“Music is an essential part of everything we do. Like puppetry, music has an abstract quality which speaks to a worldwide audience in a wonderful way that nourishes the soul.”
- Jim Henson – television producer and puppeteer

Why is that when school districts face financial crisis the first programs they look to cut are music and art education?

This week the Alton School District is planning on discussing the changes it will make to its curriculum in order to save money due to its increasing deficit. Some of those changes could include slashing programs in music and art.

I want to remind the elected school board officials that the U.S. Department of Education lists the arts as subjects that college-bound middle and junior high school students should take. The federal department states that “many colleges view participation in the arts and music as a valuable experience that broadens students’ understanding and appreciation of the world around them.”

Art programs are vital to producing well-rounded children. Kids need a break from the usual math or English class in school. They sit and listen for a majority of the day and a music or art class gives them something tangible to get their hands on and create something.

I believe it’s critically important for them to have the opportunity to broaden their minds and experience through participating in such programs. There are many qualities that are honed through music education, including discipline, team work, communication, perseverance, self-mastery, and courage.

These are the skills from which my son has benefited greatly and will continue to do so for the rest of his life.

I moved to Alton when my son was 7 years old. By the time he turned 9 he was in the Alton schools music program at Lovejoy Elementary. The first instrument he played was the viola.
In the fifth grade he changed instruments. He started playing the French horn, because he learned from his music teacher — Kenny King — that is what his mother played when she was in grade school. Mr. King has the ability to recall what all his classmates (I was one) played at Jerseyville’s West Elementary School.

By the time Cole was in sixth grade he switched to the trombone. Why? Well it’s the instrument his teacher played and he thought it would be more fun. To this day Cole still plays the trombone at Alton High School. He also plays several other instruments depending on what section he is performing with.

For Marching 100 he has played the baritone and euphonium. He plays the electric bass for pep band; trombone, the electric bass and stand-up bass for jazz band; and the trombone and stand-up bass for symphonic band. He went to the all-district jazz festival at McKendree College this past year and played the electric bass and stand-up bass.

Besides the instruments Cole plays at school, he also plays the guitar and keyboards. Music envelops every part of his life and I couldn’t be more grateful to the teachers who have encouraged him along the way.

As a child of divorced parents Cole has found comfort in music. It’s been the one constant in his life no matter what else happens. The thing I’ve noticed most is that Cole’s grades prior to music were “so so.” Since he picked up an instrument his grades have soared. I also know that playing is something he will continue to do for the rest of his life.

He has ambitions of going to college and studying music and possibly getting on the production end of it, but no matter what his choices his age will never limit his ability to keep playing. I mean look around and you will find 80 year olds who can still “swing a mean horn.”

Every year we all make resolutions to start or do something we haven’t done in awhile - exercise, lose weight, etc. Last year my one resolution was to not eat out as much and cook more often (something I love to do anyway.) I created menus for the week and it worked for awhile and then I moved. I haven’t created a menu in awhile, but I think I may start it again because even my son said he liked it. He even enjoyed helping out.

One of the things I would like to do is create new and exciting dinners. Cole is not a picky eater so anything I make he would pretty much eat, and if he didn’t he would at least try it before passing judgment on whether he liked it or not.

I’ve never made lamb before and it’s on my list of things to try. I purchased a lamb roast that is in the freezer and I plan to defrost it and cut it up for kabobs and serve with a spinach-feta-phyllo side. Kind of Mediterranean and Greek. There are a few other dishes I want to try that includes everything from Argentine to Zimbabwe foods.

Some of the things I really like to do is make appetizers. Whenever I have a party or get invited somewhere that I need to bring a dish I usually mix up something easy and quick. Here is a simple dip that served hot.

1lb sausage (if you want the dish extra hot get the spicy kind)
1 or 2 packages cream cheese depending on how thick you want it
1 can diced tomatoes with chiles

Cook sausage until brown and drain grease. Place back on burner and add cream cheese and stir until melted and then add tomatoes. Place in small crock pot and serve with tortilla chips. This makes a great Superbowl dip too.

If anyone has any great recipes you can be sure to send them my way. I’m always looking for good recipes, especially those that I know people have tried. Happy Cooking.

Yes it’s been quite awhile since I blogged. Busy, busy. That is one resolution, or rather goal, I plan on setting for myself. To update my blog more frequently.

So as the year ends you start to reflect on yourself and your achievements. Today as I read a story about notable people who died in 2009 it got me to thinking about those who made a difference in my life. They may be gone, but their memory will forever live on.

January - Author John Updike. Who can forget his Witches of Eastwick books? The first one was also the inspiration for the movie with Susan Sarandon, Cher and Michelle Pfeiffer.

April - Bea Arthur. I loved her in Maude, but better yet her Golden Girls persona ruled. Her attitude about growing old was “way cool.”

