Information:

• Source: California Sessions Book
• Key: G Major/E Minor
• Measures: 48
• Parts: Cello and Piano
• Duration: 2:45 min
• Pages: 4

“When the Okies left Oklahoma and moved to California, they raised the average intelligence level in both states.” – Will Rogers

Hello,

SENSE OF FREEDOM
I’ve been trying to remember the last time I visited El Dorado County. Memory is such a funny thing. I can’t quite recall the exact year, but the moments themselves feel so alive in my mind. I can still see the colors of the sunsets, soft and glowing, and the wildflowers scattered along the hillsides. No matter where I looked, the views always seemed to take my breath away.

I also remember the gentle clouds drifting across the spring sky, as if they were painted there just for that season. And in the fall, the hills came alive with rich, dramatic colors that felt almost too beautiful to...

Information:

• Source: All year round music Notebook
• Key: Bb Major/ G minor
• Measures: 26
• Parts: Cello and Piano
• Duration: 2:53 min
• Pages: 4

“ And we say goodbye and we pray to God, that next year, instead of a million, let it be two” ― Nacho Cano

THE IDEA OF TIME
Tabulating time is an extraordinary concept. If you think about it, the idea of time exist only in our minds, a human invention shaped from observation and need. Yet, because nature works in cycles_ the rising and setting of the sun, the waxing and waning of the moon, the turning of the seasons_we can take advantage of that movement to organize life’s events. In this way, we measure what has passed, mark what is present, and even anticipate what is still to come.

Among these divisions, January stands as both a beginning and a threshold, reminding us that time is not only counted but also felt. It’s a time that...

Information:

• Source: Music and Life Notebook
• Key: C Major / A Minor
• Measures: 37
• Parts: Cello and Piano
• Duration: 2:45 min.
• Pages: 3

“Good judgment comes from experience, and experience comes from bad judgment.” ― Rita Mae Brown, Alma Mater

Hello everyone,

LOUD STATEMENT
Decision making is a daily activity we engage in, whether we are aware of it or not. It can be an automatic motion, or a conscious pursuit that requires mathematical precision and deep reflection. Some decisions we make, can be life-changing, delineating the path for who we become and shaping the path we follow for the rest of our lives. In a way, making a decision is like making a personal, loud statement to the world.

And then there’s the idea some people bring up: Not making a decision is still a decision. This, obviously has deep implications. Choosing to delay, avoid, or surrender means accepting...

Information:

• Source: California Sessions Book
• Key: C major
• Measures: 49
• Parts: Cello and Piano
• Duration: 3:08 min
• Pages: 4

“California, where the spring comes in the fall and the fall comes in the summer and the summer comes in the winter and the winter never comes at all.”
– Inez Haynes Irwin

HIDDEN GEM
Some people may think the greater Sacramento area is not a great place to live, but I happen to disagree. It’s all about perspectives, experiences and appreciation. Because of its geographic location, Yolo county is naturally part of the Sacramento region. Both locals and visitors have the opportunity to enjoy a vibrant area filled with hidden gems waiting to be discover. I am sure, if you asked, most people living here would agree.

Yolo County, as a whole, is largely a vast landscape of agricultural activity and, according to research, is among the richest regions in...

Information:

• Source: Music and Life Book
• Key: D Major/B Minor
• Measures: 48
• Parts: Cello and Piano
• Duration: 3:16 min
• Pages: 4

“If you come at four in the afternoon, I’ll begin to be happy by three.”
― Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince

Hello,

IT IS MAGICAL
The ability to make friends is one of the most magical aspect of human life. It’s hard to imagine that some people go through their entire lives without a single person they can truly call a friend. Friendship provides comfort, support, and a sense of belonging, yet the process of forming these bonds is not always simple.

For many, making friends can feel like a daunting or even exhausting endeavor, requiring patience, effort, and vulnerability. Still, the rewards of genuine connection often outweigh the challenges, showing just how deeply we long for companionship and understanding.

