Is This Thing Still On?

*tapping on the virtual microphone* Check, check. One two, one two. Check, check.

Oh, hello! Guess who’s back? Guess who’s feeling “the need to express, to communicate” and reference musical theatre?

It is I, Allison! Yes, I am back on the blog that I started back in my college days, and I am ready to share stories from my life in written, visual, and audio form. You read that correctly! I want to share in ways I haven’t done before, and I reserve the right to try them once and abandon them or stick with them as I see fit. I give myself permission to be me. And my life has been full of trial and error. My life is about being creative, trying new experiences, and rebirth.

Before I talk about what I’ve been up to lately, let’s do a little rewind. The last time I posted on this blog was five years ago. Crazy! To put that into perspective, Hamilton: An American Musical hadn’t yet become a worldwide phenomenon because its theatrical debut at the Public Theater and subsequent Broadway debut occurred in 2015. My youngest niece has never been featured on this blog because she wasn’t born yet!

Between now and the then that was 2014, I had a website, allisoncabellon.com. I started it when I was learning more about business and entrepreneurship. There’s no use hyperlinking to my website because as of May 1, 2019, I stopped the website hosting. Why? First, it was not financially viable. Second, I want to redo the website.  Third, I need some time to re-focus my efforts as I'll explain further...

I did have a few blog entries on allisoncabellon.com, which I saved to a Google doc, and time will tell if I add those here or not.

So five years have passed since my last blog post on this thankfully-still-free platform, and I developed a variety of passions. Some lasted (Hamilton and Waitress on Broadway, I’m looking at you and want to return again & again). Some did not (watercolor painting, we'll always have the summer of 2017!). Some have resurfaced in recent months and weeks. And now I want to talk about them because the time feels right.

A handful of people know about this, and now you, dear reader, will know that last month I sustained an injury to the left side of my body when someone walked into me while transferring to a train across the subway platform. I didn’t see them coming; otherwise, I absolutely would have done my best to get out of their way. My extraordinary primary care doctor has done a series of osteopathic manipulation treatments (OMT) to help realign my rib cage and back.

Okay, let me pause here and apologize if this is too much information. When I was little, I used to cringe at hearing stories of broken bones and and such. I currently work at a doctor’s office, so now I hear about a variety of health issues and have learned to hold space while hearing them. If you are reading this right now and cringing because you are empathic and can feel others’ pain, I’m sending you love because I know how you feel.

Back to the story of my healing, I am feeling much better. Nothing was/is broken, I felt sharp pain and discomfort at times.  Now I can exercise and sleep perfectly fine.

Why did I even share this story about my personal health? I was telling a patient just the other day that any time I am going through something health-wise, I ask myself, “What can I learn from this?  What's the lesson here?”

And the answer is my body has been teaching me about alignment. How can I realign myself with what lights me up? Because, while I do have a day job to support me financially, I also have a deep desire to serve the world in some way that involves the talents and gifts I was given by sheer virtue of being a soul incarnated as a human being on earth at this time.

There is a part of me that is afraid to own that. For sure. And then there is a part of me that is yearning to break free of any and all conditioning that is holding me back from sharing my gifts with the world.

What do I mean by “serving the world”?  I often think of what one of my friends has told me over the years: “You’ve done your job if you’ve reached one person.” If you can reach one person, that may have a ripple effect that you may never get to know about. But it still has an effect.  And it matters.

A question was posed to me last week: “Does your [day] job have to be your passion?” My mind immediately answered yes, but my gut said no. For those of you that know Human Design, I’m a Manifesting Generator with sacral authority. So it’s not surprising that my mind would chip in with its opinion, but the surprise is that my authority (my decision-making process) said no.

Would I love to be making money doing what I love? Absolutely!

Am I there yet? No, not yet.

Am I working toward that? Oh yes, oh yes.