June -While many people were morning the death of the “King of Pop” I was more saddened by the loss of Farrah Fawcett. One of my favorite shows as a kid was Charlie’s Angels. I tuned in every week and I even collected the shows trading cards. Although Michael Jackson’s Thriller was a collective part of my youth it didn’t compare to watching Farrah as an empowering woman on screen.

August - For all of us who grew up in the 1980s this was the man who invented the “teen” movie. John Hughes had a huge impact on pop culture that even lasts through today. My favorite movies include, The Breakfast Club, Sixteen Candles, Weird Science, Pretty In Pink, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off and Home Alone. The characters created by Hughes defined a generation that will long be remembered.

September - Long before Dirty Dancing hit the big screen I was in awe of Patrick Swayze from when he appeared in The Outsiders and Red Dawn. I remember going to the theater to watch this movie on a date. His 1987 breakthrough role made all us girls want to go “Dirty Dancing.”

I’m sad today. I lost my kitty Phoenix. He was only 4 years old. He died of kidney failure. He is the second cat I’ve had that suffered from the illness. Phoenix is a Siamese and my other cat, Mr. Jones, was part Siamese. It makes me wonder.

Siamese cats are famous for their unique personality. Phoenix acted more like a dog sometimes than a cat. He was always at the door to greet me when I came home. He was pretty vocal too. He always let you know when he was in the room or wanted something. What I’m going to miss most though is when he would crawl up in bed with me. I will miss his persistent attitude to be pet, not matter if I were still sleeping or not.

Phoenix I love you and will miss you dearly.

I’m calling out to all women who are interested in fashion for an upcoming story in flaire for women. I’m looking for photos of fashion dos and don’ts. Send me a photo of yourself or of someone else and let me know what you think about the outfit.

Clothing style is something that not everyone will agree on, but there are common elements that people feel do make a good outfit - size, color and of style (think LBD.) .

Remember if you send pictures please be kind. What I’m looking for is if something you may think is or isn’t wearing something that is age appropriate or fits properly. Personal style plays into our fashion choices and just because you don’t like something doesn’t mean they don’t look good in it.

I don’t like tennis shoes with an outfit, unless its for fitness, but it doesn’t send me running away from people who wear them.

Send me your photos at cynthia_ellis @thetelegraph.com.

I’m bad…really bad. Why? Well I haven’t been keeping up with my blogging. In all actuality it seems like an easy task, but it’s not so simple when you have so many other things to do.

I think blogging is similar to writing in a journal, although not as personal. When I was young I used to write in a journal daily. I kept my most personal feelings inside and then when I was a senior in high school a boyfriend read it. I felt so violated. He then had the audacity to get mad at me for the things he read. Needless to say that was the end of us.

Later when I was in the military and kept a journal the same thing happened. Someone read what I wrote and I didn’t feel like writing anymore. I kept a diary so that one day I would be able to look back on my life and reminisce time to time. It also allowed me to remember the people who were in my life at the time.

In this age of technology there are fewer people who write in journals. They have turned to blogging online. However, blogging doesn’t tell people what you really feel. A journal is meant for you and it reflects your true feeling. Some of the best writing comes from personal experience - travel, work and personal problems - and you wouldn’t want everyone to see how you really feel about your boss, co-worker or husband now would you?

I also think of journals and diaries as part of history, without them we wouldn’t have the knowledge about the past and the people who wrote them. There is nothing like reading a first person experience to get the true tale.

There has been many famous individuals to document what is happening to them throughout history as well as what was happening in their country. Numerous diaries have been published that have hit a historical status and have remained as best sellers on literary lists throughout the world. Here are just a few to get you started:

Anne Frank, The Diary of Young Girl
Journals of the Lewis and Clark Expedition
The Journals of Sylvia Plath
Nuremberg Diary
The Diary of Virgina Woolf
A Woman Doctor’s Civil War: Esther Hill Hawks’ Diary (Women’s Diaries and Letters of the Nineteenth-Century South)

Most of the presidents kept diaries throughout their life and their term as president. We know this as we have several diaries from presidents including George Washington, John Quincy Adams and Thomas Jefferson. However, one unique diary belonged to President Harry S. Truman - Hiroshima:The Harry Truman Diary and Papers.

Truman would write notes and comments throughout the day. These may not have been official diary entries, but they are very poignant and show us how the president felt.

These unique accounts of historical diaries are yet another reason to keep a diary or journal. Although you may not be famous your journal may be an insight to your life later on . It most definitely would be an account that your family would enjoy long after you’re gone.

So tell me do you write in a journal or do you have a favorite one that you’ve read?

Let me start off by saying that yes, I am one of those mothers. If you ask I will tell you about my son and tell you what he’s up to. Why? Because I’m proud of him and of course he is an only child of a single parent and much of my energy has been focused on him.

