Leota Sigrid Boesen - Violin Instruction and Performance

Witching You a Frightful, Delightful Halloween! And have a spook-tacular evening listening to "In the Hall of the Mountain King" written by my fifth cousin, twice removed, the celebrated Norwegian composer, Edvard Grieg:

In the Hall of the Mountain King (HALLOWEEN EDITION)

Today, Monday October 28, marks exactly 39 years since my maternal grandmother, Leota Quick Pebworth, entered into eternal life. I just want to honor her today by posting this picture of us that was taken in her home. I have missed her for such a long time. I still miss her chicken and homemade noodles and her apple and peach pies. She was a wonderful cook and hostess. I am grateful that God sent her to be my loving and caring grandmother.

David Thompson Berg: have a fabulous Birthday!

A MOMENT LIKE THIS, SOME [TEACHERS] WAIT A LIFETIME FOR A MOMENT LIKE THIS"

I am blessed again today to announce that yet another one of my talented students has won a chair in a prestigious orchestra. My violin student of five years, Noah Graham, a sophomore at The Woodlands High School, won a chair in the Conroe Independent School District High School Honor Orchestra. The competition for this orchestra was held on Saturday, October 19 and the results were announced today. Noah had to play an excerpt from a demanding Rode etude. Only 32 violinists were accepted out of 83 who auditioned. His sister, Penelope, who is an eighth-grade violist in the top orchestra at McCullough Junior High, was named as an alternate to the top Junior High Regional Orchestra. Noah and Penelope are the children of Dr. Paul and Laura Graham of The Woodlands. My two other eighth- grade violists won chairs in the Junior High Regional Symphonic Orchestra, the top Junior High Regional Orchestra. Kate Alvaran, an eighth-grade violist at Irons Junior High, ranked #1 out of 79 violists who tried out and my eighth-grade violist at Doerre Intermediate in the Klein ISD, ranked #4 out of 79 who tried out. Kate is my third viola student to rank #1 in this region; my other students who ranked as the #1 violist were in 2007 and 2015. Kate is the daughter of Edwin Alvaran of The Woodlands. Once more, these outstanding and mega-talented students have proven that they, along with other my violin and viola students, are the best violin and viola students in the universe.

With Itzhak Perlman – I'm on a streak! I've been a top fan for 3 months in a row. 🎉

