Dear Friends,
Summer is officially here! It’s time to fire up those grills, fill up the coolers and get ready to engage in all those summer activities we have been looking forward to over the recent months. Well, not exactly….I think we would all agree it has been a strange spring, and we really can’t predict what we will be doing in the coming weeks.
I’m sure we all want to believe life is beginning to return to normal as Chicago has officially implemented the 4th stage of the recovery.
Apparently thousands of “We’re In This Together” yard-signs have not buoyed people’s moods. Studies suggest we’re all a bit lonely and grumpy. Indeed, the percentage of people saying they are “very happy” is down while the number who say they are “losing their temper more often” is up. It turns out that if you take away people’s jobs, friends, and mobility, they are less happy. In a time like this we need to lean on each other.
Thank you to those of you who have continued sharing what you have been doing musically since our last edition of Overtones. It is encouraging to hear from other chapter members as we uniquely understand the challenges of our roles in the music profession. I have loved hearing the things you have been creating.
This morning, I was talking with someone in our chapter about the uniqueness we have as a group. Perhaps we are involved in other musical organizations, but what we have through our chapter is clearly special in our support of each other.
To that end, let’s take advantage of the wonderful collaboration we have built and take the opportunity to stay in touch with each other in any way possible.
Please continue to send me links to what you are doing musically or anything thoughts you may like to share with others in the next newsletter.
Warmly,
Judy Kohl
Dean