Opinion

Music brings people together. With the holidays now in high gear, the South Valley Symphony welcomes everyone in Hollister, Gilroy, San Martin and Morgan Hill communities to celebrate the joy and cheer of the season with festive symphonic music at the “Holiday Panorama” concert at the Gavilan Community College Theater 4 p.m. Dec. 13.At this concert, we will honor the victims of the terrorist attacks in Paris with a special piece composed by Sobrato High School graduate Christopher Niemann. The young man's piece is very poignant and personal, and I feel amazed that something of this quality was composed in a few days. Niemann told me he needed to write something to use music as healing for what happened in Paris. In a matter of days he completed a full-orchestral piece as a remembrance of those who died in Paris.The symphony made the decision to have the orchestra perform the new piece at the winter concert because the holiday season is a “season of giving” and the music can help people heal after a tragedy.A 2013 graduate of Sobrato where he first developed his talent in music composition, Niemann, 20, said he hopes the audience will feel motivated to move on from this tragedy after hearing the composition.“Being barely old enough to remember the 9/11 attacks and living through the aftermath, I remember the sensation of being extremely helpless,” he said. “Everyone from around the world watching such terrible events happen through the news and wanting to help when all you could do was watch. I never thought that I would have to experience that feeling of helplessness again. The idea to create a piece in honor of the victims came through the feeling of helplessness; because it’s very hard to just sit and do nothing when people around you are suffering.”Niemann has composed and conducted several pieces performed by the South Valley Symphony, including at the Oct. 10 concert a special composition called “In the Halls of the Overlook” based on the Stephen King novel “The Shining.”The selection of other pieces at the concert will give the audience a festive feeling for the holidays. Top billing at the concert will go to two guest artists—soprano Milena Georgieva who will sing Mozart’s “Exsultate Jubilate” and soloist Greg Chambers performing John Williams’ “Escapades for Saxophone & Orchestra.” The orchestra will also perform selections from Tchaikovsky’s ballet “Sleeping Beauty.” Leroy Anderson’s “Christmas Festival” will complete the concert with a medley of songs taking the audience into the festive spirit of the season.Greg Chambers is a music teacher at Sobrato High School and a master of the saxophone. The solo “Escapades” that he will perform is based on Williams’ film score for the 2002 Steven Spielberg movie “Catch Me If You Can.”Along with the Mother’s Day concert at the San Juan Bautista Mission, the symphony’s holiday concert is so popular that it usually sells out, so buy your tickets early online on the symphony’s website atsouthvalleysymphony.org or at Morgan Hill’s BookSmart store, Gilroy’s Porcellas Music and First Street Cafe, Hollister’s PostalGraphics or San Juan Bautista’s The Mission Gallery.We encourage families to share the festive fun of the holidays by attending the upcoming concert. Children can attend for free with accompanying paying adult (but the child must get a ticket to be admitted). Students with identification can also attend the concerts for free. During the intermission, I invite children on the stage to learn about the various instruments.The South Valley Symphony is a family, and we welcome everyone to celebrate the season at our Holiday Panorama concert this Sunday.Anthony Quartuccio is the Music Director and Conductor of the South Valley Symphony.

Gerard should resign

I think I’m on a roll here. I have been addressing what I have recently seen in the community that seems hostile and deserves more delving into; social media has been playing a big role in all of this. I think we need a better understanding of how to use the wide open frontier of the digital world—how to access and assess the sentiments of communities whether it be on the local or national level.During the last year or so I have seen so much more mention of social media in the public discussion of our community. There are forums and Facebook pages and all kinds of places to go get information, find kindred spirits, and express yourself.Along these lines, a speaker at this year’s State of the Valley Address spoke about how we are not using social media to its fullest potential. The means is out there to create an environment where an open and flowing dialogue can take place with relevant information and sentiment being shared in an almost instantaneous manner.Unfortunately, I feel that almost every time I see a meaningful dialogue beginning to happen in social media there is someone with a strong emotional bias that wants to monopolize the conversation.On so many occasions I have seen someone who feels negatively about an issue dominate a conversation, often ignoring facts. In one example earlier this year, 24 out of approximately 50 posts on a subject regarding the downtown were by the same two people.I think we need to figure out how to truly understand what we are seeing in social media for it to become reliably relevant in any decision making process.We need to be cognizant of the effect of something called “negativity bias” which makes it much easier to mobilize someone angry about an issue than it is to get someone content or supportive of an idea to do something about it. This is the strength of many in the community who disagree with what the City Council, School Board, or even a local Homeowners Association might be doing that involves change or a perceived limitation of rights. They have the power to mobilize many based upon one of our strongest emotions—anger.We should be aware that the apparent majority showing up in social media can be the result of well orchestrated planning and the use of electronic messaging. On one issue, I heard both sides complain about this.We should realize that most of the 40,000 plus residents of our community don’t get involved because things are just fine with them. It’s hard to mobilize a group of people who are happy with the way things are.The potential to marginalize what we can glean from social media is tempting, but instead let’s develop a better understanding of how to use it and truly interpret what we are seeing. There is so much good feedback out there that we should be using it, we just need to understand what it really means.And maybe if we all act civil we won’t need to do so much interpretation.John McKay is a Morgan Hill resident, city planning commissioner and co-founder of the Morgan Hill Tourism Alliance.

