In 1975 I was in eleventh grade at Msgr. Farrell High School. Frank Caporaso sat in the desk in front of me in chemistry class. Farrell is an all-boys Catholic high school and, as you might imagine, all that testosterone with no tempering female presence sometimes led to a Lord of the Flies classroom ambience. … Read more
I’ve been working with Colleen for several years. At first I didn’t exactly knock it out of the park in terms of popularity. Although she doesn’t use words, Colleen has very effective methods of communication. In my case it was the growl and the grimace that she used to let me know that my music … Read more
CHP volunteer Steve Pavis and I have a long history. We’ve known each other since kindergarten and for most of our 57 years of friendship Steve has been my music “guru”. As kids, Steve’s musical knowledge and tastes were much more sophisticated than mine, (I remember him talking about Hendrix when we were in 6th … Read more
Steve Pavis and John have been friends since they were five years old, growing up together on Staten Island, NY. Steve’s several older siblings made him a very hip music fan from a young age and he has been John’s music guru since the 6th grade. During the punk rock era of the late ‘70s … Read more
Marilyn Tuzzo, Volunteer Extraordinaire, started working with The Coffeehouse Project after observing the effect the music had on her mother during one of John’s Somerset County Senior Wellness Center programs. With her background in teaching and peer leadership facilitation and her fancy dance moves, it made all kinds of sense for her to join the … Read more
Our goal is to improve lives through music making. When I reflect on this goal, I sometimes wonder if an hour of smiling, singing and dancing is “enough”. I keep coming back to the conviction that it is – and, also, that it isn’t. The research scientist in me wants to make sure that the … Read more
When I was young, my daddy wasn’t there, so Mommy had to bump me up and down the stairs, so Moved to Elizabeth after Brick City New ‘hood but still in the nitty gritty Had a stutter and my tongue got tied Kids teased and I just couldn’t hide Feelin’ sorry for myself, Mama cut … Read more
Once, when the Italian actress Anna Magnani was having her portrait taken she told the photographer, “Please don’t retouch my wrinkles. It took me so long to earn them.” I used to be the kind of person who was so struck by the visual beauty of a Fender Stratocaster guitar that when I finally owned … Read more
I want you to try something right now. Put on a pair of headphones if you’ve got them nearby. Click here to play “Seven Nation Army” by The White Stripes on YouTube. Bring up the volume. Listen for 30 seconds, then pause the video. I’ll wait …. Now here’s a question for you: by the … Read more
