News & Updates

February 2024

• Hello and a belated Happy New Year to all! I wish you all the best year ever! This year has gotten off to a busy start. I am  now playing percussion in 4 bands! I play in the Second Wind and Flahsbacks band at The Center. I play snare, conga, bongos, auxiliary percussion and I am also relearning to play drum set after 43 years of not having done so! I also started playing the steel drum in a small church ensemble and we are having a lot of fun.  I am still loving playing for my patients at UVA hospital at at Hospice of the Piedmont. My art continues to be a bright light in my life and here is a blog page with the lastest on that.  Thanks for stopping by! 

December 2023 

•  Hello and happy holidays to all!! This year has been a very good one for me and I have written about the highlights of it on my blog here. Thank you for your support and I wish you all much peace, joy, prosperity and good health in the coming year! 

October 2023

•  Hello and happy autumn! I have been enjoying the beginning of fall. As you have seen, I have been doing a lot of artwork lately in additino to my music. I have updates about art shows and musical news here on my blog!

July 2023

•  A few months have passed since I have updated you all! So much to report! In April, I trained to become a hospice volunteer and in May I began working with the Music By the Bedside team providing therapeutic music for hospice patients and family. I love my work there. I continue to work at UVA hospital as well and I am in my 19th year there as part of the Musician-in-Residence team. In addition, I have alos been doing a lot of art work. I make collage from discarded paintings given to me by local art teachers and friends. You can see more about this by visiting my blog here at this link.  Thanks for stopping by and Happy Summer to all!

  March 2023

• March is here and I am s

March 2023

• March is here and I am so excited for spring to come!  February was a wonderful month and I have written all about it here on my blog. Thank you for stopping by! 

January 2023

• Happy New Year, everyone! I am feeling very optimistic about this year already! I wrote a more detailed account of the summary of 2022 on my blog and you can read it here on my blog page

September 2022

• Here we are in our last days of summer. It has been a good summer and I am excited about some new directions my music is taking this fall.  I will be joining a jazz band called the Flashbacks and will play Latin percusison with this band. I am learning congas and bongos! We play two of my TV theme songs, "Hawaii 5-0" and "Pink Panther."  In addition, I just got a new African djembe drum to play at my church (Unity) each Sunday. You can read more about all of this on my blog page. Happy Autumn to you! 

July 2022

• Hello! It has been quite awhile since I've updated this page! I do post a monthly blog on this page.  This year of 2022 is half over already. I have been continuing to play music for hospital patients and nursing home residents. Due to Covid, I have not been doing many public performances. I am enjoying my work as a Certified Music Practitioner. I appreciate you checking in with me! thanks for coming by. 

December 2021

• Hello! It's been awhile since I've checked in here. I have been enjoying my work at UVA hospital playing music for patients. I also have loved my work at nursing homes too. I have been back in person since July and everything is going very well. It has been a challenging but rewarding year. I have written a blog post for December and you can read that here. I wish you all a very Happy New Year and Happy Holiday season!

July 2021

• Hi out there! Is it just me or has this year been flying by? July was a very busy month for me and I was very excited to be back to work as Musician-in-Residence at UVA hosptila after 1.5 years absence (due to Covid).  I wrote more about my month on my blog and you can read that here. As always, I am glad you stopped by and let me know how you are doing!

June 2021

• Hello and how are you all doing? May was a very good month! I got a hammered duclimer and I have been learning to play. I also got the good news I will be returning to my job at UVA hospital as Musician-in-Residence next week! I have other news but I will tell all in my blog post you can read at this link. Thanks much for stopping by!

May 2021

•  Hi out there! A few months have passed here because the pandemic is still preventing me from doing very much msuic work. However, things are looking up! Last month I got to go and play at my favorite nursing home out in Madison county. I was told I was the first msuician and visitor outside of family to be allowed back in after a year of Covid. It was just wonderful to be back and reconnect with the staff and residents. I have been going there since 2012, so I have really missed them all. It was a very moving experience for me when I played my first piece (Pachebel Canon) and broke the silence the home had since Covid. You can read more about this on my blog.
• I also did an Earth Day program for Access Arts and that was a lot of fun. 
• The other thing I did was I got a hammered dulcimer! I have always loved this instrument and now I am really enjoying learning how to play it. It is a lot of fun being a total beginnger again too. I have heard myself say, "The secret to becoming a master is being a beginner over and over again. " 
• I also published a story in Hearing Loss Magazine for the HLAA!  That was an honor to do.
• That's my update for now!

January 2021

•  Hello everyone! I hope this New Year has been treating you well so far. January found me doing some collaborations that were a lot of fun for all.  I did a program with my friend Wayne for Access Arts on music appreciation and history. We focused on historical context of some songs from the 1950s and 60's. I find it interesting that in some ways, we as a nation are facing similar issues we had in the 60s now. We had political division, racial inequality, social uprising and unrest and protests. So, some of my songs I chose from the 60s reflected the message of peace, love and harmony. Songs like, "Put a Little Love in Your Heart," " What a Wonderful World." February we will feature music for Black History month. I will talk about that in next months' notes.
• I also collaborated with a friend Ayesha from Unity church on the monthly Chanting series they do there. I played my doumbek to the songs and it was a great night of beautiful music. You can listen and sing along at this link on Facebook!

December 2020

• What a year this has been! It brought many changes. The main one, being the pandemic. In this year, I had to redefine my career as I lost all of the jobs I had working as a professional musician. UVA hospital had to shut down our Musician-in-Residence program I had been a part of since 2004.  We have recently begun a virtual therapuetic music program, however, and that will begin soon. I have also done some virtual music sessions with some nursing home residents and that has gone very well. Other than that, this pandemic caused me to realize that I prefer to have my music be something I do for the love of it and not as a means to support myself financially. I am grateful for the many years I got to work as a professional musician, but now I felt that trying to make a living at it at times put strain on me and the magic of the musical offering suffered as a result. I am ready for this New Year 2021 ahead! I am grateful to all of you for your support of me through my years as a musician. I will continue but with a new mission. Blessings and my best to all!

