Boston Conservatory

“One of my parents’ deepest fears, I suspect, is that society would not properly value me as a musician, that I wouldn’t be appreciated. I had very good grades in high school, I was good in science and math, and they imagined that as a doctor or a research chemist or an engineer, I might be more appreciated than I would be as a musician. I still remember my mother’s remark when I announced my decision to apply to music school-she said, “You’re WASTING your SAT scores.” On some level, I think, my parents were not sure themselves what the value of music was, what its purpose was. And they LOVED music, they listened to classical music all the time. They just weren’t really clear about its function. So let me talk about that a little bit, because we live in a society that puts music in the “arts and entertainment” section of the newspaper, and serious music, the kind your kids are about to engage in, has absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with entertainment, in fact it’s the opposite of entertainment. Let me talk a little bit about music, and how it works.

The first people to understand how music really works were the ancient Greeks. And this is going to fascinate you; the Greeks said that music and astronomy were two sides of the same coin. Astronomy was seen as the study of relationships between observable, permanent, external objects, and music was seen as the study of relationships between invisible, internal, hidden objects. Music has a way of finding the big, invisible moving pieces inside our hearts and souls and helping us figure out the position of things inside us. Let me give you some examples of how this works.

One of the most profound musical compositions of all time is the Quartet for the End of Time written by French composer Olivier Messiaen in 1940. Messiaen was 31 years old when France entered the war against Nazi Germany. He was captured by the Germans in June of 1940, sent across Germany in a cattle car and imprisoned in a concentration camp.

He was fortunate to find a sympathetic prison guard who gave him paper and a place to compose. There were three other musicians in the camp, a cellist, a violinist, and a clarinetist, and Messiaen wrote his quartet with these specific players in mind. It was performed in January 1941 for four thousand prisoners and guards in the prison camp. Today it is one of the most famous masterworks in the repertoire.

Given what we have since learned about life in the concentration camps, why would anyone in his right mind waste time and energy writing or playing music? There was barely enough energy on a good day to find food and water, to avoid a beating, to stay warm, to escape torture-why would anyone bother with music? And yet-from the camps, we have poetry, we have music, we have visual art; it wasn’t just this one fanatic Messiaen; many, many people created art. Why? Well, in a place where people are only focused on survival, on the bare necessities, the obvious conclusion is that art must
be, somehow, essential for life. The camps were without money, without hope, without commerce, without recreation, without basic respect, but they were not without art. Art is part of survival; art is part of the human spirit, an unquenchable expression of who we are. Art is one of the ways in which we say, “I am alive, and my life has meaning.”

On September 12, 2001 I was a resident of Manhattan. That morning I reached a new understanding of my art and its relationship to the world. I sat down at the piano that morning at 10 AM to practice as was my daily routine; I did it by force of habit, without thinking about it. I lifted the cover on the keyboard, and opened my music, and put my hands on the keys and took my hands off the keys. And I sat there and thought, does this even matter? Isn’t this completely irrelevant? Playing the piano right now, given what happened in this city yesterday, seems silly, absurd, irreverent, pointless. Why am I here? What place has a musician in this moment in time? Who needs a piano player right now? I was completely lost.

And then I, along with the rest of New York, went through the journey of getting through that week. I did not play the piano that day, and in fact I contemplated briefly whether I would ever want to play the piano again. And then I observed how we got through the day.

At least in my neighborhood, we didn’t shoot hoops or play Scrabble. We didn’t play cards to pass the time, we didn’t watch TV, we didn’t shop, we most certainly did not go to the mall. The first organized activity that I saw in New York, that same day, was singing. People sang. People sang around fire houses, people sang “We Shall Overcome”. Lots of people sang America the Beautiful. The first organized public event that I remember was the Brahms Requiem, later that week, at Lincoln Center, with the New York Philharmonic. The first organized public expression of grief, our first
communal response to that historic event, was a concert. That was the beginning of a sense that life might go on. The US Military secured the airspace, but recovery was led by the arts, and by music in particular, that very night.