Just remembering my father on the 23rd anniversary of his passing. Here are the comments I read about him at the memorial service I held for him in January 2002, which I think still captures my thoughts of and love for him:
My father was born in Indianapolis, Indiana on August 5, 1918, the seventh child of my Danish grandparents, Jens Eugene and Helena Sigrid Marie Peterson Boesen. My father was very proud of his Danish heritage and I am remembering that heritage today by hanging the Danish flag, playing the Danish National Anthem and the Prince of Denmark’s March, by having scriptures read in Danish, and by serving refreshments from a Danish bakery. My father told me on one of my last visits home that he wished he had read the Bible more during his life. I know he would be pleased today to hear scripture read in his native tongue. My father graduated from Reelesville High School in 1938. He was 20 when he graduated because he had to stay out of school for two years to help deliver milk to DePauw University. He finally had the chance to finish his senior year when a high school teacher offered to give him a ride to and from school each day. While in high school, my dad sang with his quartet on a Terre Haute radio station. The radio station manager then asked my dad to come back and to sing a solo, but dad told me he felt he would be betraying the guys in the quartet by singing a solo.
My dad was also recommended to West Point by an Indiana state senator and received a commission to West Point, but my dad felt he could not leave the farm since his mother had just died and he felt he was needed at home.
My father went on to marry in October 1944 and to raise me and my two brothers. He served three terms as County Commissioner from 1950-1959. In recognition of the 75th anniversary of our dairy in 1980, he was awarded the Sagamore of the Wabash honor by then Indiana Governor Otis Bowen. It is the highest award the Governor of Indiana can bestow upon a citizen. That certificate is on display here today. My father was also named Honorary Commissioner of Agriculture for the State of Indiana in March 1980 by Lt. Governor John Mutz. On August 5, 1980, my dad’s 62ndbirthday, Senator Birch Bayh entered an honorarium in the Congressional Record to recognize the 75th anniversary of our dairy. That citation is also on display.
My dad was well-loved, admired, and respected by all those who knew him. He made great contributions to agriculture and thereby to the rest of humanity since all he ever did was produce food for others. When I think of my father, though, I think of love, light, and nature. My father had a good heart. You could see his heart through his good deeds and the light that was his aura. When I once saw a photo of him as a 12 year-old in his class, he was dressed in patched and well-worn overalls. I remember feeling so bad for my dad that he had such worn out clothes. But what overcame my sadness was the light that shone from his face. I had a chance to see how spiritual and special my dad was at an early age. The smile I saw on his face in that picture was just like the smiles I had seen throughout my life. The smiles he still had even during his illness the last four years of his life. Even when he was losing his eyesight and could not see where he was going, he still had a smile on his face as he was led to the car or to the next room.
Though he had to get up at 3:45am for years to milk Holstein cows by hand before going to school, I never heard him complain about how hard his life must have been. He loved all animals and there was a spiritual bond between him and our cows, cats, dogs, and horses that few people will ever be able to observe, let alone experience. I feel so lucky that I had such a tender-hearted father who was always at home. I will always remember the border collie puppy he brought home one night. He brought the pup into my bedroom and let the puppy wake me up. He helped me to raise my calves and to get them ready for the 4-H shows. We always got our Christmas trees from our farm and he never complained about carrying the ax to the woods and then carrying it back to the barn along with the Christmas tree! Whenever we went to the fields to check on the dry cows, the cattle ran up to greet him. And they used to butt each other to get up to my dad to get a pet from him. When our 12 year old cow would not drink the water at the fairgrounds, Dad hauled water from our farm to her. Whenever I was home sick, dad would walk a calf up to the door of our house so that I could pet it.
Dad was there to give me support when my boyfriends were less than gallant and had broken my heart. In one instance he said, “You need to get down on your knees and thank God that you did not marry this man.” And how right my father was!
He came to the Smith campus twice while I was in school there. He and mom went there at the end of my junior year to see me perform in my choirs and orchestra before I headed off to Europe for my choral tour with the Smith College Chamber Singers. He and I would walk by the lily ponds on campus and he would find the bull frogs for me. He did always love to hear them. He also came out to my graduation and tried to make the weekend very festive. I also remember thinking at that time that I did not have a famous or a rich father, like some of the other girls had at that school. But being in that environment made me see how lucky I was to have a dad who was kind, compassionate, loving, and present. And I might add, that I was lucky that my Dad was not serving time in prison as were the Watgergate dads whose daughters were at Smith.
My dad was also very closely connected to nature. We spent time looking at the moon and the different constellations at night after the evening milking was done. Whenever I look at the moon, I shall always remember my father. Before I went away to college, he told me that if I missed him, to look at the moon since he would be looking at it too and would be thinking of me. I would like to think that he is still looking at the moon with me from heaven. I believe he is watching over me and I know that he is smiling.

"When you were born you were crying and everyone else was smiling. Live your life so at the end, you're the one who is smiling and everyone else is crying."
__ Ralph Waldo Emerson

"The best way to cheer yourself up is to try to cheer somebody else up."
-Mark Twain

Currently accepting new students for online and in person lessons.
Visit leotaboesen.com

Currently accepting new students for online and in person lessons.
Visit leotaboesen.com.