November 2020

• This month I spent a lot of time working in a new guitar environment called Liberty Guitar tuning. It was developed by guitarist/musician named Harvey Reid. It involves using a slight change in tuning along with a partial capo.  I wrote about this in my blog you can read all about it here. Hope you had a good Thanksgiving!

September 2020

• September was a busy month because I moved from my home of 12 years to a new abode across town. I love my new neighborhood and my cat Jasper also enjoys his new views out the window.  This month also saw me doing more virtual music sessions with residents at nursing homes. I have really been enjoying this. I worried that the virtual format would feel less initimate but it has not been the case at all. If I were able to visit them, I would need to be socially distanced and with a mask. On screen, we can see each other up close and personal! For some, it may be like watching a TV show that is specifically designed just for them. When I was a child, there was a TV show called Romper Room. By chance have you ever seen it? In the beginning of the show, a nice lady would be holidng up a mirror and she woudl say, "I see Susan, I see Joey, I see Margie... " etc etc. I was always bummed she never saw me or said my name! But I still loved the show and could not believe she was able to see anyone on the other side of the screen.  Who knew all these years later, we woudl be able to? So if we were going to have a pandemic, we picked a good time for it. Technology has allowed me to stay connected with some of my favorite people to sing with. I hope you are doing well too. Next month I will have a surprise for you as I will be featured in a local website. More on that later!

August 2020

• Like other musicians, I have been laid off my work at the hospital and nursing homes playing music for patients indefinitely due to the pandemic. I have spent the last couple of months exploring a new guitar tuning called DADGAD. I am working up quite a repertoire that ranges from spirituals, songs of O'Carolan (Irish tunes), and the song, "People Get Ready." It has been a lot of fun. Just yesterday, I did my first virtual music session and it went very well! I was surprised the nursing homes are equipped with tablets and cell phones to go into patient rooms and turn on FaceTime. This marks a new phase for me and I am excited about it. I hope you are all doing well and thanks for stopping by!

May 2020

• I hope you are all staying safe and well in these difficult times. In mid March,  my work as a therapuetic musician playing for patients at the hospital and nursing homes came to an abrupt halt when the pandemic hit. However, all is not lost. For I spent all of April preparing a songbook that can be distributed online. It is caled, "Seven Songs of Solace." It is a collection of songs to soothe our weary souls. You may purchase this book (pdf) by making a donation to : paypal.me/sevensongssolace    You can hear songs at: https://soundcloud.com/blue-oconnell/sets/seven-songs-of-solace   Each month I will donate 10% of the proceeds to a different charity working to help those in the front lines during the pandemic. This month's donation will go to Doctors Without Borders. Thank you!

Here are some artilces that came out about Seven Songs of Solace:

May 17, 2020 Daily Progress, "Therapeutic Musician Releases songbook to lift spirits." Article about my latest project can be seen at this link: Daily Progress Article

If you are unable to read this article online (due to subscription preferences) You can read the article on my google drive.


May 27, 2020  C'Ville Weekly Article, "Finding Solace" 

February 2020

• Another busy and productive month. One highlight was that my original painting/collage, "Soundscapes," has been selected to be in a special art show at Cochlear Americas main headquarters. Here is my blog post about that. 

January 2020

• Happy New Year! Let's hope for a very good year for everyone! This year has started with some exciting news that my proposal to present at the HLAA (Hearing Loss Association of America) Convention in New Orleans in June 2020 has been accepted!  I will be presenting, "One Size Does Not Fit All: Designing Your Own Aural Rehab Program."  It is for cochlear implant (CI) recipients. In addition, I continue to enjoy my music practitioner work with private and group clients in nursing homes and the hospital.  

September 2019

• I had a lovely time in September. The highlight was playing along with the Virginia Symphony Orchestra in Norfolk. I went with a group of musician friends who also wear cochlear implants (CI) We made history by having a hearing loop system which allowed us to hear the music and speeches directly into our CIs. In addition, we had Lois from Access Virginia provide live captions that were streamed into our cellphones for us to follow along with all of the speeches conducted that day. The event was to promote Unity and Peace. Here is a link to the blog I wrote about that day.

August 2019

• Probably the highlight of August was the annual picnic of Adaptive Recreation. It was the anniversary celebrating 40 years!  We met at Pen Park and participants got to play some games and sing and dance, eat good food and visit and reminisce.  I lead some of the sing along songs and you can read about it on my blog. I am excited for September and the autumn season! Thanks for stopping by. 

July 2019

• I traveled to Warsaw, Poland in July and loved participating in the Beats of Cochlea Festival. It is a festival for musicians with cochlear implants (CIs).  I was fortunate to be one of 19 participants selected from all around the world. We had people from Italy, Spain, Russia, Mexico, Australia, Canada, Germany, Hungary, Poland and other countries. It was held at the World Hearing Center and there were many scientists and technology developers of CIs in attendance as well. It was a memorable experience. I wrote more about this expericence here on my blog. 
   

June 2019

• June has been a bit of a whirlwind! I have been very busy working with some new private clients. I learn so much from each of them. For one man, since he is a bit of an abstract thinker, I play him some improvised guitar music. The other day I was improvising for him and came up with a new little tune just for him. I also continue to lead sing alongs and group music sessions with my nursing home groups. 
  Last week I got some exciting news!  I will be sponsored to travel to Warsaw, Poland for the annual Beats of Cochlea festival! It is a festival for musicians with cochlear implants and people come from all over the world. I had the good fortune of participating in the festival in 2016. This time though will be different in that I will be playing my Native American Flute! My only problem is what to wear? (smiles) I will be posting on my blog about this! Thanks for checking in. 