From these two experiences, I have come to understand that music is not part of “arts and entertainment” as the newspaper section would have us believe. It’s not a luxury, a lavish thing that we fund from leftovers of our budgets, not a plaything or an amusement or a pass time. Music is a basic need of human survival. Music is one of the ways we make sense of our lives, one of the ways in which we express feelings when we have no words, a way for us to understand things with our hearts when we can’t with our minds.

Some of you may know Samuel Barber’s heartwrenchingly beautiful piece Adagio for Strings. If you don’t know it by that name, then some of you may know it as the background music which accompanied the Oliver Stone movie Platoon, a film about the Vietnam War. If you know that piece of music either way, you know it has the ability to crack your heart open like a walnut; it can make you cry over sadness you didn’t know you had. Music can slip beneath our conscious reality to get at what’s really going on inside us the way a good therapist does.

I bet that you have never been to a wedding where there was absolutely no music. There might have been only a little music, there might have been some really bad music, but I bet you there was some music. And something very predictable happens at weddings-people get all pent up with all kinds of emotions, and then there’s some musical moment where the action of the wedding stops and someone sings or plays the flute or something. And even if the music is lame, even if the quality isn’t good, predictably 30 or 40 percent of the people who are going to cry at a wedding cry a couple of moments after the music starts. Why? The Greeks. Music allows us to move
around those big invisible pieces of ourselves and rearrange our insides so that we can express what we feel even when we can’t talk about it. Can you imagine watching Indiana Jones or Superman or Star Wars with the dialogue but no music? What is it about the music swelling up at just the right moment in ET so that all the softies in the audience start crying at exactly the same moment? I guarantee you if you showed the movie with the music stripped out, it wouldn’t happen that way. The Greeks: Music is the understanding of the relationship between invisible internal objects.

I’ll give you one more example, the story of the most important concert of my life. I must tell you I have played a little less than a thousand concerts in my life so far. I have played in places that I thought were important. I like playing in Carnegie Hall; I enjoyed playing in Paris; it made me very happy to please the critics in St. Petersburg. I have played for people I thought were important; music critics of major newspapers, foreign heads of state. The most important concert of my entire life took
place in a nursing home in Fargo, ND, about 4 years ago.

I was playing with a very dear friend of mine who is a violinist. We began, as we often do, with Aaron Copland’s Sonata, which was written during World War II and dedicated to a young friend of Copland’s, a young pilot who was shot down during the war. Now we often talk to our audiences about the pieces we are going to play rather than providing them with written program notes. But in this case, because we began the concert with this piece, we decided to talk about the piece later in the program and to just come out and play the music without explanation.

Midway through the piece, an elderly man seated in a wheelchair near the front of the concert hall began to weep. This man, whom I later met, was clearly a soldier-even in his 70’s, it was clear from his buzz-cut hair, square jaw and general demeanor that he had spent a good deal of his life in the military. I thought it a little bit odd that someone would be moved to tears by that particular movement of that particular piece, but it wasn’t the first time I’ve heard crying in a concert and we went on with the
concert and finished the piece.

When we came out to play the next piece on the program, we decided to talk about both the first and second pieces, and we described the circumstances in which the Copland was written and mentioned its dedication to a downed pilot. The man in the front of the audience became so disturbed that he had to leave the auditorium. I honestly figured that we would not see him again, but he did come backstage afterwards, tears and all, to explain himself.

What he told us was this: “During World War II, I was a pilot, and I was in an aerial combat situation where one of my team’s planes was hit. I watched my friend bail out, and watched his parachute open, but the Japanese planes which had engaged us returned and machine gunned across the parachute chords so as to separate the parachute from the pilot, and I watched my friend drop away into the ocean, realizing that he was lost. I have not thought about this for many years, but during that first piece of music you played, this memory returned to me so vividly that it was as though I was reliving it. I didn’t understand why this was happening, why now, but then when you came out to explain that this piece of music was written to commemorate a lost pilot, it was a little more than I could handle. How does the music do that? How did it find those feelings and those memories in me?

