Or "A hunkered-down holiday". My father was supposed to come visit us over Thanksgiving, and I was supposed to go visit him and my brother for their mid-December birthdays this week, but rising COVID cases made both of those trips a Bad Idea. Well, there is light at the end of the tunnel: vaccinations started yesterday, and we have Jan. 20 to look forward to. Thanksgiving was just us two, then, carving into individual game hens (very tasty). But of the joyous Thanksgiving experiences was seeing my beloved Big Apple Corps marching band make their debut in the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade! (after some forty years of trying to get in) So here's the deal, if you've never been involved in an LGBTX-identified musical organization, you may not understand why having a Gay Marching Band is a big deal. It's functionally equivalent to any other marching band, right? just more rainbows on the flags and more male twirlers. But the importance of seeing something as wholesomely normal as a gay marching band on TV, for those kids struggling with their identity, especially in flyover states, cannot be underestimated. Visibility has always been our key to acceptance. And reading the Twitter reactions to the band's appearance, including such spot-on statements as "I cannot imagine how helpful it would have been to see something like this in high school", had me leaking tears as I scrolled through. So... I am so proud of them, and so proud of the work that they and all outreach performance organizations do. Because it Makes a Difference. --- I haven't recorded any inventions in a while, but I have three of them that are close to ready - hope to get at least one up this week. In the meantime, here's a holiday treat: I can then start work on a short piano version of the Sugar Plum Fairy, maybe that will come up soon too! Happy Holidays to all who see this! |
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