Sleep Writer

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Sleep Writer SLEEP WRITER A S C I - FI ADVENTURE Sleep Writer by Keith Robinson Printed in the United States of America First Edition: December 2015 ISBN-13 978-1519673060 Copyright © 2015 Keith Robinson Cover design by Keith Robinson All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the author. The only exception is by a reviewer, who may quote short excerpts in a review. Visit www.UnearthlyTales.com SLEEP WRITER A S C I - FI ADVENTURE KEITH ROBINSON Chapter 1 Liam Mackenzie scurried up the oak tree and settled on his favorite branch. He was only twenty feet above his mom’s flower bed at the side of the driveway but high enough to be hidden from the world behind a canopy of newly sprouted leaves. High enough to do some spying. From this vantage point, he could look down into the living room window where his mom was seated on the sofa reading a magazine and his dad was jabbing at the TV’s remote control. But Liam's focus was on the house next door, beyond the hedge. The two-story building had stood empty a few months now. Today the new neighbors were moving in. It was late morning on a crisp, cool Saturday in April. A huge mover’s truck rolled into the horseshoe driveway, halting with the back end aimed at the front door of the old house. The rattling engine cut off, the door creaked open, and a man jumped down. He stretched and went to greet a shiny silver car that was pulling up behind. Liam guessed the truck driver was the dad of the family. The mom stepped out of the driver’s side of the car, and they came together for a hug before turning to gaze at their new home. One of the car’s rear doors opened and a short boy climbed out. He looked about five or six, yawning wide as he ambled over to his mom. She ruffled his hair. “Awake at last, sweetie?” she said, her voice faint but clear from where Liam straddled his branch. 1 Nobody else got out of the car. Liam sighed. There were only six houses on this lonely, barely paved lane, and not one kid his age. He lived in the middle of nowhere, just within the city limits of Brockridge, with its historic railroad station, a sprinkling of stores, and nothing of interest for anyone but Civil War buffs and old people. East of the center, the main road meandered for miles through woods as though unsure where to go. One offshoot lane ended at a lake. Liam’s parents loved it here, but being the only kid for miles around wasn’t exactly fun. The new neighbor woman glanced toward the car. “Hey, wake up, sleepyhead! Come look.” Liam bolted upright, seeing slow movement through the windshield. Someone else was back there. Surely it was someone his age . A girl slid out. She had long black hair and wore dark glasses, a tight black T-shirt, a short black skirt, black leggings, and flat black shoes. Liam slumped in disappointment. Hanging out with a girl would be okay if she were his age, but this one was way older, probably sixteen or so. She wouldn’t want anything to do with him, and judging by how fed up she looked, Liam wasn’t sure he wanted anything to do with her either. She looked sulky even behind her shades. Her mom stepped past the small boy and hurried to take her hand. “Come on, Madison. Look at this place! How can you not be excited?” “She’s a teenager,” her dad commented. “It’s okay, I guess,” Madison said. Liam could barely hear her, and he strained to listen as she turned to face the road. “So how far’s the cemetery from here?” 2 “Here we go again,” the man grumbled and wandered off to inspect the house’s siding. “I need to know, Mom,” the girl said obstinately. “Madison, please stop asking about the cemetery.” “Yes, but . .” Liam listened intently, his curiosity piqued, as the mother lowered her voice and spoke earnestly to her daughter. Madison kept opening her mouth to reply but couldn’t seem to get a word in. Finally she shook her head. “Fine. Whatever.” The boy chose that moment to pipe up, “I’m hungry.” “Me too,” his mom said. “Let’s go inside.” She called to her husband and held out her hand. “Keys, m’ dear?” With keys jangling, she hurried up the short flight of steps to the porch. Liam knew she’d find that loose floorboard in a moment. The previous owner, a friendly old woman who’d died six months ago, had spent years stepping over it. Sure enough, as the new owner opened the front door and turned to call her family inside, her foot found the loose board and she stumbled. “Oh!” “You all right?” her husband said, starting up the steps. Moments later the parents and boy were inside the house, leaving a dejected teenage girl alone in the driveway. She chewed her gum for a moment, then slowly removed her shades, sighed, and trudged inside. It was quiet after that apart from a few exclamations from the mom, a grunt or two from the dad, and some whining from the boy. Madison made no sound whatsoever although she appeared briefly in an upstairs window. Not too long after, the dad sauntered out of the 3 house and disappeared behind the back of the truck. Liam heard the sound of a squeaky shutter rolling up and guessed the unloading was about to start. He watched for a while but soon