Well last week he gained his independence. At least in his eyes that’s what happened. He got his license. I told you all before that it’s what I feared most. Not so much that he can drive on his own, but rather that he would be driving my car by himself. So on his first night out he dropped me off at a friends for a party and then he was off to pick up his friend so they could go to the movies.

Within an hour I’m getting call “Mom, we have a problem.”

“What do you mean we have a problem? Are you OK?”

“Yes, but there is a problem with the car.”

“What? Did you have a wreck?”

“No, the tire blew and it’s flat.We were leaving Rally’s and it just popped.”

Of course I was upset. Not at him, but at the fact on his first night out, in the pouring rain and I had no way to get to him. He called his grandparents for help, but rather that wait he went ahead and changed the tire himself. One of the things Cole forgot to tell me is that he had pulled into a parking lot and off the road after he left the fast-food eatery. So as I sat at my friends and waited for my parents to get to Alton I worried about him being along side the road somewhere, especially Homer Adams Parkway.

I’m proud of the fact that Cole was smart enough to change the tire himself and he did it right. (It’s something I couldn’t even do.)

I told him that although I remember getting my license I don’t recall what I did the first time I drove by myself. I said it’s one of those memories that you will always have and be able to tell your children. I mean he didn’t panic and did the responsible thing.

The next day I had four brand new tires put on (they needed it) and although it cost me I realized that his first adventure could have been worse. He could have actually be driving 50 mph down the road when the tire blew and crashed. The next night when he took the car I wasn’t so worried. I guess him showing responsibility during an emergency eased my anxiety.

Up next is how I will feel when he has his own car.

It’s official –my son is 16 and after tomorrow he will have his driver’s license. He’s excited, but I’m feeling more apprehensive about it. Why? Other than the obvious reasons it officially makes me feel old.

Turning 40 didn’t bother me as much as Cole getting his driver’s license . Maybe it’s the fact that he doesn’t have his own vehicle and will have to borrow mine. I’m going to worry until he gets home. I’m not afraid of him driving –it’s the other drivers I’m worried about. When your vehicle is the only mode of transportation…you get the picture I’m sure.

I remember when I got my license. I couldn’t wait. I’m sure my parents felt the exact same way about me getting my license as I do about my son getting his. I’m fortunate though in all the years I’ve had mine that I’ve never really had any problems “behind the wheel.” I say that lightly because you never know when something will happen.

There are many milestones in parenting, but the one so many of us fear is the day our children get their license. I never really got “it” until now. You can be the most cautious driver in the world, but another driver can “wreck” more than your car — it can damage your entire life. I don’t want to have to worry every time he leaves and shuts the door.

I want him to remember that 16 is a terrific time and when he’s my age and has kids he will be doing the same thing as me –worrying.

Turning 40 was fun. I had a terrific party hosted by my co-worker and friend Jill Moon.

We started at Simply Foo Foo in Alton and from there we went to my favorite places in town - Gentelin’s on Broadway, Bossanova and Bubby and Sissy’s. I had a blast and of course I felt it the next day too.

One of the best parts of the weekend though was getting to meet John Waite. He gave two concerts at the Argosy and on Saturday I got to go to the meet and greet prior to the show. He is such a wonderful man. Alton should be so lucky that he was in town. His father died in England last Tuesday and yet he still fulfilled his commitment to perform for his fans.

The show was wonderful. I knew it would be though. I saw him open for Rick Springfield last year at the St. Charles Family Arena and it was great. I heard on Friday night (the night I was actually out) that following the concert John and his band went downtown to Mac’s Time Out for dinner (if I only had known.) They spent a few hours at the establishment and from what I hear they enjoyed their time in our city.

So for all you naysayers there really is a lot to do in Alton and quite a few places to go to have a good time. I definitely had a “hot time in the city.”

It’s hard to believe that I turned 40 today. It really is no big deal to me, but the fact is my son is turning 16 in 10 days, well I think that’s a little more scarier.

I’m blessed this year because he doesn’t get to drive to homecoming. His birthday (Oct. 4) is the day after and he will have to wait two days to get his license. I have a feeling the waiting will be the hardest part for the both of us. Why? It’s like when they are little and they constantly ask to go somewhere or do something - not much patience.

As I look back over my life I feel I’ve had a good one. I have no real complaints. I’ve got a wonderful family and lots of friends. I’ve accomplished things in my life I never though possible and I believe that the best years still lie ahead.

I don’t think that getting older is all “doom and gloom.” There are women who do, but I’ve had some great women in my life that taught me that with age comes wisdom. They taught me to think for myself and never give up on your dreams, no matter what.

I could probably say there are things I wish I could change about myself - i.e., hair, weight - but overall I am happy with who I am. I proud to be FABulous and 40. Really isn’t it the new 20?