And that’s where alignment comes into play. A day or two after the question about my job being my passion was asked of me, I got this e-mail from SoundCloud that someone had liked a song I had posted. I was deeply moved because, with my website down, I had changed the link in my Instagram profile to my SoundCloud page. Granted, I don’t know how this person arrived at my SoundCloud page, but I was really touched that people are still listening to my music, whether or not I’m consciously thinking about it. On that day, I reached one person, and that song has the potential for healing and forgiveness. And that song was put out into the world for free.

So let this blog post and let the events of the past week reaffirm that I want to serve the world with my gifts, whether it be music, sound healing, energy healing, a penchant for learning & sharing what I’ve learned, or something completely new & different that I don’t even know about yet.

In related news, I’m re-aligning with my desire to create and share more music. This past Friday, I got accepted into NYU’s new online program about the music industry. I can’t wait to get started!

With a heart full of gratitude,
Allison

P.S. Here are some links if you’d like to connect with me!

SoundCloud
Instagram
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A poem

On the upward slope that takes me home,
A bright light against the dark sky catches my eye.
There’s another. And another. And another. Countless others.
The waxing moon shines even brighter, and I stop to say hello.
Others pass me by, and eventually, I move my feet once more.
I turn the corner.
In this moment the stretch of sidewalk is mine alone.
In the distance I hear cars rumbling across the Henry Hudson, and yet…
There is quiet that surrounds me.
The wind brushes past my cheeks, and yet…
There is stillness that surrounds me.
You are the stars.
You are the moon.
You are the wind.
I would know you anywhere.
O stars. O moon. O wind.
You are everywhere.

An Important Message for Adam Jase Cabellon

Love you!!!
Auntie Allison

Sing for Hope Pianos: Days 15 and 16

Hello there! I really don't know why I keep saying hello with each new Sing for Hope piano blog, but it's just become routine now. Today is Tuesday, June 24th, and I am happy to report that I wrote down quite a bit of my experiences when they were happening on Day 16, not only on my iPod Touch but also on 750words.com. Mainly, I'll just add captions to the photos, but I'll fill in a few stories here and there.

Day 15: I didn't play any unique pianos on this day, as I had already established a new personal record on Day 14 and will, of course, want to beat my personal best in 2014.  Instead, I did one final check on the piano in my neighborhood that morning and played one song from my core trio (yes, the song that I haven't revealed) and Lullaby for Eliana. The piano was scheduled for pick-up that afternoon, but I went home to rest and relax, as piano buddies weren't required to be present for the delivery or pick-up of the pianos.

Day 16: I had checked social media that morning and saw posts from Sing for Hope that people were already playing the pianos! Very exciting! I went down to Lincoln Center at noon for the beginning of the Sing for Hope concert.  There would be performances every hour.  When I arrived, I was overwhelmed with joy.  Talk about piano heaven! It was so much fun!

First sight of the pianos at Lincoln Center!

This piano reminded me of Minnie Mouse.  I can't remember if I played it.  Someone had just put a stack of "Art For All" cards at the piano when I took a picture.

Got to play this piano.

And this one.

I like that this photo captured the word "HOPE." (Click on the image to see a larger version.)

New "Guy" in the cast of Once.

New "Girl" in the cast of Once.

Yes! The keys recovered from the rain! Also, I didn't notice them before, but the words written on the side are "hope" in different languages.

Put lots of birds on it.

Another bird. (There's another bird on the other side, too.)

I don't think I played this piano, but that's okay!

Piano buddy reunited with her piano AND the temporary music rack from the piano at Morningside Park! Perfect combo.

This couple visited all 88 piano locations.  Major props to them. I was too shy to say hello!

Yep, played this one.  Actually, I might've played it twice, haha.

When Once the Musical was performing, I couldn't help myself.  I initially wanted to film the pianos, and then I thought, "Ooh, 7 minutes in heaven would be cool."  Well, I ended up filming 8+ minutes in heaven. Haha, bonus minute. Bonus pianos! Oh, I kind of wish I had more songs to play, but whatever!  I properly played the piano that was in Tompkins Square Park. I played Central Park Cherry Hill. I played pianos I hadn't even seen or recognized from the Sing for Hope website.