grew bored at the endless parade of cardboard boxes. He was curious to see how one man and his wife would handle heavy sofas and cabinets, but all that stuff seemed to be at the front end of the truck. He slid down from the tree and headed indoors. “New neighbors are here,” he said as he wandered into the living room. “We saw,” his dad said, changing the TV channel. “I suggested we go out and greet them,” Liam’s mom said, arching an eyebrow over her magazine, “but your dad was worried he would feel obliged to help unload the truck.” “My back hurts,” he said, winking at Liam. “Well, I think we’re being rude.” She threw her magazine aside. “Come on, old man, on your feet. You too, Liam.” Groaning, Liam’s dad made a play of hobbling from the room. Once outside, he straightened up, strode to the five-foot hedge that separated the properties, and waved heartily to his new neighbor. “Hey! When did you arrive? Need some help there?” * * * The Parkers seemed nice enough and were happy to stand and chat. There was no sign of Madison or the small boy. Liam decided they were probably inside griping about their rooms or whining about being hungry. Dr. Parker, a radiologist, had managed to secure a job 4 in the nearest city—for a change of pace, they'd said. Liam vaguely remembered the real estate agent showing Dr. and Mrs. Parker around the old house months ago, along with a bunch of other people over the weeks. Now the FOR SALE sign read SOLD and leaned to one side in the overgrown grass. When Mrs. Parker mentioned about moving from a city to a small country town, Liam’s mom asked what she did for a living. Mrs. Parker shrugged it off as unimportant. “Oh, I’m an artist and illustrator,” she said. “A bit of secondary income, nothing special.” But her husband wouldn’t have it. He heaped praise on her work. “Book jackets, posters, magazines,” he said. “She’s really good. I know I’m biased, but still . .” “I work from home,” she said, blushing. “Most of my contacts are in New York, but it doesn’t really matter where we live as long as I have phone and internet.” “Ah, well, I have great internet,” Liam’s dad said. “I’m a website designer. I work from home too, so I need great internet. One day my son here will take over the business.” He patted Liam’s shoulder. “He's pretty good at all that stuff already.” “Interesting!” Dr. Parker said. He turned to Liam’s mom. “And what about you?” “Kindergarten teacher,” she said. “Oh! I wonder if Cody’s going to your school?” But he wasn’t. Liam’s mom worked at a school in another county. “Otherwise I’d have been happy to take him in with me each morning,” she told Mrs. Parker. “But since all three will be at Brockridge, maybe they can ride in together . .” And so it went. Liam grew bored listening to the 5 adults chatting amiably behind the truck. He glanced inside and saw stacks of cardboard boxes and plastic crates. Toward the front, furniture lurked in the darkness. The family seemed pretty well organized. Dr. Parker had left his car behind and borrowed his brother’s truck for a week. He planned to return it next Saturday, something like an eight-hour round trip. Mrs. Parker called for Madison and Cody, and as the conversation continued, two figures eventually emerged from the house. “Here they are,” Mrs. Parker said. “This is Madison. She’s fifteen.” Fifteen, Liam thought. Still way too old.
Recommended publications
  • The Moody Blues Tour / Set List Project - Updated April 9, 2006
    The Moody Blues Tour / Set List Project - updated April 9, 2006 compiled by Linda Bangert Please send any additions or corrections to Linda Bangert ([email protected]) and notice of any broken links to Neil Ottenstein ([email protected]). This listing of tour dates, set lists, opening acts, additional musicians was derived from many sources, as noted on each file. Of particular help were "Higher and Higher" magazine and their website at www.moodies- magazine.com and the Moody Blues Official Fan Club (OFC) Newsletters. For a complete listing of people who contributed, click here. Particular thanks go to Neil Ottenstein, who hosts these pages, and to Bob Hardy, who helped me get these pages converted to html. One-off live performances, either of the band as a whole or of individual members, are not included in this listing, but generally can be found in the Moody Blues FAQ in Section 8.7 - What guest appearances have the band members made on albums, television, concerts, music videos or print media? under the sub-headings of "Visual Appearances" or "Charity Appearances". The current version of the FAQ can be found at www.toadmail.com/~notten/FAQ-TOC.htm I've construed "additional musicians" to be those who played on stage in addition to the members of the Moody Blues. Although Patrick Moraz was legally determined to be a contract player, and not a member of the Moody Blues, I have omitted him from the listing of additional musicians for brevity. Moraz toured with the Moody Blues from 1978 through 1990. From 1965-1966 The Moody Blues were Denny Laine, Clint Warwick, Mike Pinder, Ray Thomas and Graeme Edge, although Warwick left the band sometime in 1966 and was briefly replaced with Rod Clarke.
