Since July of this year I've been involved in a weekly photographic challenge, with the challenges coming from Andre Gallant a Canadian photographer, educator, and source of inspiration for "creative expression".

This week's challenge was "In Memory Of...".  When I was thinking about possible subject matter, my mind went through the obvious connections----parents, family members, or certain events----but I wasn't interested in exploring that route.

As the week unfolded and I was still thinking of possible material, I just happened to open up some older piano music of mine.  What I found are notes from former teachers on the pages.  There was one piece, in particular, that I could remember playing and hearing my piano teacher talk to me about improving my technique and listening to different ways of phrasing and articulation.

That inspired me to create a composite image.  One of me playing the piano, using a slow shutter speed to suggest motion.  The other half of the composite is a section of a piece of music.  I decided not to use the old music with its notes by teachers past, but to use a new (to me) section of music where I needed some assistance from my current piano teacher to play it.  In my mind it reminded me of all the piano lessons of the past with all of my various teachers over the years who would assist me in getting to know the music and play it with a sense of feeling and interpretation.

PAD Nov 18 In memory of the lessons of the past Other thoughts that this photo brings to mind?

I just happened to be creating this composite when there was a lot of press about the 50th anniversary of JFK.  I was 9 years old when I heard the news over my Catholic School's PA system.  It was one of those events that is forever a part of you.  Our family, like most others that we knew, were glued to the TV set watching the days of coverage and mourning.  We talked about nothing else.

During this week, I also watched and read remembrances of JFK.  What struck me is how the personal memories brought on such huge memories and feelings from others.  The NYTimes had an article about the military pall-bearers and the re-union they were having this week.  The article really tugged at you with the seemingly small things that they remembered. I read the comment section of the article and so many people were touched by these small remembrances.

Although the magnitude is different, just seeing some marks on a page of music was able to transport me back in time and re-live that small part of time.  The page of music is my personal memory, distinct and unique to me.  At first it seemed very different than the many memories being televised and talked about JFK, but the ability to evoke a strong feeling is meaningfully similar.