Remember the Greeks: music is the study of invisible relationships between internal objects. This concert in Fargo was the most important work I have ever done. For me to play for this old soldier and help him connect, somehow, with Aaron Copland, and to connect their memories of their lost friends, to help him remember and mourn his friend, this is my work. This is why music matters.

What follows is part of the talk I will give to this year’s freshman class when I welcome them a few days from now. The responsibility I will charge your sons and daughters with is this: “If we were a medical school, and you were here as a med student practicing appendectomies, you’d take your work very seriously because you would imagine that some night at two AM someone is going to waltz into your emergency room and you’re going to have to save their life. Well, my friends, someday at 8 PM someone is going to walk into your concert hall and bring you a mind that is confused, a heart that is overwhelmed, a soul that is weary. Whether they go out whole again will depend partly on how well you do your craft.

You’re not here to become an entertainer, and you don’t have to sell yourself. The truth is you don’t have anything to sell; being a musician isn’t about dispensing a product, like selling used Chevies. I’m not an entertainer; I’m a lot closer to a paramedic, a firefighter, a rescue worker. You’re here to become a sort of therapist for the human soul, a spiritual version of a chiropractor, physical therapist, someone who works with our insides to see if they get things to line up, to see if we can come into harmony with ourselves and be healthy and happy and well.

Frankly, ladies and gentlemen, I expect you not only to master music; I expect you to save the planet. If there is a future wave of wellness on this planet, of harmony, of peace, of an end to war, of mutual understanding, of equality, of fairness, I don’t expect it will come from a government, a military force or a corporation. I no longer even expect it to come from the religions of the world, which together seem to have brought us as much war as they have peace. If there is a future of peace for humankind, if there is to be an understanding of how these invisible, internal things should fit together, I expect it will come from the artists, because that’s what we
do.

As in the concentration camp and the evening of 9/11, the artists are the ones who might be able to help us with our internal, invisible lives.”

BloG #30: Official Launch of Alpine Road Publishing

Given the new spirit of change and re-direction in the air, JavaMusiK is taking this opportunity to roll out a new direction as well.

In response to repeated requests, one of our stated goals has been to release transcriptions of my music compositions as they become available. Recently, this has become a priority that we are working hard to chip away at. When I play live, we always get requests for written versions of the music, so we realize it can help increase our market share considerably, thus improving our bottom line. So, here it is!

Our newest subsidiary is officially being launched to handle the printed works associated with our music. Alpine Road Publishing will primarily be involved in the marketing and distribution of written music transcriptions recorded on JavaMusiK as well as other written works. Presently, two transcriptions are completed and more will be finished soon.


Our publishing is being handled by two online outlets:

1. Alpine Road Publishing at lulu.com. All written works will be available here, as well as recordings of any pieces to be distributed.

2. Alpine Road Publishing at sibeliusmusic.com. Music transcriptions are written on Sibelius software, so this site hosts the originals directly from the software, as opposed to pdf versions hosted and distributed elsewhere. A free download of Scorch software will need to be downloaded from the site to preview transcriptions.


In retrospect,this brings JavaMusiK into a new and exciting direction. Up to this point, the JavaMusiK umbrella has consisted of:

1. JavaMusiK, which is primarily concerned with the marketing and distribution of the recorded works (and merchandise) of Jeff Van Devender.

2. JMK Ceremony Music, responsible for providing live music for various occasions.

Now, we officially add:
3. Alpine Road Publishing, responsible for marketing & distribution of all written works associated with JavaMusiK &/or and of it's subsidiaries.


Please consider helping support our ventures by purchasing a product. Links to all of our products can be accessed at www.JavaMusiK.com.

BloG #29: An Exercise In Futility? Or...

Twas the night after Thanksgiving when all through the west,
Not a creature was stirring - not even a guest.

The tryptophan was settled in our bellies with care,
In hopes that college football soon would be there...