    [Show full text]
  • Advent, Christmas and Epiphany 2020 - 2021
    Advent, Christmas and Epiphany 2020 - 2021 Short thoughts for every day from the beginning of Advent to the Epiphany Introduction The season of Advent begins in the darkened days of late November, several weeks before Christmas. Advent is part of the Christian Year, a season of sustained focus on particular aspects of spiritual formation. It is a season that points beyond itself—to Christmas and the joy it promises. Advent can seem a little strange to those unfamiliar with its traditions, themes, and prayers. Is it merely a historical exercise to pray the prayers of ancient Israel as they longed for the birth of their Saviour? Jesus has already come, hasn’t he? Most of us like Christmas; after all, it’s kind of like an extended birthday party for Jesus where we get the presents. But why spend weeks “anticipating” the birth of someone who’s already been born? The answer to this question draws us into the central purpose of Advent and the kind of spiritual formation we undergo when we celebrate it. At the core of Advent’s purpose is the discipline of patient, watchful anticipation. In the season of Advent, we train ourselves for watching and waiting. Most of us these days are pretty lousy at waiting. We live in a world whose entire modern economy is based on shrinking the space between feeling a desire and satisfying it. We expect our food to come quickly, the weekends can’t get here fast enough, we binge watch entire seasons of TV shows in a few nights, and even a few seconds of delay can cause us to abandon a web search in disgust.
    [Show full text]
  • KLASSICS LIST Criteria
    KLASSICS LIST criteria: 8 or more points (two per fan list, two for U-Man A-Z list, two to five for Top 95, depending on quartile); 1984 or prior release date Sources: ten fan lists (online and otherwise; see last page for details) + 2011-12 U-Man A-Z list + 2014 Top 95 KSHE Klassics (as voted on by listeners) sorted by points, Fan Lists count, Top 95 ranking, artist name, track name SLCRPS UMan Fan Top ID # ID # Track Artist Album Year Points Category A-Z Lists 95 35 songs appeared on all lists, these have green count info >> X 10 n 1 12404 Blue Mist Mama's Pride Mama's Pride 1975 27 PERFECT KLASSIC X 10 1 2 12299 Dead And Gone Gypsy Gypsy 1970 27 PERFECT KLASSIC X 10 2 3 11672 Two Hangmen Mason Proffit Wanted 1969 27 PERFECT KLASSIC X 10 5 4 11578 Movin' On Missouri Missouri 1977 27 PERFECT KLASSIC X 10 6 5 11717 Remember the Future Nektar Remember the Future 1973 27 PERFECT KLASSIC X 10 7 6 10024 Lake Shore Drive Aliotta Haynes Jeremiah Lake Shore Drive 1971 27 PERFECT KLASSIC X 10 9 7 11654 Last Illusion J.F. Murphy & Salt The Last Illusion 1973 27 PERFECT KLASSIC X 10 12 8 13195 The Martian Boogie Brownsville Station Brownsville Station 1977 27 PERFECT KLASSIC X 10 13 9 13202 Fly At Night Chilliwack Dreams, Dreams, Dreams 1977 27 PERFECT KLASSIC X 10 14 10 11696 Mama Let Him Play Doucette Mama Let Him Play 1978 27 PERFECT KLASSIC X 10 15 11 11547 Tower Angel Angel 1975 27 PERFECT KLASSIC X 10 19 12 11730 From A Dry Camel Dust Dust 1971 27 PERFECT KLASSIC X 10 20 13 12131 Rosewood Bitters Michael Stanley Michael Stanley 1972 27 PERFECT
    [Show full text]
  • KKUP-2019-Gifts-Ver-14-06-13-19
    Page Artist Title / Description Pledge In Psych We Trust! (Band & Artist Spotlight) 6 The Byrds “Original Album Classics” 5-CD Box Set $80.00 7 The Byrds “Sweethearts of The Radio” (&) “Untitled / Unissued” Deluxe Edition 2-CD Sets with One Tote Bag or $100.0 Sports Cap 8 The Flying Burrito Bros “The Gilded Palace of Sin”, “Burrito Deluxe” (&) “Authorized Bootleg: Fillmore East, N.Y., N.Y. Late $100.00 Show, Nov. 7 1970” Limited Edition Sets with One Tote Bag or Sports Cap 9 Free “Five Album Classics” 5-CD Box Set $80.00 10 The Guess Who “Five Original Album Classics” 5-CD Box Set $80.00 11 The Hollies “The Clarke Hicks & Nash Years” 6-CD Imported Deluxe Box Set with One Tote Bag or Sports Cap $100.00 12 Jethro Tull “This Was” Super Deluxe Edition 3-CD / 1-DVD Audio Box Set with One Tote Bag (&) One Sports Cap $100.00 13 The Lovin’ Spoonful “Original Album Classics” 5-CD Box Set $80.00 14 Mountain “Original Album Classics” 5-CD Box Set $80.00 15 Sly & The Family Stone “Five Original Album Classics” 5-CD Box Set $80.00 16 Tommy James & The Shondells “Original Album Classics” 5-CD Box Set $80.00 17 Traffic “Five Classic Albums” 5-CD Box Set $80.00 Progaholic Deluvian-Delights (Special Progressive Rock Anthologies) 19 Deep Purple “In Rock” & “Made in Japan” Special 2-CD Bundle $80.00 20 Emerson, Lake & Palmer “Lucky Man (The Masters Collection)” 2-CD Anthology $80.00 21 Genesis & Pink Floyd Genesis’ “Selling England by The Pound” (&) Pink Floyd’s “Meddle” Special 2-CD Bundle $80.00 22 The Moody Blues “Five Classic Albums” Imported 5-CD Box
    [Show full text]
  • Close Only Counts Three Favorite Tracks on the Record, “Occupational Hazard,” “Con- Grit of Kim Gordon and Bouncy Drone of Chrissie Hynde
    -----------------------------------------Spins --------------------------------------- Wooden Nickel Mark Hutchins CD of the Week Liar’s Gift BACKTRACKS $9.99 It was 2003, and I was working Moody Blues at a record store when a guy who To Our Children’s Children’s Children (1969) looked like he could’ve been in then- hot indie band Grandaddy fumbled The Moody Blues tended to go big; big in. He looked around, said nothing, arrangements, big lyrics and always big then approached the counter. Peek- concept albums. This release, inspired by ing from below the lid of his ball the July ’69 moon landing, perhaps the hu- cap, the possibly-bearded mystery man race’s biggest accomplishment to that point, was the fifth man asked if we had any copies of an obscure record called Please studio release from The Moody Blues. by a band called Vandolah. “Yeah, we do,” I said, “and it’s so good. It opens with “Higher And Higher,” sort of a garbled mess of Do you need a copy?” spoken word and guitars. It’s vintage Moody Blues and kicks off Before I finished my sentence the guy was halfway out the door. one of the best prog-rock records they ever did. The track carries “No,” he said, “just checking.” A couple years later, with the release you into “Eyes Of A Child,” which sounds like early Pink Floyd, of Vandolah’s second album, Walk It Off, I saw that guy again. On followed by the poppy folk-psychedelic “Floating.” Next come a $11.99 stage. Singing Vandolah songs. A couple of years after that I got to couple of bridge pieces before side one finishes with Mike Pin- know Mark Hutchins, the one-time frontman/songwriter/guitarist der’s “Out And In” and his dreamy mellotron.
    [Show full text]
  • The Word and Work ______Volume Li, January 1957______
    THE WORD AND WORK ________________________VOLUME LI, JANUARY 1957_________________________ E. L. JORGENSON AND J. R. CLARK, EDITORS THE WORD AND WORK 2 5 1 8 Portlan d Ave. Louisville 12, K entucky Entered at the Louisville, Kentucky, Post Office as second class matter. Single subscription, $2.00; Clubs of four or more $1.75 each. THE GREAT UNKNOWN Why dost Thou pass unheeded, Treading with pierced feet; The halls of the kingly palace, The busy street? Oh marvelous in Thy beauty, Crowned with the light of God, Why fall they not down to worship Where Thou has trod? Why are Thy hands extended Beseeching whilst men pass by With their empty words and their laughter, Yet passing on to dies? Unseen, unknown, unregarded, Calling and waiting yet— They hear Thy knock and they tremble — They hear and they forget. And Thou in the midst art standing Of old and forever the same — Thou hearest their songs and their jesting, But not Thy name. The thirty-three years forgotten Of the weary way Thou hast trod — Thou are but a name unwelcome, O Savior God! Yet amongst the highways and hedges, Amongst the lame and the blind, The poor and the maimed and the outcast, Still dost Thou seek and find — There by the wayside lying The eyes of Thy love can see The wounded, the naked, the dying, 'Too helpless to come to Thee. So Thou art watching and waiting T ill the wedding is furnished with guests — And the last of the sorrowful singeth, And the last of the weary rests.
