アルファ・ガール

　ワシントンポスト紙のローラ・ステップ記者は、米国の最近の中学・高校の女子生徒を三つのタイプに分けた。第一はグループでのボス的存在が、星座で一番明るいアルファ星のように輝きを放つから「アルファ・ガール」と呼ばれる。このアルファに憧れて取り巻きになるのが「ベータ」。これらに対して、わが道を行き、しかも協調性があって実行力のある子、いわゆる「生徒会長タイプ」を、「ガンマ」という。
　この中で問題になるのが、最近目立つアルファだ。例をあげると、「金髪で美人。学生食堂でテーブルに着くと、ベータ・タイプの女子生徒数人がさっと回りに座り、ヒソヒソと内輪話を始める」、「常に注目されたい。人に自分の好みを押し付けたがる」。そして、自分に従わない子を仲間はずれにしたり、いじめたりするという。もちろん「男勝り」で、「ひ弱な男子生徒は吹っ飛ばされる」のだ。
　どこの国にもいそうなタイプだが、ニューヨーク・タイムズ・マガジンのマーガレット・タルボット女史は、米国では「一九九〇年初頭から、女子は男子より消極的で感情的という観念が変わった」と述べ、「女子は、ゲンコツの代わりに意地悪でライバルを圧倒する」と報告している。
　アルファ・ガールの議論は、フェミニズム運動でも注目を集め、賛否両論を呼んでいる。
とくに、この分類を政治の世界に当てはめると、ヒラリー・クリントン前大統領夫人は、「ホワイトハウスにいたときは、アルファの典型だった」（ニューヨーク・タイムズ紙）という。
　ヒラリー夫人はクリントン大統領就任当時、ホワイトハウスを牛耳ろうとしてゴア副大統領と対立したし、政策決定に関与しようとして、米議会の猛反発、混乱を招いたこともあった。だが、彼女はカリスマ性があって人気は根強く、ついに上院議員に当選。その後はガンマ・タイプと評価された。そして、２００８年には民主党の大統領候補としてオバマ大統領と候補指名を競い、結果は敗れてものの、国務長官として世界を駆け巡り文字通り「米国のトップ外交官」として活躍した。
　女性の社会進出にとって、アルファとガンマの兼ね合わせこそが成功のカギを握ると言えそうだ。　（２００２年３月16日)

Great Conductor

　　It was three days before the concert (APAC BAND FESTIVAL) that an American conductor arrived in Osaka from Hawaii. His name is Mr. John Bridges. He is the Director of Bands at Honolulu's famous private school (Punahou School), having a reputation of being a man of great skill.
　　He was going to conduct the band (APAC BAND) composed of 90 students of the international schools who came from Osaka and Kobe in Japan, Beijing and Shanghai in China, and Manila in Philippines. Although each student had some band experience in music class or extra curriculum, including a few with only 18 months' career, they were of different nationalities, had various native tongues, and met Mr. Bridges for the first time.
　　Since the members of the band had been given the score for the concert one and half months before, they practiced by themselves. They were worried whether the concert would be successful in this way.
　　My daughter participated in this band. Her first impression of Mr. Bridges was that he was tall and his eyes were sharp. She said, "If I get out of tune, I will be kicked out!" But soon he began to show his remarkable teaching skill.
　　"He has a big ear. He pointed out who got out of tune," said my daughter, so the rehearsal stopped every 5 seconds. The members gradually concentrated on their own part.
　　The rehearsal continued totally 12 hours in two days. He gave lessons to the students, saying "Look at this stick," "Even if something happens, you have to immediately recover," and "Something happens in a concert."
　　Mr. Bridges had played horn in the American (the Chattanooga) symphony orchestra and sung as tenor in (the San Antonio) Symphony Mastersingers. He also led his John Bridges Brass Quintet for many years. He has taught bands in secondary schools, and has served as guest clinician, conductor, and judge for band contests across the United States for 41 years. He has devoted his life to music education.
　　I went to the concert. Its most exciting part was "West Side Story" arranged by Naohiro Iwai, on which he conducted 90 members into perfect harmony and created dynamic rhythm.
　　I was impressed by his gentle smile and words, "Music is universal language."
　　As for great master of music I remember Mr.Takashi Asahina, Japanese famous conductor, who died last December. Mr. Bridges also deserves the title of maestro, for he teaches the importance of harmony in human society to young people over the world through music education.The bio of John Bridges