Here is the 8 Minutes in Piano Heaven video, and yes, Gothamist.com included it in their coverage of the Sing for Hope pianos. I captured the "atmosphere of Lincoln Center."


After Once finished performing, that's when I played several pianos, and it was sunny and HOT.  When I sat down to play the mermaid piano, Erin (the community coordinator of the project) and I spotted each other and we smiled hello. She listened to me play "All Fall Down" by Anna Nalick. I'm glad she stuck around because I had the chance to congratulate her and tell her my impression of piano heaven and the perfect reunion of all the pianos. She said she was overwhelmed when she saw all the pianos together at 8 o'clock that morning. Erin asked me if I was going to be among the pianists participating in the finale. I answered no, but I asked her if they still needed players, and she said yes! She went to check with the coordinator of the finale and then told me to check in at the table by Avery Fisher Hall at 6 o'clock.  I knew it was going to be Bach's Prelude in C.  Sing for Hope had a party at their piano studio with all 88 pianos, and that was the piece that people played in unison.  I neither volunteered nor attended that party, but I ended up downloading/printing Prelude in C for free.

I played a little bit more and watched the second concert pianist talk and play.  But then I got hungry and sweaty and decided I needed cool down and eat lunch.  So, I decided to get falafel again from my "go to" cart at Lincoln Triangle, and then I went home to rest and practice Prelude in C.

The mermaid piano.

Back of the mermaid piano.

I can't remember if I played this piano, but I liked the quote by the artist.

Hello, Piano! I finally played it, and the keys were just fine!

Oops, I forgot to look for all 10.  I think I saw maybe 5.

I put my water bottle there.

Love it.

This piano would become significant to me later.

Play on, Playa!

I played this piano standing up, and when I finished a woman joked, "Guess you have to bring your own bench!"

The concert pianist who performed in the 1 o'clock hour.

After resting at home, writing on 750words.com, and practicing Prelude in C to perfection, I was ready to return to Lincoln Center. I arrived sometime between 5:30 and 6, I think, and what struck me was how much louder it was. Lots more people were playing! I took more photos of pianos I hadn't seen.

Yay, got to play it.

Played it.

Played it! (Oh, and I ended up seeing this girl play several pianos.  Piano Hoppers unite!)

Didn't play it, but loved looking at the piano!

I wrote about meeting this woman below if you're interested in that story...

Got to take a proper picture of the young girl growing up!

When it got close to 6 PM, I stood in line to check in with the finale coordinator, and two people behind me remarked that it was like having 88 simultaneous concerts, with applause bursting every 5 seconds. And though I didn't engage in a conversation with them, I totally agreed with that description. When I checked in, my name wasn't on any list, but my name was taken down, and I was assigned piano #41. All the pianos had been assigned a number on a sticker. It took me a while to find my piano, and I got excited when I thought I was going to get Opus the Octopus, but I got the purple baby grand from the AirTrain Terminal in Queens. Not bad, not bad! I still had an hour to kill, so I decided to wander some more, but then I looked at the sheet music that the coordinator gave me versus my own print-out, and it turns out, my print-out had a measure missing! I asked the coordinator for a writing utensil, so I could use the sheet music and fingering notes I was familiar with instead of the new sheet music. I sat down at the piano I looked out for as a piano buddy to add the measure to my copy, and people took pictures of me doing that. I may never see those pictures, haha, but I hope to.

When it was getting close to 7 o'clock, I took my place at the purple piano to get ready. The sun was shining right in my face, so I set up a little makeshift fort with my binder full of sheet music. I used my water bottle, Flip camera stand, cell phone, and camera to hold the sheet music down on the piano. (There was no music rack available for my piano.)

Fort Purple Piano. I removed my coconut water after taking this picture but then didn't take another picture.  Oh well!

Around 7:08 PM, it was time for our performance in unison. I was a big ball of energy. Here's the performance... I'll describe it after you watch.