Now accepting students for private lessons online and in studio.
Visit leotaboesen.com

To quote Peter Noone Herman’s Hermits:
“Listen, people
To what I say
I say everybody’s
Got to have their day”

And two of my outstanding and talented 8th grade viola students had their day in a big way at the Junior High Regional Orchestra tryouts on Saturday, October 5th. Kate Alvaran, a student at Irons Junior High in the Conroe ISD, who is Principal of the Viola section of the Chamber Orchestra, the top orchestra at her school, ranked #1 out of 79 junior high violists who tried out for regional orchestra. Another one of my violists, who is a student in the Klein ISD, ranked #4 out of 79 violists who were competing for chairs in the two orchestras. Congratulations to these talented two students who worked hard and followed my directions on how to practice the two demanding etudes that they had to learn. Region IX of Texas, our region, is an extremely competitive region. I’m so proud of the success of these two students. Their outstanding accomplishments of winning chairs in the top
Junior high regional orchestra are reasons why I have proclaimed 2024 as THE YEAR OF THE VIOLA in my music studio.

It's "Farewell to September Monday" in my music studio as we take joy in this last day of September, recalling the past 31 years of this business with lyrics from the song, "Try to Remember:"
"Try to to remember the kind of September
When life was slow and oh, so mellow.
Try to remember the kind of September
When grass was green and grain was yellow....
Try to remember when life was so tender
That no one wept except the willow....
Try to remember and if you remember
Then follow, follow...."
With thanksgiving to God for the past 31 years of living through my heart with music.

Jerry Orbach "Try to Remember" Welcome! These clips are from a large video collection that is now being converted from VHS/Beta to digital many from the 70's, 80's and 90's. SADLY, I DON'...

Dear Friends in the Greencastle High School Class of 1974:

So sorry I will not be able to join you tomorrow as you celebrate our 50th reunion. Work commitments tend to keep me in Texas all of the time. I want to let you all know I am well and happy and am enjoying running my music business. I wish I could have spent more time in Indiana these past several years. I will always be a Hoosier farm girl in my heart. I carry many great memories and wonderful feelings of love and friendship for each of you in my heart. I am so happy I got to spend 12 years in school with all of you. As The Beatles said so well:

"Though I know I'll never lose affection
For people and things that went before
I know I'll often stop and think about them
In my life, I love you more
In my life-- I love you more."

I send each one of you my love and my best wishes for your continued success. My heart will be with you as you celebrate tomorrow.

With love and light from your old friend,
Leota
(aka Duchess, Lotus, Lodo)

It was 50 years ago today, Monday, September 9, 1974, when I and the rest of my beloved classmates of the Smith College Class of 1978, began classes at Smith College. My first class that morning at 9:00am was Introduction to Theater, taught by the amazing Len Berkman, who is still teaching at Smith. I am so thrilled that I had the privilege of being one of his students. He was always inspirational and treated each student with great respect as we voiced our ideas in class. Even though I received a C+ on my first paper, which I recall had something to do about juxtaposition, Len Berkman was positive and encouraging in his comments. He assigned us thought-provoking projects that required focus and creativity. By the end of the semester, I had worked my way up to a B+. I cannot believe how lucky I was to have had such a truly brilliant professor for my very first college class which does not seem that long ago. It was such a huge privilege to have been at Smith. I honor my years there by using, each and every day, the education in music that I received there, in training my violin and viola students. There were many times when I wondered if the admission officers had made a mistake by admitting me; but I always found strength in the fact that I had been admitted, that I was working hard, and that I loved being there. On this special day, I recall and give thanks to my late parents for their determination to make sure that I would receive a college education through my Dad's never-ending work as a farmer and through my mother's work at the library of DePauw University. And I am grateful to DePauw University for my mother's fringe benefit that paid my tuition to Smith. I find myself feeling very thankful that Smith gave this Hoosier dairy farm girl a chance!

Here's a great song from 1969:

1969 HITS ARCHIVE: Things I’d Like To Say - New Colony Six (mono 45) Highest-charting hit for the Chicago group.(debuted late ’68) 1969 Pop Chart Peaks: Cash Box & Record World 13, Billboard 16 - Easy Listening Peak: 1745 sing...