“A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder” won four Tony’s in the 2014 Broadway season.  The book and lyrics are by Robert L. Freedman and music and lyrics are by Steven Lutvak.

Dear City of Morgan Hill,My understanding is that the Catholic Diocese is to begin construction in 2016 on the South County Catholic High School. This is very positive news of a project brought to fruition. We needmore projects that benefit all of humankind in the Southeast Quadrant (SEQ).In September, I met with the founder of a national Montessori franchise to view sites in the BayArea. His franchise is opening several new locations in the U.S.There is interest in Morgan Hill, but in order for a Montessori franchise to be profitable, there needs to be 85 to 100 students enrolled at all times. We agreed to stay in contact; with SiliconValley so close to Morgan Hill, this type of academic program seems so vital. This academic application would be a positive complement to the academic environment of the Catholic High School.I am happy with this progressive forward advancement, as it benefits my family's property as well. We have encountered setbacks beyond control in the past, but I am determined to one day bring a very positive and lucrative business to my family property, as I also hope to work with our government officials to present laws and bills, that are taken seriously and passed.If not for what my family endured, I would have a custom home business to serve as a senior residential or other allowed land use built on my family property by now, generating a very lucrative income and serving both the community and our family trust and business.Best regards,Julie Borina DriscollMorgan Hill

Kenneth Kelleher directs this production of “The 39 Steps” with a giggle and a gasp. Once the production starts it moves with an energy that keeps moving at a nonstop pace.

Yes, California's golden (read: brown) hills are lovely, but even in non-drought years our mid-summer landscape seems coated by a dusty tinge that makes me long for a cool verdant setting. Fortunately for us, medicine for parched souls is just over the hill.

Can you hear me now?Listen up. There’s an event happening in America that’s sweeping children and teenagers’ lives that’s causing deafness. It’s been happening for the past 25 years. It’s not a virus; it’s a socially accepted technologically driven addition conveniently made available. Communication devices for school learning and online testing, and music enjoyment are being strapped to the ears of youths from kindergarten through college and beyond that is deafening Americans.Your children are at risk. Oh, it’s less than the CDC recommendations of 85 db, you might convince yourself. And I’ve purchased a limiting feature, so I’m covered. Ah, strapping those headphones on your little children’s’ ears sends a message to them that it’s OK to listen in this manner. When they become stubborn, independent teens with the newest earbud and listening device marketed to us, “Mom’s nowhere in sight, hearing this piece of music loud is fantastic!” Oh, yes it is. This is how the deafening of our children occurs. It’s gradual.My first son started using headphones as early as 6 years old in 1992 and continued through high school with each advancing music device marketed—new headphones, new earbuds, loud music listening occurred at school, on the school bus and in his bedroom. The devastating announcement made to me from the audiologist with my 15-year-old son sitting in the doctor’s office went like this: “I’m sorry to tell you, but your son has considerable hearing loss, and it’s permanent and he should never use headphones again, because it just furthers his hearing decline.”Then the ENT doctor went on to tell me that sound should never be delivered next to the human ear, because it wears the ear out and causes deafness.One thing had changed since I grew up—the loud music coming from our bedroom stereos is now turned inward, pumped right into the ear canals of my sons, and I didn’t hear a thing.Sneaky little devils, aren’t they? The way a new device is marketed to us under the fantastic name of “technological advancement?’’One thing has not changed though—our human ears. Our ears are not built to receive sound close to the ear for repeated periods and at loud volumes. Irreparable hearing damage occurs and only worsens with aging. Hearing loss is cumulative, and most people, including my teenagers, had to be dragged to the auditory specialists for a hearing test.  When was the last time you had a hearing test? Mine was two years ago and I have hearing losses due to living with the abundant increase in listening devices due to the onslaught of technology, loud concert music events (oh, I loved those!), and loud movie theaters.I recently took my 5-year-old to the local theatre and he complained, “This is too loud Mom, I do not want to go back!”The tears of mothers dwell in rivers. My first son, soon to turn 29, has deafness caused by technology’s great advancement of headphones and earbuds. Your child came into this world new and wonderful. Isn’t it our responsibility to keep them safe and as healthy as possible?Please take some time to read the facts that no one is talking about. If we ignore JAMA’s (Journal of American Medical Association) current data studies and doctors’ recommendations, then in the future, are we going to ignore the educated recommendations of the very children we are currently educating? If a glass of water is poison, is teaching our children to take small frequent sips of it still okay?I hope you gain some insight from my experience and these medical facts, so you can make an informed decision about whether you want to begin your child’s hearing loss or not.  Sincerely,Carol SternMorgan Hill