「すご腕」指揮者

　うわさの米国人指揮者がハワイから大阪に着いたのは、コンサート本番の三日前だった。彼の名は、ジョン・ブリッジズ。現職はホノルルにある有名私立校のバンド・ディレクターで、「すご腕だ」との評判だ。
　だが、今回彼が指揮をとる吹奏楽団は、大阪・神戸のほか、北京・上海・マニラの国際学校から集まった約九十人の高校生。音楽授業やクラブで吹奏楽の経験があるものの、楽器を習い始めてわずか一年半という生徒もいる混成楽団で、国籍や言葉もさまざま。しかも、みな、ブリッジズ氏とは初対面なのだ。
　課題曲の楽譜を渡されたのは、一カ月半前。メンバー各自で練習してきたが、「いったい、どうなるの？」と誰もが不安だった。
　実は、私の娘がこの吹奏楽団に参加していた。ブリッジズ氏に対する第一印象は、長身で目付きが鋭く、「演奏を間違えたらけっとばされそうな感じだった」が、合同練習が始まるや否や、真価が発揮される。
　「耳が鋭く、誰が間違ったか、すぐに指摘する」から、練習はほぼ五秒おきにストップ。各メンバーの集中力は俄然高まっていく。
　二日間で計十二時間の特訓。彼が生徒に与えた教訓は「タクトをよく見ること」、「間違っても慌てないこと」、そして「コンサートでは何かが起こるものだ」ということだった。
　ブリッジズ氏は、かつて米国のオーケストラでホルンを担当し、テノール歌手としても活躍。自ら管楽クィンテットを率いて演奏活動を行っていた。中学・高校で吹奏楽を教えるとともに、全米各地で音楽指導、指揮、審査員を務めること四十年余り。まさに、音楽教育一筋の人生だ。
　私はコンサートを聞きに行った。圧巻は、岩井直溥氏編曲による「ウエストサイド物語」。彼の絶妙なタクトさばきに、九十人が一体となって、ダイナミックな「ノリ」を聞かせた。
「音楽は世界共通の言葉です。」ブリッジズ氏のやさしい笑顔が印象的だった。
　指揮者といえば、先日亡くなった朝比奈隆氏は文字通りの巨匠であったが、世界の青少年に、音楽を通じて人間社会のハーモニーの大切さを教えるブリッジズ氏も、マエストロと呼ぶにふさわしい。The Bio of John Bridges
　（２００２年３月９日）

Native American Flute and Japanese bamboo flute

　　What is that sound? I don't know why it is so nostalgic, like the wind sweeping over the plains or howling across the valleys, or like whooping of the water birds. It is also similar to the sound of Shakuhachi, Japanese bamboo flute, but deeper and softer.
　　The same sound echoed at the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympic games in Salt Lake City. It is the Native American (NA) Flute that the native people living in Utah played.
　　This flute is vertically held, made of red cedar with 4 to 6 finger holes. Near the mouth end a special device is attached, which produces a sound more easily than shakuhachi. The NA Flute is part of the Native American culture throughout the continent, and is played on occasions of tribal ceremony, love affair, and so on.
　　Although European wind instruments are tuned on the octave scale, the NA flute, Shakuhachi and Yokobue, Japanese horizontal flute, have different scales, which create more subtle sounds. The NA flute music CD by Carlos Nakai of Navajo-Ute descent is very popular in Japan. I think that the culture of Native Americans is similar to the traditional Japanese culture in the term of coordination between man and nature. Both the NA flute and Japanese flutes might spiritually urge us back to nature. That is why the NA flute music attracts Japanese.
　　Recently the medical people have been concerned with the NA flute. The fact is that listening to its music could reduce the blood pressure and heart rate. What is more, the miraculous case was reported that a patient of traffic accident in coma surprisingly recovered reacting physically to the music coming from the boon box of the bedside. The Vietnam veterans suffering from PTSD healed by listening to it. Thus in the U.S the healing power of NA flute has been appreciated.
　　Tim Crawford, the author of "Flute Magic" says, "There is no doubt in my mind regarding the ability of certain kinds of music to be significantly beneficial as a supplemental tool in the healing process, whether mental or physical, as well as helping us with the maintenance of our daily wellness."
　　A new school year starts in April, Japanese traditional musical instruments are introduced into music classes in the elementary and junior high schools in Japan. I hope the students would learn their healing power of Japanese music instruments.
　

