I love teaching classes…and feedback is icing on the cake! Woo-hoo!
November 30, 2009
Songwriting A - Sara Hickman
• Sara is amazing – very supportive and great at pushing students to be braver and just go ahead and
CREATE! She was like a love, uncritical mother to us all. Students did incredible things in her class. I
think she changed a lot of lives here this year.
• Excellent. While Sara is incredibly supportive, her “positive support” eventually begins to lack credibility,
so it’s difficult to get “real” feedback – but that aside I learned tons.
• Yea! I finished a whole song and even sang it at the student open mic. Teacher helped me with my
confidence. I was challenged by Sara and I’ll be back next year. She was great!
• Awesome – really gave you things to do & said technical advice – ring her back. Her energy is great.
• Wow! Sara is a bundle of energy, encouragement, and great ideas. She also got everyone writing right
away. She taught another class that I would like to take so please bring her back next year!
• Incredible! I lacked a lot of confidence and had never completed a song. Sara made us do it. I wrote 3
songs this week and complete one I’d started a long time ago. Sara gave me a new sense of confidence and
showed me how to unlock my creativity. You MUST bring her back.
Living Life Creatively: Sara Hickman
• Successful class in getting people to open up and spend some time (brief) reflecting. Makes me think
she’d be good at leading a class on improv.
• Super excellent!!! My favorite class ever in my three years at SG. This woman is a living guru! She
lived what gurus teach! Plus her class was great fun and definitely did what it said it was going to do.
Bring her back!
• I must admit that I almost changed to Kate Campbell’s songwriting class – but now I’m SO glad I did
not! This was a very engaging class and Sara had me attempting things I never had tried.
Very spiritual class for me as well. Plus she brought so many materials to class. You must pay
her extra! I can see why is “2010 Texas musician of the year.”
• The class was really fun. I made a mandala – got to do art projects – Sara was very nurturing.
Her class was well organized. Bring Ms. Hickman back next year – please!
• Sara is a great teacher! She create an atmosphere of trust tat encourages us to take risks.
We grew from it and became more creative – for making music for being in our own lives.
She helped us conquer fears. She showed us hoe to ass more creativity to our days
(e.g. into hangouts, activities we tried in class.) We had fun, relaxed, played and ended up
being better musicians and songwriters. She is so sincerely interested in each person.
She is very caring and encouraging. She is REAL! Scheduling this class at the end
of the day was perfect! Have her every year!
• I wasn’t too sure about this class, but I’m glad I took it. It helped me unlock
that side of my brain and showed me that it’s ok for an adult to be playful.
posted by Sara Hickman at 08:55 am
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Gov. Perry Executed Todd Willingham against the parole’s and the public’s plea not to do so
November 25, 2009
and Paroles to commute the death sentence of Robert Thompson to life. He also ignored
the many people who wrote and called him asking him to grant clemency. He refused to
do so and Thompson was executed on November 20. TMN has submitted a Public Information
Request to find out how many people contacted him in support and in opposition of clemency
for Thompson.
We were recently asked by someone how they could contact the family of Todd Willingham.
That gave us the idea that others might want to reach out to Todd's family. The Holiday Season
has arrived, so if you would like to send a card to the family of Todd Willingham, you can
send it to us and we will forward all the cards to Todd's stepmother, Eugenia, before Christmas.
Send your Holiday Cards to:
Eugenia Willingham
c/o Texas Moratorium Network
3616 Far West Blvd, Suite 117, Box 251
Austin, Texas 78731
WIth gratitude from
The Texas Moratium Network
posted by Sara Hickman at 06:58 am
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Austin American Statesman Article about the AAIM Interfaith Thanksgiving Celebration!
November 23, 2009
http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/2009/11/23/1123thanksgiving.html
Different faiths gather to mark annual interfaith celebration
More than a dozen religions gathered, performed and feasted at
25th annual Interfaith Thanksgiving Service and Celebration
hosted by Austin Area Interreligious Ministries.
By Isadora Vail
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Monday, November 23, 2009
This wasn't a typical church service.
The 25th annual Interfaith Thanksgiving Service and Celebration on Sunday began with a Muslim chant and the blowing of a ram's horn from the second floor of the First Baptist Church of Austin. Dancers leading a procession wore bright purple dresses, green-and-white robes, Wiccan symbols, crosses, hijabs and yarmulkes.
"God planted different colors of flowers around the Earth, just like different colors of men," said Ustad Ghulam Farid Nizami, a Pakistani musician who played the sitar and sang as part of the celebration. "Today's celebration is about love and peace," he said.