May 2019

• The First Wind Band I play percussion in gave a spring concert on May 2nd. We played a wide variety of music. My favorite piece wasa, "The Olympic Spirit," by John Williams. We also played for a moving Memorial Day Service. I teared up while playing The Star-Spangled Banner. All is well with summer on the way!

April 2019

• April was such a good month filled with many rehearsals for Access Arts Charlottesville/Albemarle's annual Concer. I accompanied a singer on guitar who sang, "Crocodile Rock." I also sang a duet with fellow teacher, Mike D'Antoni, "Can You Feel the Love Tonight." Both songs by Elton John. I guess that means we are ready to see, "Rocketman."
  
  I also played snare drum in the Aldersgate Methodist Universalist Church instrumental ensemble in a lovely Easter Service. My favorite piece was, "Hymn to the Fallen," from Saving Private Ryan.
   

March 2019

• March I was very busy with my work at Access Arts Charlottesville/Albemarle On March 9th, we had our annual art opening reception at Carver Recreation and I played my guitar there. It was nice to see everyone and all of the beautiful artwork by the Access Arts members. 
  
  I've also been rehearsing for our annual Access Arts Concert and Open Mic at C'ville Coffee, Friday April 12th at 7pm. I will be singing a duet with another instructor, playing an improvisational solo on my Native American flute, and accompanying a singer. Please do come out for that!
  
  In addition, I have enjoyed playing snare drum in the Aldersgate Methodist Universalist Church instrumental band. We are currently rehearsing for our Easter program. 
  
  Happy Spring! 

January 2019

• Hello to a new year! I continue to enjoy my work playing therapuetic music for hospital patients, nursing home residents and people with disabilities. In addition, I have been enjoying playing percussion in local concert band. I am excited for a new year! 

December 2018

• Farwell to 2018! It was a wonderful year. Read my blog post about this right here.  Happy New Year! 

November 2018

• November was a festive month with music sessions celebrating Thanksgiving. We sang some Thanksgiving themed songs I set to The Sound of Music Songs. For example, here is a verse from one of them:
  
  My Thanksgiving Foods (to tune of “My Favorite Things”) 
  
  Turkey and dressing
  And yams and potatoes
  Gravy and biscuits and fresh stewed tomatoes
  Crimson red cranberries sure beat the blues
  These are a few of my Thanksgiving foods
  
  In thinking ahead for Christmas, I entered a holiday arranging music contest on Sheet Music Plus.  For this I entered my own arrangement of The First Noel for solo guitar. You can hear the arrangement and download at this link below. 
  Happy Holidays to all! 
  
  https://www.sheetmusicplus.com/title/20826182 

September 2018

• September brought a surprising change in my life. I started playing drums again after many years hiatus. I joined the First Wind Band at the local senior center and we are now rehearsing for our Christmas concert. It has been since 1976 since I played snare drum in my high school band and I am having so much fun! It is also a good thing for me to find ways to continue learning and growing as a musician. Reading rhythmic notation is always very helpful for my guitar reading skills too. I wonder where this new trend will lead?  I'll keep you posted! 

August 2018

• August was an exciting month for me with the highlight being my participation in the 2nd Annual Music & Cochlear Implants Symposium in Montreal. I was one of 5 panelists, all of us cochlear implant (CI) recipients who came to share our experiences of how we were able to regain our music perception. For some who do not know about CIs, they are known for their speech optimization. However, there is much work to be done to improve the ability for CI recipients to excel at music performance and enjoyment. The conference included nineteen distinguished presenters from different countries presenting their research findings on the subject of improving musical experience with CI users. Also VSA Charlottesville/Albemarle and Therapeutic Parks and Recreation had its annual picnic and I helped lead the music sing along and that was a lot of fun too! 

June 2018

• June brings new gigs at the Wildrock nature center in Crozet. It is a place where children can take a field trip and learn about the natural world. They have a playscape area inside the barn, a botanical area to learn about plants and trees  and magical garden to explore. They have cows, horses, sheep and fox in the area  and walking trails.  I have enjoyed teaching Native American songs to the school children (1st-3rd graders). Also many nature themed songs. Here is a blog post about my first gig there. I really enjoyed it! 

May 2018

• May was a very good month!  My video submission for the Music & Cochlear Implants Symposium in Montreal was accepted! I will be part of a panel of CI recipients to share our hearing and music testimonials. In my video taped testimonial, I told about the type of aural rehab training I did to regain music perception. Also I told about my 45 years as a musician and how it led me to become a Certified Music Practitioner playing therapeutic music for hospital patients, nursing home residents and people with disabilities. The Symposium is in August and I am very excited about this! 
  
  April 2018

• April has been a very good month. I continue to enjoy my regular nursing home music sessions doing sing alongs and my "Sundown Serenades." The highlight of the month was the 10th Annual VSA Music Concert which is held every spring. I played an arrangement of a George Eliot poem I set to music called, "Spring Come Hither." As an introduction, I played Pachelbel Canon in D. Here is my blog post I wrote about this event. I'm looking forward to see what May brings!

March 2018

• The new year has been a very busy year for me so far. I continue to play music for local nursing homes and assisted living centers. The highlight of the month was playing for the local VSA Charlottesville/Albemarle art show on March 10th. I enjoyed that very much. Here is a link to my blog post about that. 

January 2018

• As an  Artist-in-Residence in Albemarle County Schools, I enjoyed presenting Music of the Civil Rights movement to two 1st Grade Classrooms at Stony Point Elementary. The students knew all about the "Hammer of Justice, " and the "Bell of Freedom," as sung about in the civil rights anthem, "If I Had a Hammer." They also enjoyed learning how to sing, "This Little Light of Mine," in American Sign Language (ASL). 