Okay. Let's get this out of the way: I did mess up at least 2-3 times.  In fact you can see me smile just after the 2-minute mark when I do. But what I will most remember about this performance was how amazing it felt to be there and be part of something bigger than myself. When we all started, it felt as if time slowed down, and the swirl of energy of the audience milling about the different pianos was really calming. I had an amazing time. You may wonder why I moved so much during the performance. Well, I didn't realize I did move so much until I watched myself back on the recording. I have a few things to say: 1) I couldn't hear my own piano very well, so I relied on the beautiful players behind me to help keep me in time, and 2) the soft pedal wasn't working, and this piece's dynamics range from pianissimo to forte, so I unconsciously moved to the various dynamics of the piece. I really admire how still the woman playing the piano behind me was.

You'll also hear cheers before some of my fellow players and I finished playing. I believe whoever finished early had the same version of that downloadable Prelude in C with that missing measure. Watch again, and you'll see me raise me eyebrow in a little surprise. :)

Following that wonderful finale, I played and listened to others for two more hours. When I walked by the PLAY ME, PLAYA piano, a woman was playing and singing "A Thousand Years." It's so funny; I know this song as covered by The Piano Guys more than I know the original, so I couldn't sing along with her because The Piano Guys' beautiful version is instrumental only! The woman had a really good collection sheet music including "Brave" by Sara Bareilles. I asked her if she knew "Brave" by Josh Groban, and she said she didn't have the sheet music. But that's not what I meant. Anyway, she played and sang and when she got to the refrain, I sang Josh's "Brave" refrain, and I loved doing that. I don't know if it falls under the definition of a mash-up, but whatever it is, I love it! Maybe one of these days, I'll record what I'm talking about. Maybe.

As I kept making my piano rounds, I bumped into a the same person 4 times. First time, she was playing while I was taking pictures of this cool baby grand with lots of educational information about the piano, music, and the ears (see photos above). Second time, she offered to take my picture before the finale performance at the purple piano. Third time, she remarked to me in passing that she kept seeing new pianos she hadn't seen before and thus had to play them! And I'll get to the fourth time in just a few more paragraphs... but first, more pictures!

See?  Piano Hopper again!

I don't think I played this piano, but of course, I had to take a picture.

Didn't play this one either, but I loved the reflection of the keys, and this boys' hands moved SO fast.

Played this one.

Played the one on the left! (And the blue one on the right is from Old Stone House.)

I got to play Opus the Octopus again, and that piano was still sounding wonderful. Yes, my favorite piano from 2013. I still didn't feel like my piano journey was done, so I wandered to a piano I hadn't played before.

Opus the Octopus at Lincoln Center -- it was meant to be.

At Girlometry's piano (see below), I felt that my voice was sufficiently warmed up, so I finally sang "All Fall Down" for the first time in public, while playing the accompaniment in the left hand. I saw a woman standing near the piano. I'm not sure if she was listening to me or someone else, but it didn't matter. I sang it for myself, and I had a wonderful time.

Didn't realize I had taken two pictures of this piano until I got home and downloaded them all!

It was getting darker, but I still wasn't ready for the night to end quite yet. I stopped to listen a guy play "Rhapsody in Blue" and yet another man play "Everlasting Love" (think Gloria Estefan's version for the tempo & energy).

At last, I was able to look at a piano that was always occupied each time I walked by it. And I pulled away the bench so I could read the words: JOURNEY TO GREATNESS. And as I took pictures I saw the woman for the fourth time. We finally introduced ourselves to other, and she said her name was Maryann. I told her that I had yet to play that piano, and she insisted that I must. So I sat down to play and sing the unrevealed song from my core trio, and a man stood close to the piano to listen and Maryann leaned in, too. The piano was right by the water fountain. And then, Maryann got the hang of the key I was in and added impromptu notes for a duet! It was great! After we finished, the man asked if we knew each other, and we laughed & said, "Only from seeing each other today!" We talked about the pianos' two weeks on the streets and how this was the first time all 88 pianos were reunited in Lincoln Center. The man remarked how great it was to wander around and listen to many different styles, and I agreed. The three of us parted ways, and I wandered around to listen to a few more pianos.