    [Show full text]
  • Civil War Songs by Southern Women. (2007) Directed by Dr
    COOKE, MARY LEE, D.M.A. Southern Women, Southern Voices: Civil War Songs by Southern Women. (2007) Directed by Dr. Nancy Walker. 221 pp. This document considers the lives and works of thirty women living in the Confederate States during the American Civil War. The works they produced are songs published as sheet music in the South during and shortly after that conflict. Some wrote lyrics, some music, some both, and one arranged the lyrics and music of her husband for the piano. These works reflect the women’s feelings regarding the conflict, their perceptions of women’s roles in relation to it, their definitions of the South as their country, and their identities as Southerners. The material is organized in six chapters and arranged topically and in more or less chronological order. After the introductory Foreword of Chapter One, Chapter Two deals with the initial burst of patriotism expressed in the songs produced early in the war. These songs define the South as a country and invoke the blessings of Deity. The songs discussed in Chapter Three, also produced early in the war, extol the new flag and early victories. The songs in Chapter Four reflect the onset of war’s harsh realities that plagued Southerners by the middle of the war: separation anxiety, loneliness, death, and deprivations. The songs of Chapter Five are calls for peace and post-war tributes to the dead. An Afterword concludes the document in Chapter Six. One concludes from the study of these women’s lives and works that they harbored strong feelings about the war and that the writing and publishing of poetry and music was seen as an acceptable means of expressing those feelings.
    [Show full text]
  • SUNDAYS and SEASONS YEAR a 2020 Introduction Lectionary Conversion Chart
    SUNDAYS AND SEASONS YEAR A 2020 Introduction Lectionary Conversion Chart. .. 7 Lectionary Color Chart. 8 Introduction ................................................................... 9 Preaching Matthew in Year A .................................................... 13 More Than a Warm-up for Easter Day: The Easter Vigil as Culmination. 16 Thanksgiving at the Table: Remembering the Women. 18 Advent Preparing for Advent. 21 Worship Texts for Advent ....................................................... .24 Seasonal Rites for Advent ....................................................... .25 First Sunday of Advent ......................................................... Dec 1, 2019 ...........30 Second Sunday of Advent ...................................................... Dec 8 ................33 Third Sunday of Advent ........................................................ Dec 15 ................36 Fourth Sunday of Advent ....................................................... Dec 22 ...............39 Christmas Preparing for Christmas. .. .45 Worship Texts for Christmas. .. .48 Seasonal Rites for Christmas .................................................... .49 Nativity of Our Lord / Christmas Eve ............................................ Dec 24 ...............52 Nativity of Our Lord / Christmas Day ............................................ Dec 25 ...............55 First Sunday of Christmas ...................................................... Dec 29 ...............59 Second Sunday of Christmas. Jan 5, 2020 ...........62 Epiphany
    [Show full text]
  • Leiningen Versus the Ants by Carl Stephenson
    Leiningen Versus the Ants by Carl Stephenson UNLESS they alter their course and there's no reason why they should, they'll reach your plantation in two days at the latest." Leiningen sucked placidly at a cigar about the size of a corncob and for a few seconds gazed without answering at the agitated District Commissioner. Then he took the cigar from his lips, and leaned slightly forward. With his bristling grey hair, bulky nose, and lucid eyes, he had the look of an aging and shabby eagle. "Decent of you," he murmured, "paddling all this way just to give me the tip. But you're pulling my leg of course when you say I must do a bunk. Why, even a herd of saurians couldn't drive rne from this plantation of mine." The Brazilian official threw up lean and lanky arms and clawed the air with wildly distended fingers. "Leiningen!" he shouted. "You're insane! They're not creatures you can fight--they're an elemental--an 'act of God!' Ten miles long, two miles wide- -ants, nothing but ants! And every single one of them a fiend from hell; before you can spit three times they'll eat a full-grown buffalo to the bones. I tell you if you don't clear out at once there'll he nothing left of you but a skeleton picked as clean as your own plantation." Leiningen grinned. "Act of God, my eye! Anyway, I'm not an old woman; I'rn not going to run for it just because an elemental's on the way.