December 2017

• This has been a very good year! I enjoyed playing Christmas and holiday music to all of my nursing home residents this holiday season. Perhaps the highlight was playing for the UVA Hospital Lights of Love annual celebration. This is where families and friends can put a light on the Christmas tree to remember a loved one who passed away this past year. I played in a trio with my colleagues in the Musician-in-Residence program at the hospital. That was a lot of fun and very meaningful too.

September/October 2017

• I have enjoyed fall themed music sessions with my groups in September and October. September brought the fall equinox and we wrote some songs about the fall. One way I work with older adults is to take a familiar song and rewrite the lyrics. We wrote some favorite things about fall to to the tune of, "When the Saints Go Marching In."  For example, "Oh when the sun is not so hot, when the sun is not so hot. Oh lord I want to put on a sweater, when the sun is not so hot," and on it went like that. October brought Halloween and we wrote a holiday carol. We took the tune, "O Christmas Tree" and wrote it as, "O Pumpkin Pie." It went like this, "O pumpkin pie, o pumpkin pie, your taste is so delicious." I work with adults with Alzheimer's and dementia and we have a  lot of fun together. One of our favorite activities is to play rhythm games. One favorite game is to play, "Name that Tune" using only rhythms. Old Nursery rhymes are good for this game because the rhythms are very distinctive. "Three Blind Mice, " "Row, Row, Row your Boat, " "For He's a Jolly Good Fellow." I'm having fun now creating programs for Veteran's Day and Thanksgiving. You can read more about my sessions on my blog page here. Thanks for stopping by! 

August 2017

• August was a fun month. My highlights were with my work with the Arts Fusion program  with  Alzheimer's Association. Arts Fusion is a program that focuses on people with Alzheimer's and dementia to create interactive community experiences with music and art. This August was special for me because for the first time I traveled to Lynchburg and Roanoke and beyond and met some new people and had some great times together.  For this program I do a variety of interactive musical activities. We do everything from "Name that Tune," and rhythm games and sing along with old favorites from school and camp. Since August is the only month with no holiday, I said we could celebrate all holidays by way of holiday jokes.  Do you know why you'd never borrow money from a Leprechaun? (A: He's always a little short). Did you know Santa Claus was really into Karate? Yep. He's really good too. Why do you think Santa would be good at Karate? (A: Because he has a black belt) (Ka boom! :)  You get the picture. Looking forward to new experiences ahead in September! 

July 2017

• Summer camps are underway and I enjoyed doing a special presentation with Camp Henry about my cochlear implant experience. We also sang a bunch of fun summery songs and shared summertime stories. I also spent July sprucing up my wedding and nursing home repertoire. I have added some lovely love songs that all generations enjoy. Some of the selections are: "Devoted to  You," "All I Have to Do Is Dream," "You Send Me, " and "Unchained Melody." You can see a whole list of my repertoire at this link. I love to learn new songs and create my own songs too. Anyway I can please an audience is what I like to do. I hope you are having a good summer, wherever you are!  

June 2017

• June was a lovely month filled with my usual gigs at the hospital, nursing homes and special needs groups.  The special gig of the month happened at Ivy Creek Natural Area ivycreekfoundation.org which was our annual Celebration of the Nature.  This is a time where local poets, artists and musicians share their own or favorite nature themed works. I sang my song, "Choose the Sky," as well as poems by George Eliot I set to music. We also had local songstress, Maia Oden join us and members of the local group, "The LIve Poets Society." 

May 2017

• May began with a wedding I played at the UVA Chapel. I chose to play the Water is Wide for the processional and the bride walked down the aisle to Pachelbel Canon in D.  This is such a beautiful piece and I learned so much and grew as a musician to have worked on this piece. See this link to read my blog post, "What I learned from Pachebel Canon" for more on this subject. I also traveled to the University of Maryland to participate in their cochlear implant research. It was my third time there and I really enjoyed doing this work. Memorial Day I got to sing some patriotic songs with seniors and that made my holiday fun. 

April  2017

• What a wonderful month April was for my work! On April 19, 2017, VSA Charlottesville/Albemarle had our annual concert! Everyone sounded so good. Whit had all kinds of music from African drumming to handbell choirs, John Denver, Leonard Cohen songs and original music too. Here is a link to some pictures from the event. I had a lot of fun playing the guitar for a group who sang, "Let it Go" from the musical, "Frozen." I also sang a song, "Blue Wings" which is a poem written by George Eliot that I adapted and wrote music for. I also had some really good experiences at my nursing home and hospital gigs. You can read about them on my blog. Thanks for reading! :)

February  2017

• February found me playing music for all my many nursing homes, group homes for people with special needs and hospital patients. I had some delightful and meaningful experiences. You can read some of the highlights of my gigs on my blog. I'm ready for spring, how about you? I'm gearing up for some St. Patrick's Day gigs too. Thanks for stopping by! 

January  2017

• This year started out very well with a new article, "My New Sonic Reality: In Harmony" published by Hearing Health Foundation. I also published an article in the Association for Late-Deafened Adults (ALDA.org) member news letter on keeping a music scrapbook. I have continued to enjoy my work playing for hospital patients, nursing home residents and people with special needs. You can read about my gigs here on my blog. Thank you for stopping by!

December  2016

• Happy New Year to all! December was a challenging and joyful month. I had several amazing experiences playing at the hospital over the holiday season. You can read about that on my blog post here. December is a time of reflection of the year and I want to express my graditutde to all those who support my work!  Oh and one more thing to tell you! I just finished submitting my first science fiction short story, "Tales from Planet Harmonia" about some interplanetary experiences I had with my cochlear implant. The story was submitted for an anthology of deaf and hard of hearing authors. I will let you know if it got accepted and will be published! 

November  2016

•  November was a great month! I finished writing two articles that will be published this winter.  One article titled, "My Sonic Reality, in Harmony," is for the Hearing Health Foundation magazine. This article talks about my journey as a cochlear implant (CI) recipient and the aural rehab I did to regain music perception to become a professional musician. My other article is for ALDA (Association for Late-Deafened Adults) which talks about the many ways that I keep music as a hobby even though it is also how I make my living. I will post links to these articles once they are published in December. Hoping everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday!