Unfortunately, Nebraska pulled one away from Colorado today, but these days the University of Colorado football program has not given the casual fan much to cheer about, other than remaining somewhat controversy-free for a couple years now. In terms of finding something to be thankful for, I guess that would be it for CU football. At least it appears Iowa will be bowl-bound. What a way to finish their regular season with a 55-0 trouncing over Minnesota!! Way-to-go Hawkeyes!!!

As for other things beyond college football, I am thankful to have finally had family to celebrate a Colorado Thanksgiving with for once. This is a new thing, after all the years I have lived in Colorado with my wife & daughters. We joined my mother & cousin for a beautiful dinner in Longmont, then enjoyed shopping & the Christmas Parade in Estes Park the next evening before consuming Thanksgiving leftovers at our Timeshare in Estes.

As mentioned in a previous blog, 2008 has been a year of much change for me & the changes keep coming! This weekend will mark the end of an era for me, to be immediately followed by a new one. Every Sunday for the last 5 - 7 years, I have been playing piano/organ for 2 churches in the Colorado Roaring Fork Valley. 5 years at one church & 7 years at the other.

After this Sunday, I will be changing churches. A mentor, whom I owe a debt of gratitude for inspiring me to take on such a ministry, is retiring at the church I previously attended. Big shoes to fill & while I can never replace her, I hope to at least fulfill and continue the inspiring music ministry that has been such a tradition at this church.

This move comes with mixed emotions. While I am excited at the new prospects from moving to a bigger church and the potential opportunities, I grieve the loss of what has become a family to me at the church I am leaving. I have learned from past experience that leaving a positive relationship can be painful and sometimes leave you full of regret.

The church I am leaving has been extremely good to me for the 5 years I have been there and while I leave them with no regrets, I am mindful that they may be without a full replacement for awhile. Changing teaching assignments earlier this year actually resulted in a similar situation. And in the last 2 weeks, I have had to choose between the two schools I am currently teaching at. Very soon, I will be only teaching at one of those schools, due to rapid growth and addition of a new music teaching position.

I am finding myself needing to make choices quickly and consider what may ultimately offer me the most bang for my own buck. Having been burned in the process more than once, I move forward on these choices with a slight degree of trepidation. People, including myself & my family, are affected by what I choose and I am highly mindful of that.

On another note, I am excited about losing 25 lbs since summer and looking forward to losing 25 more before next summer. The key for me has been to go slow & steady. I seem to have stumbled upon a couple changes in lifestyle that are helping to push back the years of punishment that I had been previously placing on my system. Primarily, replacing a singular bad dietary choice with a much better one.

Time will tell whether all the changes I have plowed through this year will ultimately be positive or another exercise in futility and self-destruction, as with previous attempts at throwing caution to the wind. Meanwhile, I prefer to think my father has had a hand in some of the positive changes for me this year after losing him to complications from cancer. I know it may sound crazy & a bit out there, but it helps me to move on & begin to accept his premature loss.

If you have read this post this far, I want to apologize for taking such precious time from your otherwise productive day. While this writing is my own exercise in finding a voice in text, you are by no means obligated to suffer through reading such an exercise. But if you did, you have both my congratulations and condolences. =)

-blessings,

Jeff

BloG #28: Ch,Ch,Ch,Ch,Changes

So a couple weeks ago I'm driving home from Denver, passing through New Castle, CO when suddenly a bright ball of fire with a very prominent green tail falls from the sky. The tail stretched and lingered across the horizon of the western sky from ground level to above the top of my windshield. Very impressive!

Also potentially kind of cosmic, considering a couple of factors involving my current state of affairs. After 17 years of teaching, I just started a new teaching position in 2 schools in New Castle. And now, after 10 years living in Rifle, we are moving to New Castle within the month.

Was this a sign? Or merely coincidence? Whatever way it is taken, it was the most remarkable meteor I have ever seen. As one who frequently takes a walk late at night, I have seen my fair share.

