 Thank you so much for joining me today. I'm T. Lipchow Dury welcoming you to our Glass Trails and hope you are all doing well. And today on the menu, I have music. And joining me today is nobody else but Amarj Media's curious giraffes creator Dorothy Cresswell. Welcome, Dorothy. Thank you so much, Tula. Thank you so much for joining me. Okay. So, Dorothy. Yes. Your musical accomplishments. Thank you so much. You're welcome. I am happy that after over 30 years of teaching in the classroom, in early childhood classrooms, I am able in retirement to focus on writing music and on getting it out there. And thankfully through Amar's Media, I've been able to create a children's musical TV show called the Curious Giraffe Show and last year it won first place for children and youth programming in the ACM Northeast Video Awards. And that covers everything from New York State through Maine so it was quite an honor for all of us. Indeed. And then this past year, my second CD came out. The first CD is Curious Songs for Curious Kids. The second CD is More Songs for Curious Kids. And they were given an award from the Creative Child magazine. The first one got the award of, where is it? Seal of Experience. The preferred, got the Preferred Choice Award. And the second one got the Seal of Excellence Award. And they wanted me to know that it wasn't just a few people that chose, that gave the awards. It was educators and parents who listened and chose the CDs that they wanted to recognize. So I felt very encouraged to continue. So here I am. Indeed. Now, I am more curious than ever. You had a long history of being a teacher over how many years? Over 30 years. 30 years. She taught children and now here she is with music. Now tell me, did you have this musical background working with your teaching experiences? Absolutely. I was in early childhood education and I used music every single day. And I gathered music from everywhere I could. And I sang with them songs from my own childhood and the newest songs from new musicians. So and I also wrote songs. As the children had experiences, I wrote songs about their experiences. And if there wasn't a song on a topic, I would write a song. So it all overlapped very much. Wow. That's incredible. Now, you know, sometimes we have a background from which we come up from childhood that is musical or something like that with you. How did you come into music? I was lucky. I was born into a family where music was very much a priority for many of us. My parents both sang in their churches and my oldest sister was musical on the piano. All of us sang Christmas carols and one of my sisters became a professional musician. But I was one of the younger ones in the family and I never felt that I reached the quality that my siblings had. But I had a lot of fun in the classroom. And that opened up my comfort zone that I too had something to offer. Oh, I'm not amazed. So now that little bit of doubt within you, I'm sure it has evaporated like the clouds right now. You are like showering rain everywhere with music, giving life. Thank you. Now tell me a little bit more. I mean, we know and we have heard so much of your wonderful music for the children. But what about the ones that you write for the grown-ups? In other words, I say like adults, that's why I wanted to sit more with you. Because I felt like I want to know more of the music that you create for the grown-up people. Yes. I'm sure those are wonderful, incredible. So would like to listen to a song from you that's for the grown-up world a little bit. Can you do that? Okay. I can. Thank you. I want to say that both my children's songs and the adult songs just come out of life experience. They are written for a certain person or for a certain event that happened in our lives that I either want to remember and treasure or that was challenging and I needed to work my way through and share with someone about it. So some of my adult music is more serious and some of it is more celebratory. What an incredible story. So you're reflecting life experiences from your point of view and talking on behalf of others too. That's right. Thank you. So let's hear to your music and the song. Okay. So let's see. Can I hold those? I would appreciate it if I said it like that. Okay. Yes. Okay. This is called Millions of Stars and it will speak for itself, I think. Millions of stars light up the sky. Pretty sure you'll make your own way. I just love the words, but how about the music, the music you put into them? How do you create those? It's often I'll write the words and I'll have a tune in my head, but it's once I pick up the guitar that the tune really lands together with the words. I don't know. It's a mystery. It's a mystery to me. It's just that the tunes come. But I do think all my background years and years of singing around campfires and singing in the car trips and harmonizing with my brothers and sisters helped a lot. Yeah. That's incredible truth she has discovered. Life is a mystery. In one point of life, we all say that, don't we? But quick reminder, before we go back and talk to Dorothy Moore, this show is divided into two parts and after I interview her talk with her, there's another part waiting for you where she sings on the mountains with incredible views all around us. So please do wait and make sure you watch that. Okay. Now back to Dorothy again. Now Dorothy, but you have focused more on your children's music. How did you make the choice? I mean, as an adult, I would have, and truly I did, I wanted to write for children and for adults and everybody, but ultimately focused on the grown-ups world. So how did you make the choice to go into music for the children? It's a really good question because it is something I struggled with and it made me wonder, people would ask what kind of music I had and I had a variety of music. But I did spend 30 years of my life teaching children. I did create quite a bit of music that