October  2016

•  October was a really busy month and it is not over! The highlights were participating in cochlear implant research at JMU, teaching my "American Experience Through Music" to International students at UVA, and teaching a songwriting class for my VSA group. I wrote about all of these on my blog, "Blue O'Connell's Musical Adventures." 

September  2016

•  September was a very good month! I got to debut two new projects that I am excited about. One of them is called, "The American Experience Through Music." It is for the (ESL) (English second language) students at the International Center at UVA. We had our first class in the series last week. Each session will focus on different genres of music from blues, jazz, bluegrass, country, gospel, spirituals, rock and roll and pop. Check out the link here for a description of our first class. I also collaborated with local music therapist, Cathy Bollinger teaching a songwriting class with VSA Arts.  So far we have written one song and plan to record it in November! The song is about our love for music! Yay for that! 

 

August  2016

•  August found me back into my usual work routine which includes playing music in many different places. In addition to working as a Certified Music Practitioner at U. VA Health System hospital, I also play for groups of people with special needs with VSA Charlottesville/Albemarle. I also work for the Alzheimer's Association in a program called Arts Fusion with older adults with dementia and Alzheimer's. I work for  about a dozen group homes and day care centers in the area each month. In addition, behind the scenes, I have been working on a new program with the UVA International Center to teach about American history through music. (with ESOL students) More about that next month! 

 

July  2016

•  I had a wonderful time in Warsaw, Poland participating in The Beats of Cochlea" festival. As stated in below, it is a festival for musicians with cochlear implants. There were 32 participants and I was one of 3 from USA while others came from China, Japan, Germany, Canada, Turkey, Italy, Poland, Spain and other places. It was amazing to meet other musicians with cochlear implants and they were all such good musicians. After the festival, I stayed in Warsaw on my own for 5 days. I went to the Chopin Museum, The Royal Palace and walked through beautiful Old Town, Warsaw. I have uploaded some of my photos of this trip that you can see at this link. 

 

June  2016

•  Great news came my way which is that I was selected to participate in the festival in Warsaw, Poland this year, "The Beats of Cochlea."   It is a festival for musicians with cochlear implants. It is a tremendous opportunity! I cannot wait!  Meanwhile June finds me doing some special music for local churches.  Last week sang new (to me) hymns for a Baptist revival, "I Surrender All" and "Come and Dine."  I also sang two other favorites, "It is Well With My Soul," and "Leaning on the Everlasting Arms."

 

May  2016

• Spring has sprung in Virginia and I am gearing up for some fun summer projects, to be announced later :) In the meantime, I will be participating in cochlear implant research at the University of Maryland in mid May.  This will be the fifth research project I've participated in since my implantation back in 2009. I'll be blogging about this for sure!  In the meantime, thanks for stopping by. 

 

April  2016

• April is a busy time with many exciting performances and projects lined up. April 3rd finds me performing for  library's  The Big Read grand finale at The Haven. Then there is one of my favorite yearly collaborations with The Live Poets Society  our "Celebration of Nature in Music and Art" at  Ivy Creek Foundation on April 17th at 2:00.  Coming up just days later is my favorite music concert with VSA Charlottesville/Albemarle on Wed. April 20 at 1:00.  I am also preparing for a private corporate gig in DC at the end of the month. Whew! A great month for me! Thanks for stopping by!

March  2016

• I'm very excited to be doing a special presentation at the Northside Library in Charlottesville as part of The Big Read project this month! This year's Big Read book is The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers.  Set in the depression era, the book is a compelling story of various social outcasts, one them is deaf and mute.  As part of The Big Read event,  Northside library will be showing the documentary film Lost and Sound which is a documentary about music, deafness and the incredible human brain. The film follows 3 extraordinary people as they try to re-discover music after deafness, and journeys with them deep into sound and silence.  I will be giving a presentation following the film about my own journey to re-discover music once learning to hear again with my bionic ear. (Cochlear implant) This will take place on Thursday, March 24th at 7pm at the Northside Library. 

 

February  2016

• ​Yesterday I had my debut performance with Nursing Homes Swing, playing all jazz standards, swing songs and show tunes at Golden Living in Charlottesville. This marks an exciting new direction for me and I feel I am really hitting my stride reinventing myself as a jazz artist. There are too many to list, but some of my new favorite songs I sang yesterday were: "Moonlight in Vermont," "How High the Moon, "Do You Know What it Means to Miss New Orleans," "Smile," "Sunny,"  selections from Mary Poppins and The Sound of Music and old Fred Astire movies. It was such a wonderful time and now I am searching for more opportunities to play jazz music. 

 

January  2016

• Happy New Year!   I am excited to begin a new year with new ideas and musical adventures on the horizon. Last week I was honored to play for a memorial service for a former neighbor and friend. She was from Norway and lived many years in Sweden and so I was asked to play a very beautiful piece by the Swedish Troubadour, Evert Taube. The name of the song is, "Lill Lindfors" and it made me cry the first time I heard it. I transcribed the melody into a solo guitar piece  and here it is to hear  I hope you enjoy. 

December  2015

•  As you can imagine, December found me bringing the holiday cheer in the many nursing homes where I play. Currently I play at Our Lady of Peace, The Colonnades, Gordon House, The Laurels, Mountain View, Morningside, The ARC, Meadow Creek, Riverdale and others. I enjoyed singing Christmas carols while sipping eggnog and meeting family of the residents/friends I see regularly. If you are looking for something peaceful and special (and different ) to do on New Year's Eve- come to the annual Labryinth Walk at TJMC-UU 717 Rugby Rd from 5-7pm. There will be live hammered dulcimer music and I will also be playing my instrumental guitar throughout the walk. See you next year!

