Tuesday, September 18, 2007

Intro

I am a return student and have a plan to transfer for a degree in music education. My main goal is to help return arts education back into the public school system. I have a lifelong interest in politics, ecology and the peace movement. My parents came to the U.S. in 1957, with three young children and a desire to leave the scars of WWII far behind. From my dad I picked up an internationalist/humanitarian point of view. From my mom, well -- she was a counterculture beatnik so I picked up a liberal view from her. I am married and my husband and I own a business, our second one in twenty years. My son is a freshman in college, so hopefully we'll get our degrees about the same time!
This summer, I joined a bluegrass band as a guest vocalist and guitar player. It was great fun. We played nine gigs and I learned a lot of beautiful music, some of which was over 100 years old. Bluegrass music often has political overtones, with laments over the Civil War, the Dust Bowl migrations, and the lives, the loves and the religions of common people.
Here we are at the Ananda Ashrama in La Crescenta. The band is called the "Bluegrass Billionaires."

5 comments:

Yohan said...

Hi, Naleni nice picture you got there. So, what kind of business do you own? may be you can give me discount... lol... j/k You seems very passionate about music and I hate the war~~!!! So, is "Bluegrass Billionaires." have billions of dollars ??

Nalini L said...

Hi Yohan:

I think the band name is an oxymoron, or ironic statement .... since most authentic folk music comes from the common folk, not the aristocracy. It's a "feel good" name. I'd love to be a billionaire, but this is probably as close as I'll get! Good to hear from you.
Nalini

R said...
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R said...

I've always been fascinated by bluegrass and country music (Do you know the Sons of the San Joaquin? I'm a huge fan). What are your favorite bluegrass artists?
I definitely think we need more arts, music, and critical thinking in our education. I've lived in LA for 5 years, and this place IS a cultural desert(no offense) compared to other big cities. I love that there are people like you working to improve the situation.

Jeff D. said...

Hi. Congrats on having an interesting first post!

See ya :)