Tonight, I made a point to watch the presidential debate, as many people did. Supposedly, this year's theme seems to be all about 'change' with both major party candidates. I question that when they both come from inside the beltway, but I digress...

I seem to be doing my part this year in working with that theme. Enough so that as I was reflecting during my walk tonight, I began to wonder if I should maybe seek counseling to maintain some sort of sanity through all this 'change' currently taking place in my own life.?.. nah!

The year 2008 seemed to start normal enough. Aside from being voted to serve a second term as a district rep to the music educators state assembly, nothing out of the ordinary... until April.

Exactly 2 weeks after a visit with my parents in Iowa, my father's soul left his broken body from complications related to cancer. He was only 70 years old. Previously that evening, my mother & I were discussing the options she was going to have to pursue that next day as he had reached the point where extra care was becoming necessary.

During my last visit, I helped drive him to Des Moines for his daily radiation treatments for a few days. Not fully grasping that these drives would be our final moments together, I now feel blessed that we did get to spend some time alone together to visit and share. It is quite overwhelming to reflect on that time at this point and realize the life closure that was taking place over those three days we spent together in the car. Things that were both said and left unsaid keep passing through my mind, as I'm sure will continue to happen for awhile until perspective can eventually clarify as it often does once enough time & distance have taken their course.

Continuing with the 'change' theme for this year, I accepted an aforementioned job offer. Conditions beyond my control forced me to either bite the bullet financially or seek alternative avenues. Aside from a few bumps in the road, this particular change has been a very positive one for me and my family.

The next change to take place was my finally completing the masters degree program of study. The last year was devoted to preparing my thesis project and lecture demonstration recital. The process was a great learning experience, but one I don't care to repeat any time soon. The upside was my getting to spend some time with my mother as I was wrapping up the project for six weeks this summer. I think that was good for both of us, after losing Dad two months earlier. Coffee-time with Dad's friends was also therapeutic in it's own way.

Earlier in the year during a research phase of my masters project, I spent some extended time with my cousin due to his proximity to University of Colorado. As an aside, he has been experiencing his own version of change this year in the form of divorce proceedings, and is now a new Colorado resident in addition to that fracture. Back to the topic at hand, my graduation felt like a great release and I was greatly relieved to be finished! Another positive change.

At about the same time as graduation took place, we closed on an upgraded summer home in Lake Geneva, WI. During my summertime studies in Chicago the last few years, my family has resided in Lake Geneva where they could be near and with family along with a beautiful lake and upscale community. Our new place will make future stays a bit more comfortable. Again, change that is positive.

Finally, 2008 is closing with our family preparing to move after 10 years in our current residence. We have found a house that is bigger, newer and in a nicer neighborhood. It will be walking distance for my commute to work. I look forward to completing this change and am anticipating another positive.

As you can see, much significant change. Much of it positive. Losing a parent is a tough one to swallow and I only wish Dad could have stuck around long enough to see some of the other changes that we experienced. He would have appreciated many of them.

I worry about what type of 'change' our two candidates are really thinking of despite whatever it is they are saying they mean. Much seems to have gone wrong lately, but we also have a lot to be thankful for. I just hope whatever 'change' these guys are envisioning is not detrimental to our quality of life we all take for granted.

The falling star I saw on that drive home just happened to take place as I was passing through the community where my new job is and new home will be. I have made many mis-steps throughout my life, some which I have never forgiven myself for. I can only hope that this was possibly a sign being sent to me that the recent changes I've been in the midst of on a personal level are indeed positive for the long run. Time will tell, I guess. As for that counseling idea mentioned above.?.. Get real! =)

BloG #27: Route 451 on YouTube

We're finally in the YouTube age here at JavaMusiK. Route 451 is posted here if the video doesn't play from this page.

Blog #26: My Personal Educational Mission is Complete!

July 26, 2008 - I walked across the stage and was officially awarded my Masters of Music Education degree from VanderCook College of Music in Chicago at Orchestra Hall, home of The Chicago Symphony.