UNEXPECTED PLACES
The...

Information:

• Source: Music and Life Notebook
• Key: D major
• Measures: 38
• Parts: Piano
• Duration: 3:30 min
• Pages: 4

“No one ever told me that grief felt so like fear.”
— C.S. Lewis (A Grief Observed)

TO HELL AND BACK
Grief is the natural response to pain or loss_ whether physical, emotional, or both_ and it shapes the way we act in hard times. It is not a single emotion but a complex process that influences our thoughts, behaviors, and the way we see the world. While grief is universal, the experience varies from person to person.

I have been experiencing grief, and for me_ what can I say?_ it has been a year from hell. I read that, there are five to seven stages of grief_ some sources even identify twelve. But in my present condition, I can say with absolute certainty that there are at least one million indescribable stages of grieving. The devastating loss I am...

Information:

• Source: Music and Life Notebook
• Key: B minor
• Measures: 48
• Parts: Cello and Piano
• Duration: 2:51 min
• Pages: 4

“Of all men’s miseries the bitterest is this: to know so much and to have control over nothing.” — Herodotus (The Histories)

AN ESSENTIAL PART
Feeling in control is an essential part of life. Without it, even in small amounts, we often perceive that something is wrong. It does not matter where we come from, how profound our background is, or what we’ve been through_ we all want some level of control. Sometimes that means control over ourselves, our surroundings, worst of all, to control others.

The channels we use to gain control are remarkable. Some people rely heavily on deception to obtain what they want. Over time, they become skilled manipulators, with no hesitation in lying or twisting the truth. Others apply cheap tricks_ unrefined methods to...

Information:

• Source: Music and Life Notebook
• Key: D Major/B Minor
• Measures: 36
• Parts: Cello and Piano
• Duration: 2:29 min
• Pages: 3

“Forget about what you are escaping from. Reserve your anxiety for what you are escaping to.” — Michael Chabon (The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay)

LOOK AROUND YOU
Why is it that we are always searching for a way out?_ not in the dramatic sense of wanting to escape life itself, but in the subtle, everyday ways we resist the present. We crave a fantasy, a world untouched by flaws, where everything aligns in effortless perfection. But such a place does not exist.

The truth is that the world is anything but exquisite; it is fragile, uncertain, and at times dangerous. And perhaps, it is this very imperfection, this raw and unpredictable nature of reality, that makes it both unbearable and inescapably real.

I cannot speak for everyone...

Information:

• Source: Approved Measures Notebook
• Key: C Major
• Measures: 36
• Parts: Cello and Piano
• Duration: 3:24 min
• Pages: 3 Pages

I am convinced that delivering an uncomfortable truth, it is far more effective when is done loud and clear through music.

IN CONSTANT CHANGE
Music changes. It always has. People change, too, although they don’t always like to admit it. Every generation seems to believe that the music of its time is somehow special. The previous generation doesn’t understand it, the next generation will probably ruin it, and someone will inevitably complain that “they don’t make music like they used to.”

And perhaps they are right. Music has always been a rather accurate witness to what is happening around it. Culture, technology, fashion, politics, and even the way people live their everyday lives eventually find their way into music. In other words, music is...

Information:

• Source: Music and Life Notebook
• Key: Bb Major
• Measures: 36
• Parts: Cello and Piano
• Duration: 2:55 min
• Pages: 4

“I didn’t want to kiss you goodbye — that was the trouble — I wanted to kiss you good night — and there’s a lot of difference.”
— Ernest Hemingway

PAY CLOSE ATTENTION
The need to connect to another human being is vital to our well being. Kissing allow us to draw close to one another, yet, because it is such a common act, we often overlook its meaning, unless of course, we pause to pay close attention.

The activity of kissing carries different meanings depending on the situation. It grant us license to express many things. A kiss, for example, might say: I am delighted to be here with you, or thank you for everything you have done. Some kisses could seal a lasting friendship between two lonely souls. In this way, a kiss becomes a substitute for...