Nizami, who taught last year at the University of Texas through a Fulbright scholarship, and about 900 other people attended the event. Organizers said the celebration included the Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Catholic, Baha'i and Covenant of the Goddess faiths. Celebrants of more than a dozen religions sang and played African drums, guitars and pipe organs.
The service is aimed at connecting different religions for a big Thanksgiving ceremony and dinner. The Austin Area Interreligious Ministries organizes the service every year.
"We are all standing in the shadow of what happened at Fort Hood," said Tom Spencer, who heads the Interreligious Ministries. "Today is about sustaining relationships with different religions, and we want to challenge the people of this city to help us do just that."
Spencer said the celebration of Thanksgiving has come a long way in the past 25 years, including overcoming a controversy in 2007 in which the Hyde Park Baptist Church refused to welcome non-Christian religions in the church. That year, the ceremony was moved at the last minute to another location.
Austin is increasingly diverse, and it is necessary to celebrate days like Thanksgiving with other religions, Spencer said.
Ziad Al Anbaki, an Iraqi refugee who attended the event with his family, said he came to the United States about seven months ago. Anbaki spoke little English but said he was happy to be in the church with many different people.
For Jessica Schumacher, who sang with St. John's United Methodist Church-Austin, she was intrigued by the different styles of worship she saw.
"I didn't know too much about the celebration, but it was such a neat opportunity," Schumacher said. "Normally, I wouldn't see anything like this, so I'm really glad we came."
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posted by Sara Hickman at 08:30 am
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Sad News: Governor Perry
November 20, 2009
Thank you for contacting Governor Perry and urging him to grant clemency
to Robert Lee Thompson, who is scheduled to be executed by the State of
Texas tonight. We deeply regret to inform you that the Governor has rejected
the recommendation of the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles and declined
to commute Thompson's sentence to life in prison.
TCADP Executive Director Kristin Houle issued the following statement in
response to the Governor's decision:
"The Texas Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty (TCADP) is outraged that
Governor Perry has rejected the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles recommendation
to commute the death sentence of Robert Lee Thompson. Thompson is scheduled
to be executed this evening for the murder of Mansoor Rahim, even though
he was not the triggerman. His co-defendant, Sammy Butler, the actual killer of
Mr. Rahim, was tried separately and convicted on a lesser charge. Butler is
serving a life sentence and will be eligible for parole.
This was only the fourth such recommendation for clemency from the Board
in cases where the inmate faced imminent execution, but it constitutes
the second time that Governor Perry has chosen to ignore the Board,
whose members he appoints. Perry previously rejected a recommendation
for clemency by the Board in 2004 when he allowed the execution
of Kelsey Patterson, an inmate with severe mental illness, to proceed.
The Governor's decision comes at a time of increased public awareness
and scrutiny of the flaws and failures of the Texas death penalty system.
TCADP joins with a growing chorus of diverse voices, including those of
law enforcement, religious leaders, murder victim family members, and
state legislators in calling for an end to this arbitrary and error-prone
form of punishment."
Please call the Governor and express your outrage that he once
again has failed to promote justice in Texas:
Office of the Governor
Citizen's Opinion Hotline: 1-800-252-9600
Phone: (512) 463-2000
Fax: (512) 463-1849
posted by Sara Hickman at 08:47 pm
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17th Annual House the Homeless Memorial Service
November 19, 2009
November 22
7 a.m.
Auditorium shores near the gazebo @ the Memorial Tree
(near Stevie Ray Vaughn sculpture, which I think is at First & Riverside)
Please come out and share in the moving memorial in honor of those
homeless who have passed away on Austin's streets. Reading of the names,
honoring our veterans, and fellowship with words and music.
Here is a rundown of the service:
17th House the Homeless Sunrise Memorial Service
“Joy”-Sara Hickman
Welcome– Colleen Troxell
Invocation– Jacob Vanhorn
Keynote Speaker– City Council Member Randi Shade
“What if God Was One of Us”– Sara Hickman
Salute to Veterans– John Curran
Reading of the Names:
Hugh Simonich, Laura Mota, Darrell Garrett
“We are Each Other’s Angels”– Sara Hickman
Perspective– Richard R. Troxell
“It’s Alright”– Sara Hickman
Benediction– Jacob Vanhorn
Taps– Reverend Armin Steege
Closing– Colleen Troxell
Launch of the Thermal Underwear Drive
“I Wish You Well”- Sara Hickman
Reception to follow at the Fanny Davis Gazebo
food, coffee, cocoa, and friends
posted by Sara Hickman at 05:31 am
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