After 3 intense summers of study and time secluded away from family, the moment & feeling of finally being finished and receiving the diploma was literally indescribable. The only thing that could have made the day any better would have been to have my father there.

Unfortunately that was not to be, due to his passing April 11 - 15 weeks prior. I know he was there in spirit. Dad left a huge footprint in the field of instrumental music education. He achieved his masters degree at a much earlier point in his life than I. His success and impact upon others as a music educator now serves as a burning inspiration for me to strive for more excellence in my efforts. I can honestly say I haven't always been able to offer such a perspective. He set a great example.

Thankfully, I was honored to have the 4 most important people in my life present on that day. My mother, wife and daughters were all there to celebrate that day with me.

I have learned that they don't just give these things away. The saying goes, "If they did give them away, everyone would have one." As much as I cursed the process nearly every step of the way, I truly feel like something got accomplished here in the end. Now, I guess I need to see if I can put it to any use. lol!

Meanwhile, July 26, 2008 was truly a day I will never forget!!!

Blog #25: Ten Years?..!!

10 Year Approach . . . (January 2008 will be the official anniversary)
Where does the time go??? Nearly 10 years have passed and what a ride it has been!

To celebrate our upcoming anniversary, JavaMusiK will share some stories of historical significance, over the course of the next few months, about the formation, struggles and successes along the way. (The first such story is shared below.)

As these stories are compiled, they will be added to the www.JavaMusiK.com archives here on our own JavaBlog. If you read this and have something to add or share, please e-mail us at javamusik@gmail.com . We'll make sure to include your perspective in the next issue of this newsletter! (If you haven't subscribed to The JavaMusiK Newsletter, get on it! Sign up in the following box. We have no access to your e-mail addresses since subscriptions are moderated by a third party - CafePress.com .)

Sign up to receive the JavaMusiK Newsletter!

Be sure to scroll down to see what special offer is being included to help celebrate 10 years of JavaMusiK.
Link: http://javamusik.com

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The First Days . . .

January 4, 1998 - Jeff Van Devender loaded his gear and headed for a studio in Minnesota 50 miles from his residence on a cold winter Sunday. Enroute on his first trip, his car overheated and broke down half way to the studio, forcing Jeff to place a call from a country farmhouse for the studio owner to come pick him and his equipment up so the first session could begin.

Thus began the venture.. or adventure....

Ascend was recorded over the course of several Sundays between January and March 1998 in a small studio above a boutique in Minnesota Lake, MN.

Release date was July 10, 1998. The first promotional concert was held at the Methodist Church in Swea City, IA. That show also served as a farewell to the community, since Jeff was preparing to move to Colorado within a month's time. Many more shows followed throughout the summer and fall seasons with varied successes, including a well-received homecoming showcase in Oskaloosa, IA.

Each show was a new and exciting experience for audience and performer alike. The first couple shows featured a warm and much appreciated introduction by Jeff's father, William Van Devender. The build-up from that intro was incomparable and helped get Jeff and the audiences psyched for the show.

Upon moving to Colorado, full page articles in Vail, Aspen and Glenwood Springs newspapers helped attract a sizeable audience to a series of shows featuring Van Devender throughout the fall season of 1998.

Spring 1999 saw Jeff head up an effort to host a charitable concert for Kosovo featuring musicians from up and down the Roaring Fork Valley. It was hugely successful and foreshadowed another charitable cause down the road....

More JavaMusiK perspectives can be found here throughout The JavaMusiK Blog. Feel free to peruse...
Link: http://javamusik.blogspot.com/2004/06/index-of-javamusik-blog.html

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In Celebration of 10 Years . . .

Here's where you can find our deal celebrating the upcoming 10 year anniversary of JavaMusiK:

Several years ago, JavaMusiK used to offer a Friends and Family discount every Fall season. This sale will be similar, but we're adding a twist. Here is how it works:

If you order something through http://cafepress.com/javamusik - $15 minimum order - we will ship you a JavaMusiK cd of your choice (Ascend, Bending Chords or Highlights). You will need to e-mail your shipping address to us at javamusik@gmail.com .