November  2015

•  I've been busy preparing for new projects coming up in 2016. One is that I've joined the roster the many talented performers for the local non-profit Nursing Home Swing.  This organization sends jazz artists to various nursing homes in Charlottesville. I am happy to be working on my jazz repertoire! New song ads include, "It's Only a Paper Moon," "Heart and Soul," "Dream a Little Dream of Me". So far, I have 40 songs in my list and it is growing!

 

October  2015

•  I'm excited to present, "Music of the Civil Rights Era" at the Northside Branch Library in Charlottesville on Tuesday, October 20th at 6:30pm. The presentation is interactive and invites the audience to join in singing some of the most tumultuous songs in history!
 

September  2015

•  This summer I learned over 30 new songs for a wedding reception I played for. I really enjoyed making my own charts and now I have a new book of songs! Some selections include, "My Cherie Amour," "Baby Now That I've Found You," "I'll Be There," "Sunny," "Light My Fire," selections from, "The Sound of Music." The wedding took place at the beautiful Trump Winery.  Here are the songs I played for the ceremony:

Processional : Wild Mountain Thyme

Bride's Song: Can't Help Falling in Love

Recessional: Everlasting Love
 

July  2015

•  Summer is in full swing here and last week I had a great time teaching a summer camp class (40 1st-5th graders) how to write their own campfire songs. It was a lot of fun!  Our favoirte song was, "This Little Dog of Mine (I'm gonna treat him fine)" sung to the tune of "This Little LIght of Mine." The kids came up with verses to teach people ways to be kind to animals. We had such fun making up our own words to known songs and singing all morning. I have more written about this on my blog Blue O'Connell's Musical Adventures. Enjoy! 
 

May  2015

•  Wedding season has begun in the Charlottesville area and I have really enjoyed being part of such a special occasion for people. There are many beautiful outdoor resorts and wineries in the area and it makes for a beautiful memory for all!  One of the places I got to play at a wedding was at Shenandoah Crossing Resort in Gordonsville.  Just gorgeous!  Here are the songs I played:

Sitting of the Mothers - Simple Gifts

Processional (Bridal party & Grooms) - What a Wonderful World

Bride's Song - Can't Help Falling in Love

What an honor to help create a soundtrack for their special day!

April  2015

•  I have been preparing all month for a special Earth Day presentation to a classroom of 4th graders. This is with my work as Artist-in-Residence with Albemarle County Schools.  Also I will be giving a big presentation featuring the African American music of the Civil Rights Era at Western Albemarle High School on April 30th. I am very excited about this!

• Also I have been featured on the Cochlear Americas Blog regarding my Cochlear implant experience. The content of the blog is an essay that won 1st Prize in the Women's Iniative's "Challenge into Change" essay contest this past Sept. Here is the blog link and thanks for your support!

March 2015

•  March found me at a Remo HealthRhythms Training to become a HealthRhythms Facilitator.   The training involves using drums to communicate and express oneself in a safe and supportive group.  I learned specific protocals that led the group through varying levels of connecting with sound, rhythm and music and heart to heart expression. I am really excited about this training and look forward to bringing it to my community this summer! (stay tuned) Here is more detail about this training experience on my blog.

February 2015

•  The highlight of February was when I got to work with an  art class of 4th graders in a creative expression project. It was a really cool collaboration with the kids! Here's how it worked. As I played my Native American flute, the kids would listen to the shape of the lines I produced in the melody. Did it go up or down or stay the same? Then they would convert these note shapes into lines in their expressive drawings. Next I played my guitar and the kids were instructed to listen for the various colors the guitar produced. A given chord can be bright or shiny or resonant and have various textures. The kids would then interpret these musical colors into colors on their drawings. You can see a picture of their results on my blog post about this experience.

January 2015

•  Happy New Year! I am excited to be offering a new class series at the Charlottesville Therapeutic Recreation  this winter. My class is called, "Sound Journey Meditation." It is a journey to listen deeply to improvised music played on Native American flute, HAPI drum, and classical guitar. I am also excited to be doing a presentation at the Music Library at U.VA as part of a new series called, "Making Noise in the Library." My presentation will consist of part talk about my cochlear implant experience and the rehab work I did to regain music perception. Here is an article that was published in The Hearing Journal that gives details about this.  In all, it's going to be a great year!

December 2014- The Best of 2014

•  It was quite a year for me! Here are some of the highlights from my year. Thank you all for being a part of it and for your continuing support in my work!
 

• In May I receieved the honor of winning the Mildred Spicer Award for the work that I do with VSA with special needs people. This was quite an honor!
• In June the guitar I bought from Dave Matthews and donated to the Music Resource Center sold in an online auction, rasing $41,000 to benefit the MRC! Proceeds go toward providing music instruction to teens at risk. Here is the Daily Progress Story about this auction.
• As a result of this auction, the Music Resource Center created the Blue O'Connell Scholarship Fund to continue to help kids in the community receive music lessons and mentorship from musicians.
• In September, my essay "No More Fried Egg Boons" which tells the story of my cochlear implant activation won First Place Prize in the Women's Iniative "Challenge into Change" essay contest.
• In November, I celebrated 10 Years of working as a Musician-in-Residence at U.VA hospital.

I also enjoyed my work as Artist-in-Residence in Albemarle County Schools!

Thanks for stopping by and see you next year!
 

November 2014

October 2014

•  I am pleased and honored to announce that my essay, "No More Fried Egg Boons" won 1st Place Prize in The Women's Iniative  "Challenge into Change" essay contest.  My essay tells the story in under 500 words of my challenging process of my cochlear implant journey. I plan to do more writing and submitting to blogs and journals.  Stay tuned and thank you for your support!
 

