Thursday, November 30, 2017

Tàu SIO-PÒ - A Taiwanese referral service

This appears in the community newsletter of Taiwanese Americans in St. Louis, 2017-11-30

It appears that we can start a special system of "referral services" that benefit many and contribute to many. This temporary name of "Tàu SIO-PÒ" is a short version for the Taiwanese idiom "Chia̍h hó tàu sio-pò", which means "spread the words to let others know once you have tasted something good".  This special service can be simple, easy, but effective as follows: 我們似乎可以啟動一項特殊的轉介服務來幫助一些人。這個服務暫時叫做「逗相報」,也就是台灣話「吃好逗相報」的簡稱。這項服務可以很簡單、容易執行、有效,只要按照下列原則來進行。
  1. Write to the webmaster, this editor, about someone, or business entity, who provides satisfactory services or products to you, with or without contact information. 寫信 給網管(本小編),介紹你認為有好產品或好服務的人或商家。
  2. Write to the webmaster, this editor, about some products or someone, or business entity,  capable of providing good services.你可以寫信提出你想要找的產品或是提供好服務的人或商家。
  3. A special web-page would be built to contain the information, including "in what ways you think the referrals are worthwhile" (You can call or write to this editor for him to help spelling out the good points for referrals. There are something to catch and others to avoid) 我們可以製作一個特殊的網頁來列出被尋找的產品、人、或受到推薦的人,包括值得推薦的點。
  • You can choose to be the medium of guiding the searchers to the one being referred. 你可以不提出詳細的訊息而由你扮演介紹人
  • You can choose to disclose the contact information of the ones you care to refer business to. 可以直接列出聯絡方式,讓需要的人直接聯絡。
  • You can choose to say "give me your contact information for me to pass to the one being referred and let him or her contact you." 也可以要求尋找人提供聯絡方式,讓被搜尋、被介紹的人自行聯絡。
  • Usually everyone has special criteria for selecting stores, service providers, professionals, etc. You don't have to please everybody. 通常,每個人所重視的點不盡相同,你不需要滿足每一個人。
  • You don't have to be responsible for the referrals.你不需要為你的介紹負責。
  • If you want the credit of making referrals it is possible to arrange. 若需要保留介紹的功勞,可以安排。
  • It is OK to provide your own information for others to access your services or products. (Nobody has to publicize phone number of mailbox as long as this editor can reach you privately.) 可以自行提供訊息讓別人來找,不需經由別人介紹。
  • It is OK to search for non-service related people, e.g, people who attended the same high school when I was in high school. 可以尋找「無關服務」的人,比如,跟我同時念同一個中學的人。
For examples, 
  1. Physicians handling Primary care are not easy to find. You are welcome to provide the names and the merits of their services to help others.
  2. If you know anyone who can repair appliances, such as TV, washer, etc. people need them from time to time.

Wednesday, November 29, 2017

Singing hymns privately 聖詩私唱

Monday, September 20, 2004 12:48:00 AM

1.       聖詩私唱的主旨

1.1.   為了幫助基督徒透過聖詩的吟唱回憶、複習信仰的內涵與感覺

1.2.   為了幫助基督徒用平常、自在的方法吟唱聖詩

1.3.   為了幫助基督徒透過「平常的」吟唱聖詩方法找到自信並深入接受聖詩的感召

2.       平常唱聖詩法的要點

2.1.   不與專業唱歌者比較

2.2.   不是為了別人而唱

2.3.   不是為了表演而唱

2.4.   而是為了瞭解、感動、回應、與自己內心互動而唱

3.       要領

3.1.   找出聖詩的含意

3.2.   找出聖詩對自己的特殊意義

3.3.   輕唱,不必為聽眾用力、大聲唱

3.4.   重複唱、唱到熟、巧

3.5.   挑句子、單字唱

3.6.   基礎字眼、句子

3.7.   討論、唱出表情

4.       「尋找含意」的要領(10:57 2019/6/3)

4.1.   「含意」的種類

4.2.   「含意」的層次

4.3.   「含意」的尋找法

4.4.   「含意」的紀錄描述、傳遞法

5.       唱出來之後 (11:05 2019/6/3)

5.1.   寫下唱出的故事、心得、與「多層次感想」

5.2.   尋找「唱出」的延伸應用

5.3.   錄音

5.4.   錄影

5.5.   傳遞

5.6.   提供分享


Tuesday, November 28, 2017

Music Appreciation

When it comes to music appreciation the musicians will likely bring up the composer, the styles, and the theories, and the techniques involved.