ネイティブ・アメリカン・フルート

　この音色は何だろうか？大平原や渓谷を渡る風のようでもあり、水鳥の鳴き声のようでもあって、不思議な懐かしさが感じられる。尺八の音に近いが、よりくぐもった感じで柔らかい。
　ソルトレークシティー冬季五輪の開会式で、同じ音色が流れた。ユタ州の先住民族による「ネイティブ・アメリカン（ＮＡ）・フルート」の演奏である。
　ＮＡフルートは、米先住民族の間で広く用いられ、各部族の儀式や、男女の求愛の際にも吹かれるという。杉材をくり抜いて作る縦笛で、穴は四つから六つ。吹口に細工が施してあるので、音を出すだけなら、尺八よりはずっとやさしい。
　西洋の管楽器がオクターブの整然とした音階を奏でるのに対して、ＮＡフルートや、尺八・横笛など和楽器は、西洋音階とは異なる微妙な音色が持ち味だ。
　ナバホ、ユート両部族の血をひくカルロス・ナカイの演奏ＣＤは、日本でも根強い人気がある。思うに、米先住民族の文化は、自然と人間が一体化している点で、日本古来の文化と似ている。そこで生み出された笛は、人の心に、自然への回帰を促す働きがあるようだ。それが共感を呼ぶ理由だろう。
　ところで、医療の世界でも、このところＮＡフルートが注目されている。実は、その音色を繰り返し聞いていると、血圧が下がり、心拍数が減少するそうだ。
　昏睡状態の交通事故患者が、枕元のカセットデッキから流れる笛の音に反応して、驚くべき回復ぶりを示した。また、深刻なＰＴＳＤ（心的外傷後ストレス障害）に悩まされたベトナム帰還兵が、みごとに立ち直ったという。ＮＡフルートの「ヒーリング・パワー」は、米国で高く評価されているのだ。
　「フルート・マジック」の著書がある奏者のティム・クロフォードは言う。「確かにある種の音楽は、日々の健康維持に役立つばかりでなく、肉体的・精神的なケガや病気を治す補助的手段として、すぐれた効果がある」
　日本では、小中学校の音楽の授業で、邦楽教育が行われているが、和楽器が持つ「癒し」の魅力も学んでもらいたいものだ。
　（２００２年３月２日）

Fly Alone Again Don't be afraid of flying!

　　I found an encouraging headline on the recent New York Times; "Kids return to the Skies in aftermath of Sept. 11."
　　Since the terrorists attacked the Pentagon and the World Trade Center on  September 11, 2001, the number of the children who would fly solo has rapidly decreased. Recently, however, some airlines have restarted the unaccompanied-minor service, a program in which children under 17 are supervised from the time they board until they are met by a parent or guardian at their destinations. As a result, children are returning to the skies. Is it a good sign that America's aerial industry, which was battered by the terrorism, is going to revive?
　　The U.S. is such a broad country that people cannot move without flying. Even children have many opportunities to fly alone, when they visit their relatives far away from their home or go to the summer schools held in the other states. At least a million children fly solo each year. They are good customers for airline companies.
　　My daughter, 15 years old last summer, flew alone from Japan to the U.S. for the first time. We handed her over to the airline staff at the check-in counter of the Kansai International airport. The designated supervisor accompanied and took care of my daughter when she boarded and got off a plane. She would have protected her if necessary. The fee was $90 one way.
　　My daughter was in such a complete custody that the supervisor stayed with her all the time waiting for a connecting flight at the airport. She complained later to me, "She followed me even into a restroom, and never gave me a chance for shopping alone."
　　However, after Sep.11 the security check in each airport has been tremendously strengthened. The recent security measures have presented new obstacles for parents and children. Although visitors had been allowed to get to the gate before, new rules restricted gate access to ticketed passengers, so parents and children may have to say their good-byes at the security check point. Parents who are worried to send their children alone must be more worried in the new conditions.
　　To relieve their anxiety there has appeared another new rule; "Children who make a trip alone should have a cell phone or know how to call home in case of emergency."
　　It is my experience that when I was in a junior-high school, I enjoyed traveling alone from Kyoto to Kyushu province by a night train to visit my relatives. That was very exciting. The Japanese proverb says, "Let your dear children make a journey alone." It means that a solitary journey, though sometimes dangerous, gives them a lot of good experience. But now I add another lesson to it: "Don't forget to let them have a cell phone."