My piano journey had come to an end, and it wasn't a journey to greatness. It was a journey OF greatness.

Note #1: You may still be wondering... what is the third song from my core trio? I'll tell you that I didn't get a "perfect" recording of it, but I always dedicated each performance of it to my adopted sea lion Dewey. One day, I will record it, most likely on my piano keyboard at home. And when it's ready, I'll certainly share it. I have come to realize that I need 6 months to a year to comfortably inhabit a song, and I've only had since February with this song, and that included the time it took to figure out how to play it.

Note #2: Thank you, Sing for Hope! Thank you, my fellow New Yorkers! Thank YOU for reading and watching and putting up with my camera happiness!

What will 2014 bring? I can't wait. I will be ready to open the door.

Sing for Hope Pianos: Days 13 and 14

Hello! It's Monday, June 24th, and I'm now approaching the home stretch of my 2013 Sing for Hope piano journey recollections.

Day 13: It was another rainy day! At this point in the journey, I realized I wouldn't be able to play a unique piano every single day, and I was okay with that. I had plans to celebrate a friend's birthday after work, so I also told Sing for Hope that I'd stop by their office to pick up my prize pack for winning the Swingin' Sunday contest!

When I arrived at their office, I tried the "let's see if this door opens before I knock" strategy, and sure enough it opened. Perhaps I should have knocked because I walked in on the Youth Chorus rehearsing around a baby grand piano, and they were being either filmed or photographed. Whoops. Thankfully, the Youth Chorus instructor (I didn't catch her name) was so nice and welcoming. She even invited me to sit down and watch them practice. I forgot how much I loved choir back in the day (junior high and college). The Youth Chorus did some group exercises that I'd never done, and I just appreciated all the positive energy that was being spread in that office. It was getting close to six o'clock, so I snuck past the curtain to the desk area of the office and asked for Erin, the community coordinator of the Sing for Hope Pianos project, and Hailey, the social media team member with whom I corresponded about picking up my prize. (Oh yes, I should explain that two screws went missing for the piano in my neighborhood, so I offered to drop off the music rack to the office, as it was no longer secured to the piano.)  It was wonderful to meet Erin & Hailey and see behind the scenes of an organization that brings so much joy to the streets of New York. I remarked that it was so cool they had a piano in their office (actually, they have two, but I was referring to the baby grand).

Day 14: Record-setting day! Read on for the details of my Summer Friday in Brooklyn...

Piano #44: Prospect Park - Grand Army Plaza. As I mentioned in my Day 12 recollections, I knew that I wanted to visit this red & blue piano no matter where it was located. I was actually hoping to visit it on a Saturday, so I could also check out the farmers market, but I had to be flexible about my timing. As long as I got to my final piano by 4 PM, I could avoid the rain. So I started off here, and though it was a hot, sunny day, there was still water dripping randomly from the arch onto the piano and me. Oh well. The sustain pedal wasn't working, and the keys weren't in tune, but it didn't matter. I had finally arrived and played my core trio to celebrate. During one of my songs, a man took pictures of me at the piano and kept walking. That's how it was. There were people who would walk by but not necessarily stay, but I didn't mind. There was also a lot of car traffic passing by.

Soldiers' and Sailors' Memorial Arch

At last...

It just occurred to me that the illustration is the piano that the artist designed in 2011!  Cool! (Also note, if you play a piano with the sun shining in your eyes, the keys will look blue and red, just as they do here.)

Brooklyn Heights Promenade: Take note that I ended up visiting it that day!

Ah, laundromats.

Union Square

One more photo before leaving...