Using some viewpoints of behavioral sciences I find that there are many other factors and phenomena to be watched. (11/16/2017)

When we get in touch with the sound of music we might be in one of the following modes of choices (2017/11/27 15:22):
  1. We decide when, where, how, and what to listen.
  2. We have no choice of the factors involved.
  3. We choose to receive / accept what others provide.
  4. We have choice to stay and continue or leave the sound of music.
  5. We have choice but hesitate to leave due to politeness or other reasons. 
modes of orientations (2017/11/27 at the Hospital waiting for Letin's discharge)
  1. appreciation
  2. study
  3. background of choices
  4. background without choices
  5. functional music (ceremonial; sound effect; tempo-base)
 Types of music:
  1. ordinary, templated, formulated,...
  2. creative - one of a kind
  3. solo
  4. ensembles
  5. stage performance - live
  6. stage performance -recorded
levels of familiarity
  1. known / favorites
  2. known and familiar
  3. known but unfamiliar
  4. just learned
  5. first-time exposure
  6. disliked
  7. senseless
Maturity regarding music knowledge and the ability of appreciation (20:10 Jun 5, 2019)
  1. infantile
  2. toddler
  3. first haft of grade-school
  4. middle year of grade-school
  5. late years of grade-school
  6. middle high
  7. senior high
  8. college
  9. graduate school
  10. the postgraduate years (advanced graduate school)
  11. adulthood
  12. career/business oriented ages
  13. middle age
  14. post-middle age
  15. aging

Friday, November 17, 2017

a letter to the members of the Rubinstein music club - 11/17/2017

Dear members of Rubinstein Music Club in St. Louis,

I hope this mail find you well preparing to enter the annual holiday season through the activities of the Rubinstein Music Club in St. Louis. Because I could not find your email I am sending this letter and the related form to you through USPS, assuming you were not at the club meeting yesterday.

Entering the annual holiday season and preparing for our December gathering with a theme of “Celebrate the Holidays”, as my wife, Tina, and I venturing the first experience of playing the role of the program chair for the gathering on December 21 at Jeannette’s home, I think we have a chance to try something new and mark the 2017 memorable, successful or not.

Because some members can not be reached by email I try to use a printed letter to gather programming ideas. Those absent yesterday will receive this letter through USPS or receive this form as an attachment to a reminding email, afterward.

I found three major areas for enriching our gatherings through programming: 1) variations of styles or content in performance; 2) collect music pieces or idea of performance to inspire the potential performers; 3) collect topics, questions, or sujbects to inspire new “product” of activities in a gathering of our music club.

The holiday celebration might be so easy a theme that planned performances exceed our capacity of one hour. It might also be so common a theme that fail to attract the potential performers to spend time during the busiest season of a year.

Just in case we could not have enough performance to fill the time we could start thinking about other “products” or forms of music activities. I imagine that new products or forms of music activities might enrich us at other levels of musical life, especially to those who have been watching-only. I believe that there would be some ways to increase participation in music-making, advance the enjoyment, and enrich lives through music.

Think about what you could contribute as a performers or simply participate in developing the programming of our holiday celebration by filling out the following form and then mail the form to me (groh.hisam@gmail.com ) or call me at 314-888-5258. Being a tool for a “club” activity, this form is a media for faciliating interactions rather than a tool for efficiency. Questions / suggestions are welcome. Feel free to revise the form any way you need.

You don’t have to use this form as long as you are willing to share your thoughts or the performance plans that include the title of music, the performers, and the instruments involved, along with special notes of consideration, such as the length of performances, time constraint, special introduction or equipment, etc.

Actually, we have been hearing small talks before or after performances by the performers. In reality, talking around the music involved is a common practice nowadays, on or off the stages, and becoming an interesting, attracting, and significant part of music performances. This implies that those without skills of music-making can contribute or enrich the music appreciation through talking, like introducing a performance. This is something a music club can develop to help fulfilling the mission of the club.

The otherside of this letter is a chorus version of the Missouri Federation song we sing in every meeting.


Tony Su  (11/17/2017 12:18)