In addition, we are bringing back the 5 dollar sale for any cd with free shipping in the continental US. Order as many as you need (& more!!). Payment (credit card, etc.) can be handled through PayPal. E-mail us & we will guide you through it or use the PayPal Donate link at http://javamusik.com .

*Give us the code "JavaMusiK RoX" to get a free JavaMusiK button or bumper sticker with your order.
This promotion will be valid through January 31, 2008.
Link: http://javamusik.com

Blog #24: A Post I made at IndieHangout.com

The following is a post I feel strongly about concerning the slow & sad death of a forum many indie musicians used to thrive at. We shared many an idea & conversation there, but many
factors have forced the site into near-cyber-oblivian. I post this here as a back-up, in case the posting gets deleted by moderators.
Jeff

Here is the posting, titled "errrrrrr!!!! (he said with a high screeching voice)":

The IH forums are moving about as fast as me getting a new cd out! ba-dum-bump

The IH forums are nearly as entertaining as an Al Gore choreographed dance routine. ba-dum-bump

The IH forums make recent Van Halen reunion attempts look promising. ba-dum-bump

The IH forums have made even yet another Rocky Balboa comeback seem possible. ba-dum-bump

The IH forums have put on brakes Midas would be proud of! ba-dum-bump

The IH forums need some new life breathed into it's lungs. C'mon people!

This is going to sound like I'm baiting you & maybe I am, but I visited F**EnD*R recently for giggles & noticed they are still thriving over there, with even a few IH'ers contributing. Meanwhile, IH is looking more & more like a dead dog on the side of the road with no-one seeming to give a rat's behind. The old excuse that the days of forums are over is a lame excuse at best.

Why has this place been allowed to dive this way? Everyone seemed so passionate a couple years back. Especially in being so anti F3R. Was that the only thing that drove everyone here? Is that all she wrote? Are you all done? Just give up the ship & disband?

Seems the only time anyone has anything to say is if Mike M. makes another mind-bending contribution. Even the most recent Damien Project yogurt tosses have raised barely an eyebrow here.

IT'S TIME FOR A GUT-CHECK HERE FOLKS!

Why not re-kindle some friendships & bring in some new artists to share the love & regenerate a good idea, otherwise just admit this was a failed experiment & say so at the top of the page. Post a bold statement that the dream is over inder the IH banner. I would find that sad, but at least it would offer some closure, which seems to be needed, sort of.

I believed in you guys. Closed up my Premium F3R account.

So sad, she wrote. So sad.

Sincerely,

Jeff

Blog #23: Life Can Serve Some Tough Lessons

Editor's note: I wrote this particular post 2 years ago, after coming home from another funeral of a student. I decided to not immediately post it for several reasons. It was just too close. Now, with some time & distance behind me, I feel more comfortable sharing...

This week has driven home for me, and people I work with, a renewed sense of mortality which cannot be overstated.

I am not going to go into details of this particular lesson which was driven home, other than to say I have lost 4 students & former students in tragic circumstances this year. The death of a child is a tough lesson to accept. How can a parent possibly be expected to cope with such a lesson? To see innocence robbed from a very young soul, whether it be from a life cut short, or another tragic condition requires answers which may not seem possible in this life form to retrieve.

As a Christian, I have faith that young souls which leave before their time will 'go home' to our Heavenly Father. I have been taught this and find it comforting to believe. Still, a parent with such a loss is expected to cope with many hopes and dreams ultimately left in the dust. How do they regain that composure?

I do not have answers for these questions today. I am simply acknowledging a prominent sensation which has currently overtaken and shaken my senses. Maybe it is because I am a parent and cannot imagine how I would react.

The immediate lesson I take from this is to cherish every moment you have with those you love, because you never know what tomorrow brings.


JavaMusiK - Piano-Based Instrumentals from Western Slope, CO