    [Show full text]
  • 1 6Th Sunday of Easter Mother's
    ROWAYTON UNITED METHODIST CHURCH ONLINE SERVICE OF WORSHIP AND PRAISE 6th Sunday of Easter Mother’s Day May 9, 2021 10 A.M. PRELUDE • You are invited to join us for a time of gathering music and centering before worship during the Prelude, which starts at 9:50am. • Our morning worship begins with the welcome at 10:01am. WELCOME AND ANNOUNCEMENTS • You are invited to submit announcements and prayer requests via zoom’s chat function. • You have pastoral permission to bring your morning coffee to worship with you. • Sheet music for the hymns is at the end of the bulletin. CALL TO WORSHIP The Spirit is coming to bless us all with a new song: Let our joy be complete! Gifts for the good of all, poured out on all to teach us a new song: Love one another! Strangers and neighbors, foreigners and family will join in the new song: No longer servants but friends! See what love has been given to us, that we should be called children of God. By this we know love, that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh, and lived and died, that God’s love might be made plain among us. Therefore, beloved, let us not love in word or in speech but indeed and in truth. Because we love one another, we know that we have passed from death into life. 1 This is the victory that overcomes the world, through Jesus our risen Christ. Come, let our worship make a joyful noise, Rejoicing in the friendship of God. HYMN OF PRAISE BLESSED ASSURANCE.
    [Show full text]
  • Cross Keys © Copyright 2012, Dave Mcclure First Publication March, 2012
    CCrroossss KKeeyyss DDaavvee MMccCClluurree Cross Keys © Copyright 2012, Dave McClure First publication March, 2012 ISBN-13: 987-1467901802 ISBN-10: 1467901806 With the exception of certain historical figures, all persons presented in this work are fictional, and any resemblance to persons living or dead is strictly coincidental. Two Tough Men Jack MacLeod and Doc Gray are back, fighting to crack a conspiracy that should have died with the Confederacy. Hidden since the end of the Civil War, the Knights of the Golden Circle survived to quietly infest the highest levels of government and business. Now the KGC is making its move, using deceit and violence in a bid to dramatically expand the borders of the United States. And the only thing standing in their way are one battered fraud investigator and his friend, the ex-Navy SEAL Doc Gray. With a little help from the FBI and Special Agent in Charge Andrew McCoy, Jack and Doc will weave their way from the battleground at Cross Keys to the mountains of western Virginia to stop the KGC and its plans. The Knights have money, power and weapons, but they’ve made one small mistake. They’ve shot him, beaten him, tortured him, killed a friend and taken his money and his honor. For the Knights of the Golden Circle, it’s just about business and profits. For MacLeod, it’s about getting even. AAcckknnoowwlleeddggmmeennttss No one creates a book by themselves. For all of the passion, the long hours, the frustration and the joy of writing, a book is the work of many hands and hearts.
    [Show full text]
  • Listening to the Spontaneous Music-Making of Preschool Children in Play: Living a Pedagogy of Wonder
    ABSTRACT Title of Dissertation: LISTENING TO THE SPONTANEOUS MUSIC-MAKING OF PRESCHOOL CHILDREN IN PLAY: LIVING A PEDAGOGY OF WONDER Judith K. Kierstead, Doctor of Philosophy, 2006 Dissertation directed by: Professor Francine H. Hultgren Department of Education Policy and Leadership University of Maryland College Park This study sings with joy the wonder of preschool children spontaneously being music-makers in play. Through hermeneutic phenomenological methodology provided by van Manen (2003), voices of Heidegger (1962, being-with), Levin (1989, listening), Ihde (1976, music-language), Casey (1993, place), Merleau-Ponty (1962, the body), Levinas (1987, “we”), Arendt (1959, new beginnings), and Steiner (1984, 1985a,b; 1998, human development, freedom) support the work. The study asks: What is the lived experience of preschool children spontaneously making music in play? In Waldorf preschools, forty-six children in three age-differentiated classes are observed and tape-recorded in a pre-study; observations of twenty-four children in a mixed-age class and, during outdoor playtime, an additional twenty-four children from a similar class are observed and recorded in note-taking during a year-long study. Significant themes of will-ing, be-ing, and time-in-place emerge. Freedom to move about in play with peers is essential to music-making that spontaneously expresses Life-lived-in-the-moment. The phenomena of this study – the songs, chants, and other sound-shapes – are the being of children, who are not bound by time or by space. In this study, musical form includes a sung-tryptich, a communal-collage, call-response, a transforming chant, and language that sings and stretches into many, varied sound- shapes.
    [Show full text]