September 2014

•  I just submitted my essay for the "Challenge into Change" contest at the Women's Iniative this year. I placed with an honorable mention last year, so we will see how it goes this time around. I'll let you know!  I have also been busy working on new guitar repertoire that I really enjoy. Some of the pieces include, "Adelita" by Tarrega, "Bouree in Em" Bach, "Valses Poeticos" Granados and my new favorite, "Theme from Swan Lake" by Tchaikovsky. Have a listen and enjoy! Happy Autumn to everyone--it's my favorite time of year!

August 2014

•  With school back in session, I have been learning new iPad music programs to work with my students with special needs. There are a lot of programs that use multi-sensory modes that work well for people who learn  better  using visuals or textile methods. I am also gearing up for a new year with my Artist in Residence program at the Albemarle County Schools. It is an inspiring time of year for me!

July 2014

June 2014

•  Being a Certified Music Practitioner, it is required that I complete 40 CEUs (continuing education) per 4 year term.  This month was about getting my paperwork in order and completing another 40 CEUs. Being a lifelong learner, I enjoyed working on various projects to do my CEUs. Here are some things I did to get my CEUs:

• Online Jazz Improvisation course from Berklee College of Music taught by Gary Burton. This was very challenging and fun too! I don't play jazz music for a living but I love studying it. As a result I have really gained a lot by learning more modal scales and jazz chords.
• I completed the Integrated Therapies Certification Program with the Integrative Music Institute. We did some GIM (guided imagery to music) and poetry, meditation, body awareness and other things.  We met once a month for a 3 hr class for 6 months. When it was over, we were all sad!
• I retook a Module (class) at the Music for Healing & Transition Program (mhtp.org) and had fun being a student again since it has been 11 years since I was a student of MHTP.

There were lots of other things I did over the  4 year term such as read and report on 4 books in our CEU library. I'm good to go for another 4 years!
 

May 2014

• I am honored and pleased to announce my being the recipeient of the Mildred W. Spicer Arts Fund Award. As I said in my accpentance speech, as a teenager my dream was to become a rock & roll star. This was because I thought it seemed rock stars lived these magical lives and that is what I wanted. Well, I am not a rock star but my life is indeed filled with magic that I thought only stars experienced. I never thought it would look this way, but it is a beautiful journey to be sure!

• I'm very honored to announce that the Music Resource Center has established The Blue O'Connell Scholarship Fund which will go toward providing free music lessons to kids who have no resources to buy instruments or pay for lessons. The center is a first-of-its-kind multifaceted teen center in Charlottesville that uses recording and performing arts, as well as life skills mentoring, to create a sense of empowerment and accomplishment for at-risk teens. Please consider making a donation to this wonderful organization!

• The story of the auction and fundrasier of the Dave Matthews guitar I dontated to the Music Resource Center was featured on NBC Channel 29 news.  So glad to be part of a happy story!
 

April 2014

• Many years ago (1992)  I purchased a guitar from a friend who happened to be Dave Matthews. Little did we know that shortly after this purchase, he would go on to become an internationally famous musician. Recently, I dontated this guitar to the Music Resource Center in Charlottesville. The guitar is to be auctioned off online at CharityBuzz.com in May. Here is the story in the Daily Progress.

•  I am gearing up for the next VSA Music Recital at the MLK Performing Arts Center to take place at 1:00 on Wed. April 23rd. This is one of my favorite events of the year with VSA! Come out and hear some great music by some special people.


March 2014

•  My work as Artist-in-Residence at Albemarle County Schools has been very enjoyable lately. My next presentation will be on Native American music at Western Albemarle High School.  I am also working on an improvisation workshop for classcial musicians for the next Association of Adult Musicians with Hearing Loss (AAMHL) meetup in April.

February 2014

•  I was recently interviewed by Bill Pilburn of Fingerstyle 360 Magazine for a feature profile on me and my music. The magazine plans to publish my arrangement of Shenandoah.  It is uncertain right now if the article will be released in the spring or summer but I'll let you know!

January 2014

•  Happy New Year to all!  I am very excited about this new year as I have many new ideas for musical workshops and offereings to come. I have been busy so far this year recording some samples of my repertoire for weddings. I specialize in some of the traditional folk songs of the Southern region.  You can imagine walking the hills of one of our vineyards in the Blue Ridge Mountains to some of the selections found on this page

December 2013

•  The holidays are rapidly approaching. This month I started volunteering at the Music Resource Center teaching guitar once a week. It's a great place that offers music lessons of all kinds from instrument to recording projects to teens. Check it out!  I recorded an instrumental guitar arrangement that was mostly improvised and done in one take at home. Here is "The First Noel" enjoy and Merry Christmas to all of you!
I hope you'll come see me sing my own songs at First Night Virginia's Songwriter Showcase! I love playing at First Night! Happy New Year!

November 2013

•  I took an online jazz improvisation class with Berklee College of Music and it was such fun and so challenging!  It was taught by the legendary vibes player Gary Burton.   We had to do musical analysis to pieces and make recordings of solos to various pieces he assigned. I am very new to jazz, so it was a big stretch for me! But that is also why I did it. My favorite piece we worked on was "Olho De Gato (Eyes of a Cat) by Carla Bley.   In the version I linked here, I got very rowdy and silly and could not stop laughing through most of the piece. I was amazed I was able to stay playing while laughing. Enjoy!

October 2013

•  An organization I am in Association of Adult Musicians with Hearing Loss (AAMHL) announced last week our first CD, entitled Hear This!. There will be two CD release concerts in the DC and NJ areas coming up soon. More on that later.

September 2013

•  I have been selected to give a speech at the TEDx Cville Open Mic on Monday, September 30th 7:30pm at The Jefferson Theater. The speech will be 2 minutes on the topic, "What's the difference that makes a difference?"Quite an honor!

August 2013

•  My article, "How a Mystery Guest Found Belonging" was published in an online music magazine  Grand Piano Passion. This online magazine features articles about piano but also other music as well as features musicians with hearing loss.

