P.O. Box 29
27 School Street
Castine, Maine 04421
326-8608
www.adamsschool.com
Todd R. Nelson - Principal
326-8608
www.adamsschool.com
“Don’t
rush the spaces”
Waiting
is the hardest part. We
don’t customarily think of playing a musical instrument to be as much
about not making noise as making noise—not
blowing your trumpet, not plucking the bass string, not hitting the African drum. Learning
to play a solo, or in unison, or with syncopation is a special kind of
wait
training: learning to put silences between sounds is what makes the
sounds so
special.
African drummer Baba
Kevin Campbell had an interesting phrase he used when talking with our
kids on
Monday about the interstices between hits on their djembes and congas.
“Don’t
rush the spaces,” he said, as he was working with one group of drummers. It’s hard not to rush, since apparently
“nature abhors a vacuum.” But spaces in time and distance aren’t
necessarily
empty. They have a purpose. They are filled with something: silence,
longing,
anticipation, room. Spaces hold something even when we see or hear
nothing
inside them.
Beyond playing music,
Baba Kevin’s phrase made me consider the number of times in a day that
we are
all tempted to “rush the spaces” between “notes.”
Observation is a
valuable skill and can’t take place with depth and mindfulness if we’re
rushing
into the space. Take watching our glorious monarch butterfly
chrysalises for
instance, and the space between caterpillar and winged insect. Or just
the
space that the newly hatched butterfly takes to let its wings dry,
preparing
for flight. What does it think so as not
to rush the space? And then as soon as it takes flight, it’s gotta rush the space from here to
In art class, when
our kids go out to draw Castine buildings from a common perspective,
they are
accustomed to not rushing the negative spaces. What’s not
told by pencil lines or paint or clay is as important as what’s
been filled in. The same can be said of narrative technique in writing.
Any
mystery writer knows that the mere mention of a door, or perhaps an old
seaman’s chest locked shut, having been recently discovered in a dark
recess of
the derelict attic, is a tempting or even horrifying lack of
description. Don’t rush the spaces between
words—and don’t
open that door…just yet!
The 60 feet, six
inches of space between the pitcher’s mound and the strike zone is one
of the
most sublime stretches of anticipation and longing in the known
universe.
“Swing batter!” Or, “No, don’t swing!” An instant’s decision about
timing and
rhythm and space creates the grand slam symphony or ignominious sour
note.
Don’t rush the spaces between curveball release and swing.
A physicist might
understand distances in time and space somewhat differently. Consider
the
interstellar and intergalactic voids to be observed in the universe.
And all
that’s observable by our eyes doesn’t even add up to the quantum values
for
known matter. There must be something in the spaces that we don’t yet
understand. Spaces await description, definition, and understanding.
They
contain dark matter. Keep listening to the spaces of light years.
Waiting is also
anticipation, getting ready for that next beat, the next cadence, the
next
chance to imitate baba Kevin and echo his beguiling rhythms—or the
chance to
swing at
whatever
junk that lefty pitcher can muster, standing so confidently sixty feet
away.
Now we await the next
chance to hit the real African drums again with Baba Kevin. We will use
our 5
gallon plastic “congas” and big blue Rubbermaid recycling bin “djembes”
during
recess in the meanwhile. Yes, waiting is the hardest part.
—Todd
Soccer Games next week. On Monday, we play at Brooksville.
On Wednesday, we play at Brooklin.
Open House: October 17th…Please join us for a
look
around the school, slide show from this year, introductions and
presentations
of school program. We’ll begin at
Readers Theater
on Tuesday, October 3rd has been canceled.
It will resume October
10th.
Soccer Round Robin to be
Rescheduled: We will play our
soccer round robin on either the
evening of October 16th or the afternoon of Sunday, October
29th.
We await the outcome of the MMA soccer season to know which date is
available.
Sunday would be our preference.
Thanks! We managed to spread 120 cubic yards of
cedar ships
throughout the school playground last Saturday, despite the rain.
Thanks to all
the volunteers who made it possible. The playground and garden area is
safer,
level, and very fragrant!
Thank you CEF. Dear Castine Education Foundation: We had a
terrific
time with Kevin Campbell learning about African music and playing the
drums.
Thank you for making it possible.
Long Weekend ahead: Reminder that the next two weeks are
shortened by the
Friday, October 6 teacher inservice, and the Monday holiday (10/9).
Fire Drill #2. Sometime next week, we will turn on the loud
fire
alarm and practice exiting the building…quietly and quickly.!
School Board Meeting: School board meetings have shifted to the
first Wednesday of the month. Next week the
school board meets on Wednesday at
Monday – Corn Dogs, Tater
Tots, Pears, No Bake Cookie, Milk
Tuesday – Ham & Cheese
Weds.
– Chicken Tacos, Salad,
Pineapple, Roll, Milk
Thursday – Pizza, Salad,
Peaches, Roll, Milk
Friday –NO SCHOOL (teacher
inservice day)