people asked me to record so that it could be shared and used in other classrooms. And I connected with an organization called the Children's Music Network and found the most generous people supporting everyone. And what I learned there, this is what helped me move from maybe my voice isn't important or worth sharing to everyone's voice is important and worth sharing, was through the Children's Music Network. I discovered some people who maybe their performance wasn't wonderful, but their song just opened my heart or brought me joy or gave me hope. And I realized, we each, I was so glad that those people did not hold back because they were worried about their instrument skills or their vocal skills. They shared what they had and others could receive it and bring more hope into the world. So I thought, okay, this is how I think about it. Each flower has its own shape and color and is beautiful in its own right, but together it's so much more beautiful. And so just because there are some other good musicians out there doesn't mean that I shouldn't add my variety also. So that gave me more confidence. That's incredible isn't it? Just like we know that each and every water drop constitute together and make the seas and the oceans. That's right. Altogether we are a flow in life. Yes. Now can you tell me there is a creative forces that for some people work at night times, sometimes at music, sometimes in silence? What's that for you? When do you write the songs or tune them? Actually my best time is when I'm just waking up and I hear the beginning of a song and if I get up quickly and sing it into some kind of tape recorder, I capture it. It's not polished, but I caught it as it was coming. Wait, that was in your hair you mean? Yes. Not on and like that, we do cell phones or something. You hear the music in your hair? Yes. When I'm waking up I'm sort of like, oh these words and this tune are going around in my head and then I think, oh I better catch it while I can because I know from experience it will be gone if I don't save it. That's a creative force in you, right? That comes to you. Yes. So then I can capture it like on the recording device on my phone and then I can go to other things, take care of responsibilities. Then later in the day, or even a different day, I can play it back and say, oh I would like to add this idea or I could make the tune more interesting. So then I work on it whenever I get the time. It's something like poetry coming to you, right? When you write the poet say like the verses come to us at certain times and we capture them. Right. So you capture your song. Do you have music too in your head when you see them? Usually. Usually I get some words with some tune. But it often does need a little bit of polishing up later. But I usually get essentially both parts together. That's incredible. But that reminds me because we are in an incredible digital era. So from your beginning with your life to how you used to listen to music, to how you listen to music now in your head, does it mix in with this digital era of all the music we are getting on the internet and everything? So yeah, I'm sort of, I'm a little older in my life and so I'm not into all of the digital ways of getting music. But I do appreciate technology in like that you can capture a song or that someone across the country I can say to them, oh, the children on my show are asking about aging and how to talk to them about grandparents getting older. And so I can write my friends on the computer and say does anybody have a song about getting older and helping children understand the cycle of life? And they can send me their songs and it gives me ideas, well that song is pretty good but it's not really the way I want to approach it and then I'll write a new song but use both songs on the show when the show comes along. So technology is awesome but I have to say I do not overwhelm myself with listening to music all the time or then it would be hard to hear my songs. You are so right, isn't it? I mean the good sides and they're like down to root sides that we have of technology balancing both and it's amazing the way we connect to remote corners of the earth through the internet and everything and it's like a whole family coming together. Yes. And now we can't end the show without talking a little bit about Bridges Coffee, can we? Yes, I would love to. That's where we met right and we started singing and I started singing after 30 years and it was like no one is going to say you are bad or good, I can sing my heart and that's what you reminded me when you were telling about how you connected to this singing world. Yes. And how did you start the Bridges? Can you tell us a little about this open mic you started and it's amazing? I also was thinking about Bridges. So also when I was retired I have always felt a thrill to get to know other people's voices and other people's ideas whether they are the just I just love getting to know and hearing other people's voices whether they are young children or whether they are older people or from anywhere. So I created an open mic where I go to church they have space and I didn't want it to be a church sponsored event I wanted everyone to feel welcome. It is sponsored by the church in that they provide the space and I very much appreciate it. They also provide some funds for the refreshments but otherwise we create it and I'm happy to. So the first year there was another person who shared my vision and Hannah, Elliot helped to host it. We were co-hosts because I knew that for it to last I needed to have a co-host but then when Hannah's life took her other directions you and I met and you really embraced the vision of having all people have a chance to be witnessed and heard and affirmed and we have a really good time don't we? Yes we do around the year and it's with the friends who are regulars there and they look forward to it and the amazing it's not only music we