Piano #45: Fort Greene Park. Oh right! So I took the 2/3 north to a stop near downtown Brooklyn (I think), and I knew that I needed to walk east and north to get to Fort Greene Park, except I ended up walking too far east without realizing it. It just meant that I got to see more of the neighborhood, and as I've mentioned on Facebook, I used to love the children's TV series, "Ghostwriter." I wondered where Jamal, Tina, Lenny, and Gaby & Alex lived. :)

When I arrived at the northeast corner of the park, nobody was playing the piano, and in fact the lid was closed (but not locked). I took pictures and then sat down to play. The piano sounded relatively decent compared to the one at Grand Army Plaza, AND the sustain pedal was working. A street piano that has a working sustain pedal in the second week is a gem. :) So I stayed for a while, and I did some recordings, but then I also kept messing up. However, there was one take that I'm satisfied with and am sharing below.

So many details on this "Doors" piano!

From 2013...

... to 2030.

Though there is a car honk near the beginning, this video recording is one of the songs (okay, instrumental version of a song) from my core trio! I learned to play it by ear from listening to Anna Nalick on YouTube, although I had the great pleasure of hearing her sing this song live at Rockwood Music Hall, too (watch the second video for Anna's performance and listen to the lyrics). I remember while I was learning the song on piano, I typed up the lyrics as a "cheat sheet" to help me memorize the music.  Anna has not released a studio recording of this song, and I hope she does one day. It's beautiful.  You can also get a sense of why I don't sing it, too.  It's so specific to her life story, but you can still relate to it.



I stopped by the Prison Ship Martyrs' Monument while walking through Fort Greene Park. Though I passed by it in 2011, I had forgotten that it was featured in "Ghostwriter." Yes, another piece of childhood nostalgia. You'd think I would have ended up living in Brooklyn, haha. No, I ended up loving Manhattan because of Broadway, but funny enough, I don't think I played even one showtune this year.

Piano #46: Columbus Park. I visited this location in 2010 but not in 2011. I can't remember if they had a piano here in 2011, but it wouldn't surprise me if they did. The piano was covered with its tarp when I arrived. I give my fellow Piano Buddies major props. I played my core trio plus Lullaby for Eliana. While I was playing, I noticed a couple bees flying around the flowers. During the final song in my core trio, one bee in particular rested on the tarp in front of me, and I didn't know whether to cry, laugh, smile, or stop. I kept playing & singing and smiled and got teary-eyed. I did want to stop and take a picture, but the desire to get through the performance was slightly stronger, so by the time I was ready to take a picture, the bee had flown away.

This young woman played after me and seemed pretty happy there was a piano there.

The edge of the tarp where the bee rested.

A mother held her son to the piano, so his feet could play the keys.  I sat back down and played "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" for them while the mother sang and the boy laughed.  

Proof that I went to Brooklyn Heights Promenade! The view required a black & white shot.

Piano #47: Brooklyn Bridge Park. Hello, record-breaking piano!  Ooh, it was very sunny at this point, and kids were playing the piano when I arrived, but I didn't mind, as I had to prepare a little sign (see second picture).  Unfortunately, several keys were unplayable, so I only played one piece: Lullaby for Eliana.  And with that piece, I was content to call it a successful two-week piano journey.  I sat at the bench next to the piano to listen to other people discover that many of the keys weren't working.  One woman started playing the theme from Somewhere in Time! Even though she had to stop fairly early on, she played enough of it to stir my soul.  Ooh, I want to learn that piece!  Who wants to buy me sheet music?  Haha!  Or, now I am wondering if it's available in one of those movie piano books at my parents' house.  Must make a point to check.

The keys were beautiful as they were.

Great illustration.

And another.

And another.

I could keep going.

Yep. Oh, I just noticed the two art pieces from the 14th Street / Eighth Avenue subway station.  How did  I not notice them before?  I guess my eyes were drawn to the Statue of Liberty.

I watched the rain clouds approaching and covered the piano with its tarp before I left.  Sure enough, there was a huge downpour just a couple minutes later!

Another shot of the different weather: dark rain clouds followed by sunlight shining through.  Loved the contrast. (Enlarge the photo by clicking on it, so you can see the rays from the sun.)

Stay tuned for the conclusion of my 2013 Sing for Hope piano journey!