•  I am proud to announce that I have been named a HearStrong Champion  from the Hearstrong Foundation which is an organization that recognizes those who have overcome hearing loss. The HearStrong Foundation aims to shatter social stigmas and radically challenge the general perception of hearing in our society.

July 2013

•  July found me busy with my regular gigs and also I did a lot of writing. I enjoyed writing an article for a wonderful online music magazine called Grand Piano Passion. This magazine is not just about piano music, it also features stories and articles by musicians with hearing loss. My article titled, "How a "Mystery Guest" found Belonging" will go live on August 27th.  I also wrote an essay as to apply for the TED talk open mic happening in Charlottesville on September 30th. I will let you all know if I made the open mic--crossing fingers here!

June 2013

•  My essay, "Skydiving: A Quantum Leap Within" received an Honorable Mention for the "Challenge into Change Essay Contest" at The Women's Initiative in Charlottesville.  My essay tells the story of overcoming hearing loss to becoming a professional musician. It is indeed an honor to be selected to be part of this event!


May 2013

•  I was fortunate to have been featured on a TV program Aux Send out of Winchester, VA.  You can watch the episode at this link.

• I recently finished doing a soundtrack for a video "What is a cochlear implant?"  Do you know what they are? If not, you will learn! The video features a new song, "Promise of Spring" at the end, an instrumental duet that features a duet with Diane Cluck on piano.

April 2013

• I was recently filmed by students of Mountaintop Montessori at the Light House Studio for a 90 second documentary series featuring artists with disabilities. Here is my story  although they had to extend the time a bit!

• I am honored to be an Artist-in-Residence with the Albemarle County Public Schools Department of Community Engagement. I teach American a  series of classes using music to teach American heritage in a new and exciting way.  Each class focuses on a specific historical period including songs about historic people and events. I will be working with elementary, middle and high school students.

March 2013

• My article I wrote about the aural rehab I did to regain music perception is slated to be published in ALDA(Association for Late Deafened Adults)  News this spring!

• Sonic Tonic presentations to come soon!


February 2013

• The drum circle at JABA where I volunteer was filmed for a TV commerical for JABA. It is such a great group of people and I am honored to be part of the commercial! I'll let you know once it goes on TV!

• #1 Folk/Singer/Songwriter artist in Charlottesville area for most of 2012 now on ReverbNation. Thank you for your support!

January 2013

• Planet Waves Astrology annual LISTEN audio series features my music! Here is the LISTEN Soundtrack page where you can hear the songs I selected. Many of them were from my Choose the Sky CD but there are a few surprises too!  Funds from purchases from songs go toward continuning to bring music to non-profit organizations serving the disbled and elderly. Thank you!

• New Facebook Band Page finally launched! Please stop by and "Like" it!


December 2012

• I have the honor of providing original music for the Annual Edition of Planet Waves audio recordings. The project is called Listen. They should be available by December 20.

• “Winter’s Friend”  is released on Hudson Harding Holiday sampler Volume 7. (see link above to hear song!)

September 2012

• Presented at the National Conference of the American Academy of Otolaryngology in Washington, DC .  Here is a link to see my presentation

• Presented American Songs to celebrate new American citizens at their graduation ceremony at the International Rescue Committee.

• Led an American Song Sing Along at the Harrisonburg International Festival

June 2012

I had the pleasure of working with a local non-profit Rhyming Resources.   They provide educational materials for teachers in classrooms with the use of music as a tool to educate them on various topics.  I was hired to write the music for their words to a song, “Friends” which teaches children about the value of friendship.  Here is where you can listen to that beautiful song!

May 2012

Traveled to Nashville to participate in cochlear implant research at Vanderbilt University.   Technology is always changing and improving and I enjoy participating in the process.

March 2012

• The Hearing Journal published an article I wrote that tells the story of the ear training and aural rehab I did with local music teacher Aila Juvonen . Here is that article:

• Presented a workshop at the Lorna Sundberg International Center at the University of Virginia of American Songs for the ESL students.  I had songs from each genre from blues, jazz, folk, country, ballads, lullabies, minstrel shows, etc. It was great fun!


January 2012

Traveled to Phoenix, AZ and participated in cochlear implant research at Arizona State University. That was quite challenging and fun too!


 

2011 Updates:

This past year I was an apprentice in the Virginia Folklife Apprenticeship program studying the Galax Dulcimer with master player/teacher Phyllis Gaskins. Here is an article Phyllis wrote for the Dulcimer sessions online publication for Mel Bay. This past weekend (Sept. 11th, 2011) I played some tunes with  Phyllis at the annual Folklife Apprenticship Showcase. You can view a slideshow of the recap for that day here.

Phyllis and I are on YouTube at this link playing Shady Grove & Cluck Ol' Hen, enjoy!

I was proud and honored to graduate this September 2011 from such a wonderful program.
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My solo guitar piece, "Owl's Dream" is being in used a video  "Miracles of Sound" to commemorate pioneers of cochlear implants. Watch that video here.
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Cochlear Implant Research

This past June I went to  Chicago to do some cochlear implant & music research with the Auditory Neuroscience Lab led by Dr. Nina Kraus. Check out this article by her in The Hearing Journal, "Music training gives edge in auditory processing." It was really interesting to work with them and I learned a lot!

In addition, I completed some research online with the  CI Music Research lab at the University of Iowa. This study is about timbre and involves listening to the same melody being played on different instruments. It was fun and I enjoyed it!
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Narrative Published

I published a  narrative about my experience with my auditory therapy I did to regain my music perception in a book published by The Association for Adult Musicians with Hearing Loss (AAMHL).   The book titled "Making Music with Hearing Loss: Strategies and Stories" (edited by Cherisse Miller) features narratives by several other musicians with hearing loss too. It is available for purchase on Amazon.com.
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