do do we is sharing of life experience even if you have arts and sculpture and drawing yes life stories being told in. So that happens every second Saturday at First Congressional Church and thanks to Bob Stover he allows us to and helps us to share the floor of Not Pretty Alone. Can participate that would like to. And there's and less to know about Dorothy Crosswell and her creativity how she has contributed to life and brought everybody joy just being in this world with us and as for me I am one of those lucky ones who met her and found life in a beautiful way and to know more about Dorothy and her world please go to her website www.dortycrosswell.org Yes and from Dorothy and from me thanks to Amherst Media for making this show and until we meet again a quick reminder don't forget to wait and catch up the next half where Dorothy is singing on the mountains remember that's awesome on the first one of the first four days yes so until we meet again stay well and healthy and be healthy. Be happy until you choose her thank you for being with me thank you too love and this is a wonderful nice fall day and we are going to listen to Dorothy sing by that beautiful stream and the woodland so this first song is called Earth Mother I come to the woodland I come to the water for I am her daughter with her I am the earth moss and water the rocks and the ripples of sunlight and stream as its pressures its golds and its measures still I find my treasure in my earth lovers I love her she loves me I rest in the comfort that she's always there is always living the fullness of being peacefully we see just as I the soft calming water there I hear my mother is the waterfall is a waterfall a great brushing waterfall that falls from stop its flow goes where it's gonna go we're never the same again off is the air we breathe we do receive its light and joy and strength with it we are limitless boundless in its breath and walk by faith there's rocky mountains light will lead us in and out sometimes seems to a drink it takes to love is a letting go of everything we think we know and trusty deep inner peace and we are one so this is a song for my friend Helen and in the song Helen reminds me of a tree and a dolphin so listen and know my friend Helen is a tree it is strong and her branches can read her core is so steady her spirit expands she has been growing through all of her summer green times and through winter cold he stood like a pillar to lie down farming from plant into mammal this time our Helen's a dolphin so free and so fine again she dives deep so rest now sweet Helen just let it all go a tree with her roots growing this song applies to many situations it's a song of encouragement oh I'm so inspired by the human spirit the human spirit the human spirit and how we carry on through the hard times cheer it I'm impressed with how we carry winds and flooding underwater they lost power some lost homes and they had to leave and be rescued by strangers but they learned that others care they're not alone oh I'm so inspired by the human spirit the human spirit the human spirit and how we carry on through the hard times cheer it I'm impressed with how we carry in some places there has been a drought and famine and it's hard to get their water and their food then some people who had more reached out to help them because they had a caring sharing attitude I'm so inspired by the human spirit the human and how we carry on through the hard times cheer it I'm impressed with how we carry only from fight all they had in moments was a must shelters were set up by rescuers who helped them once again caring strangers they could try I'm so inspired by the human spirit the human spirit the human spirit and how they carry times cheer it I'm impressed with how they carry sometimes you will get the help or be the helper so be ready to step up and lend a hand we can all be there to care for one another and together we will do the best we can oh I'm so inspired by the human spirit the human spirit you're up here on Mount Pollux in South Amherst, Massachusetts and from this hilltop I've been told that you can see Vermont in the distance and maybe even New Hampshire because our three states do meet in one corner so my next song I get surprised by the light in your eyes the light in your eyes I get surprised surprised by the love in your heart surprised just beat and I get surprised surprised surprised this song was written in memory of my friend Jean Hosmer by asking there is a chance to be shared was they here at the safety of this sanctuary joined us somehow as women and mothers and sisters in faith we opened our hearts and our soul reaches past all I can see and stretch till I feel you as close as can be for bullets and anger and thoughts that divide cannot stop the love and the life that's inside the presence of our sister's spirit always will survive yesterday today and now this song was written for my mother after she died but it makes me feel very close to her and I hope it will help you feel close to dear ones who have gone beyond in your life and it's like she's singing to me I'm gonna be with it's a mystery somehow but true you'll feel a little breeze that's the gentle heart in the sky that's just me there saying hi or as you fall asleep you'll sense something it's just the sweet dreams kiss from me to you from me to you it'll feel we'll always be together like the air is part of weather when it seems that we're apart could be saying in the snow just taking it for mama I just have one more song I would love to include it's the song I wrote to dusty 10 years ago why or could this love your voice makes me feel like I'm wrong all the world passes by let's see the sphinx and the parents are witnessing dear dusty the call is so strong I long to dive deep and then come up for air laughing for joy that we're there and oh what a rock love you sometimes seems to a great that takes to understand dive in and take a drink