To all ,
Proud day for the Love family, today the 13 years of piano lessons paid off. A few months back my 18 year old Dylan Mathew Love Was invited By Texas Christian University to compete in the Nordan scholarship Competition, an honor in itself. From this event there are two full ride scholarships at stake The Nordan and the Chancellors
For this event he played a classical music composition of his own on the piano. Well yesterday the Fed Ex truck dropped off a package for him , A Purple leather bound award to him from the Chancellor for a full ride , majoring in Music Composition at TCU. This has been his dream to attend TCU here in Fort Worth ever since visiting the campus last year. To say we are proud is an understatement.
Last year he applied for acceptance to TCU, upon doing so he was asked to submit his portfolio along with some of his compositions. Shortly there after he was contacted by the director of the music dept for an interview. During the interview he was asked by the director if he sees colors when he plays, Dylan sort of surprised by the question replied well actually I do as he has never disclosed this to anyone before, wife and I included. He then asked how the director observed this from reading his compositions. The director then explained to him an average student submitting their compositions for acceptance compose in one note where as his composition used them all , apparently there is clinical term for this ability to see colors in relation to music ( it escapes me now) and he has it , Who new? His piano teacher Mrs Dee Walraven observed his potential many years ago as he became her favorite student . This woman has been instrumental in guiding him down the correct path to where he is today, His first call was to her expressing his eternal gratitude. Thanks for reading
Tom.
Replies
Wow Tom, that is just wonderful! My heartiest congrats .. and a wonderful story.
Regards from Perth
Derek
Derek,
Thankyou much for the congrats.
Tom.
This is really an awesome accomplishment for your son, besides the fact that it's gonna save his parents a lot of money. (grin) This is actually also a great accomplishment for his parents too. You obviously provided an environment that nurtured his talent and now you will all reap the rewards.
Ron
Ron ,
Much thanks to you as well, You have no Idea what a relief this is in this economy, he worked very hard to achieve this and made us even more proud than we could ever imagine.
Tom.
Congratulations, and enjoy the moment.
Walnutz,
Thankyou sir , we surely will.
Tom.
Tom,
Congratulations to your and the boyo.
The term for cross-sense thingymijigs is:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synaesthesia
I myself often smell strange things when certain music plays. However, it is generally the ladywife's dinner burning as I have got carried away listening to the wonderous stuff emitted by BBC Radio 3, whilst I loll on the pink settee with the cat in a rapture.
Lataxe
David,
Thankyou as well and thanks for the link.
Tom.
tom,
synesthesia. smelling those colors while he composes and seeing those lovely smells as geometric configurations goes with it as well. you son is probably a bit of a genius. congratulations. i hope he gets to run free with his gifts.
eef
Eef,
Thankyou for the kind words.
Tom.
Congratulations! Classical music is a big part of our life at home -- though I haven't any talent for it other than comfortably listening, preferably with the cat curled in my lap (let it be noted that Lataxe and I have something in common!) When I see and hear young people with so much talent who've accomplished so much so fast, it often makes me wonder what I've been doing all these years.
Synaesthesia is a really marvelous phenomenon -- anyone who doesn't know about it should check it out with a Google search. I actually feel a little cheated because so few people get to experience it and I wish I were one of them. However, I find that I do my best design work in my head when I'm sitting in a concert hall listening to a great piece of music, so I suppose I have a little music induced phenomenon of my own to enjoy.
Will look forward to hearing about your son's continued success, maybe on a concert stage inspiring some great furniture design!
Verne
If a tree falls in the forest, and no one is there to cut it up and make something with it . . . what a waste!
gofigure5,Congratulations, you did good kid, you married well. Now stay out in the shop and don't screw it up..:)
Bg ,
If I spend any more time in the shop my family would only see me for the holidays. Thakyou very much
Tom.
Verne ,
Thankyou, As for classical music he has made me take notice and become a fan myself. After all these years of hearing the none stop practice and witnessing his progress I must say I feel privileged to have such a talent within ear shot. In his excitement shortly after receiving the news he was back on the piano with a new found exuberance playing his heart out, in his own way celebrating his realization of his achievement ( kind of choked me up) He is really something to witness.
Tom.
WONDERFUL..
I for one have a very tin ear after by time in the USA Armored Artillary.
I do love music of most, but not all types. Classics and Cagin', Blues, Country fer' me..
And classic Chinese.. I can hear that!
I wish Dylan Mathew Love all the best and then some!
Will,
Thankyou kind Sir. Hey Will I have a nice piece of purple heart with tiger stripe in it , as TCU's Color is purple I am planning on making him a nice little display for his Chancellors award.
Thanks again Tom.
I use and have seen ALOT of Purpleheart. I have never seen any with tiger stripe. Or even when quarter sawn on my bandsaw.. It all looks the same!
Great find!
For the most part Will I have not seen much either. A few months back I found a piece of 4/4 with some nice stripe. I have been back to the yard a few times since then and low and behold I see a bunch more in 8/4 .
Tom.
Congrats to both parents and the kids. I've often thought of the term "gifted child" to mean the "gift" as being being the parents that encourage and monitor their child's education from day one. So pat yourselves on the back also.
And by the way, don't eat too many of those Dutch's bleu cheese and bacon burgers!
Go Frogs.
I've often thought of the term "gifted child" to mean the "gift" as being being the parents that encourage and monitor their child's education from day one.
Right on! I have two from China.. They are SO SMART. Nothing like what I imagine that I was as a child!
My grandbabies seem so happy, EVEN with a PH'D something in Education (the Father) and the Mom a school teacher (Masters). They thrive on learning and I'd say they are so happy when I 'babysit'. I just let them play and I yell alot if they are doing something that (in mymind) will hurt them!
Congratulations! I am glad you shared this moment of pride with us!
A gift for music is truly a wondrous thing.
I myself have only achieved synesthesia with the aid of chemicals and can play nothing more than a good sound reproduction system.
May his pursuit of this art bring him happiness and fulfillment.
He is truly a lucky man and you are lucky parents for him to be so gifted.
I rejoice with you.
................................................
Men will never be free until the last king is strangled with the entrails of the last priest.
~ Denis Diderot
Donald ,
And I thank you for the kind words as well.
Tom.
Good on ya, Dad!
It's been more than a dozen years since my daughter was auditioning for scholarships to music school, so my memories of both the anticipation/anxiety and the excitement are growing a bit dim. Thanks for the refresher!
She didn't get a single "full ride" scholarship -- but instead got numerous scholarships that added up to almost full coverage. I remember that her college cost me less than $100 per month while she attended -- and nothing before or since.
Absolutely wonderful.
Having recently paid the last tuition for law school for the younger one.
You are very lucky parents.
ASK
Way to go. Your pride is oozing through my monitor, and rightfully so. We could use more parents like you.
Thanks Marti,
The credit all goes to my wife for all three kids, She is amazing.
Tom.
As someone who just made a check out to a college for my son! Fantastic!!!!! Glad to hear it.
If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it.
And if it stops moving, subsidize it.
Congratulations, Tom! The truly gifted musicians of the world are gifts to us all. He must be Mrs. Walraven's student-of-a-lifetime!
Thanks Jamie,
I am sure he is up there, he still takes lessons once a week from her and upon her recommendation he now has another teacher Mrs Bonnie Dove of whom he sees weekly as well.
Tom.
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