High school graduation, what a fun time for the graduates. All of the parties and end-of-the year-banquets. A young saxophonist had been a rising star in his high school band; he had received his share of awards his senior year. In addition to the prestigious plaques and medals from the directors, he also received a gag trophy from the student band leaders for the “best notes.”
At the time, his mom had smiled. “Best notes. They couldn’t even come up with a funny gag gift,” she mused.
“Best notes” indeed. Afterwards, her son explained that the award was really hers for all the to-do notes that she left in his car each morning.
Later she explained. “We had one car, but he preferred dropping me and his younger sister off at our schools (the mom was an elementary school teacher) before driving on to high school than for me to drop him off and keep the car. However with the trade-off, he needed to run some afternoon errands before picking me up so we didn’t have to back track. I left him reminders.”
The young saxophonist went on to earn multiple degrees in jazz and today both plays professionally and teaches jazz. He’s performed with the likes of Aretha Franklin, Dr. Billy Taylor, Branford Marsalis and Gary Sinese, to name a few. A list maker even when he prefers to be totally creative, he arranges and composes music, all requiring “best notes” in every sense of the term.
Even before she was a mother, his mom was a list maker. For her, lists offer peace of mind that chores, hers and others, will be completely in both a timely and efficient manner. For years, making lists has served her well.
In fact, her granddaughter has adopted her technique for listing steps in order in a process, like the preparation of a complicated recipe that may cover several days. Such skills should serve the young coed well. She first applied the concept in preparing to move to a college campus.
I, too, am a list maker. However, my jotting on whatever is handy doesn’t compare to the mom’s very neat lists. However, mine serve me equally well.
When I worked full time at the newspaper, I preferred using a daily calendar. I could list all of my appointments and chores for the day on the top sheet. Not overwhelming, it helped me meet each day’s deadlines. Before I left the office in the afternoon, I turned the page to the next day to check my first appointment. If I were to meet someone for an interview at 8 a.m., I went straight to my appointment rather than stopping in at the office. I found it a very efficient way to manage my time.
When teaching, I also encouraged my students to make jot lists, queues of ideas, before they ever wrote for the day. Just noting these random musings in a word or two helps writers gather tangents, organize their ramblings and give the reader a well thought-out paper.
While some cudmudgeons discredit list making as a way to set oneself up for failure, we list makers know it’s a time saving skill that keeps us productive. And for techies, there’s even an app or two for making lists.
Dr. Carrie Barron, writing for Psychology Today, acknowledges that list making helps most people through their busy days. She concurs with my friend, “Lists can provide inner solace.”
Nina Borg Nicolas, In her “Underground Sound” article, “Stress Relief Through Music: Why Is Jazz so Relaxing?” says, “The power of jazz lies in its ability to improve your mood and make you feel more relaxed. The combination of improvisation, rhythmic patterns and distinctive tones are the reasons for the relaxing vibe jazz creates.”
Many of us today seek relief from the stress caused by pandemics, wars, threats of wars, inflation; the list of stress inducers over which we have little control is endless. For list makers, this skill, at least, gives us better control over our own clutter. For music lovers, the sweet sounds of jazz can also ease tensions. And for one mother and son, there may actually be a kinship between list making and making jazz - “Best notes,” indeed.
2022
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