My family's immigrant experience

Anthony Salerno, my Father

A tweet yesterday by the actress Mira Sorvino had to do with telling her own family's immigrant experience. In it, Mira referenced a powerful article about Jennifer Mendelsohn, who has researched a few immigrant experiences of members of congress who are now actively engaged in anti-immigrant efforts.

It motivated me to think back on my own family's experience.

My Grandfather, Carmello was a shepherd in Sicily. Times were tough, and he immigrated to the United States in search of a better life for his wife and two children. So he took a chance, coming across the Atlantic on a boat in steerage. He was one of millions of people who came through Ellis Island during its peak years.

Once in his new country, he worked as a laborer - helping dig out the Holland Tunnel, among other projects. It was difficult, dirty and dangerous work.

Eventually there were eight children. Including my father, Anthony.

My Dad told me that, growing up, the family only spoke Italian in the home. The kids, going to the neighborhood public school, quickly learned English. But my Grandparents never really learned the new language.

The neighborhood in Garfield, New Jersey, where my Grandpa and his family lived was primarily Italian. The local stores were run by Italians. They prospered and quickly adapted to their new country.

My Dad was a first generation American.

Anthony Salerno, during WWII

He grew up, fought for his country in World War II and married my Mom.

They had eight children.

After the War, my Dad and Mom settled in Michigan, where he worked in a produce market, in a hotel as a cook, and eventually for the New York Central Railroad. He worked steadily for the railroad for over thirty years. During that time frame, Dad held a variety of jobs, from pulling switches for trains, to handling hundreds of thousands of dollars of business annually as a railroad freight agent. He showed me by example what it meant to hold down a job and be dependable.

From an early age, Dad instilled the value of an education - frequently mentioning that he had dropped out of grade school because of the Great Depression, to find work. So, all of his children went to college. I remember the day Dad walked me downtown to the bank to set up a savings account for me. "This is for your education only!" he emphasized.

All of my brothers had paper routes (this was during the days when routes were walked by kids, lugging bags full of newspapers). We were used to working from a very young age. One of those routes, Detroit Free Press, involved getting up and delivering the early morning papers before going to school.

We didn't have a car in our family until I was in middle school. One of the first rides we took was to a low-income neighborhood where my Father asked us: "Do you think anyone chooses to live in poor housing? They're not here because they like it." He encouraged us that the whole reason for getting an education "was so that you can help others who need someone to stick up for them."

Taken together, my seven siblings and I have earned two doctorates, three masters degrees, five bachelor's degrees and two associates degrees.

My Father and my Grandfather taught their children the value of work. Of loyalty. Of being a productive citizen. And of having a heart for the underdog. No, they did not assimilate effortlessly. Yes, they faced difficulties and challenges. But they never gave up.

These things are what I learned from my family's immigrant experience. I'm proud to be the grandson of an immigrant!

What about your own family's immigrant experiences? Feel free to share! 

Martin Luther King, Jr. & Sh**hole Counties...

Last week, the president was reported to have said he didn't want immigrants from certain "sh**hole," countries coming to the United States.

He supposedly made these remarks, several times, during a meeting with Congressional leaders who were focused on DACA and immigration reform.

When the conversation came around to Haiti and Africa, the president allegedly said, "Why would we want these people from sh**hole countries?"

The remarks came at a time when close to 800,000 DACA immigrants are a few weeks away from being deported. Last week the current administration in Washington decided to deport 200,000 Salvadorian refugees. In many cases to their death upon return.

In an interview with the New York Times, Senator Richard Durbin, the only Democrat in attendance at the special meeting on immigration, said: "Some of the comments he [Trump] made were clearly racial during the course of that meeting in the White House. The were hate filled and vile."

As might be expected, the president's remarks accentuated the growing split among the evangelical community what has resulted in a significant eroding of their support for the president. Said Rev. Earon James, "Your pro-life argument rings hollow if you don't have a problem with this [Trump's] xenophobic bigotry."

The president spoke about welcoming immigrants from Norway. I'm not sure that the president realizes seventy-two percent of Norway's population growth in recent years was due to immigration. 

Yet, Norway is a country that is economically healthy. 

In fact, according to the World Economic Forum, it has the lowest economic inequality in the world. 

Norway is also know for its socio-economically diverse schools, coming in second worldwide for the countries that the World Economic Forum (WEF) tracks.

The WEF points out that one key to Norway's success is its diversity. Immigration hasn't damaged the Norwegian economy, it has strengthened it.

So, the bottom line is that, most likely without much thought on the subject, the president pointed to a country that was a perfect example of the benefits of immigration.

Tyler Cowen, an economics professor at George Mason University in an opinion piece written for Bloomberg View stated that "One of the most striking facts, unbeknownst even to many immigration advocates, is the superior education of Africans coming to this country. Of adults ages 25 or older born in Africa and living here, 41.7 percent have a bachelor's degree or more, according to 2009 data." This compares to a rate of 28.1 percent among native-born US residents. And the estimated percent of African-born migrants without a high school diploma is 11.7. About 11.4 percent of native-born US residents do not have a high school diploma. 

Cowen continues, "Consider Nigerian-Americans, Nigeria being Africa's most populous nation. Their education levels are among the highest in the US, above those of Asians, with 17 percent having a master's degree."

This week we celebrate the birth of Martin Luther King, Jr., and later this year we will mark the fiftieth anniversary of his assassination. Here's a few quotes from him:

"Darkness cannot drive out darkness. Only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate. Only love can do that."

"The time is always right to what is right."

"Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere."

"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter."

"I look to a day when people will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character."

"The ultimate measure of a person is not where they stand in moments of comfort and convenience, but where they stand in moments of challenge and controversy."

The New York Times covered the response of blacks in the US to the president's remarks. Here's what some of them said:

"We are in the grips of the revenge of an American conscience that's never repented of racist history," Pastor William Lemar said. "Things that were left smoldering, embers have caught a bit of wind from our current president, and from time to time we are are seeing flashes of fire. The narrative that held America together has been fractured. The ground is shifting underneath us. You have to tell a truthful story about how America got where it is. The factories are not gone because of immigration."

"The Haitians are family-oriented, strict with their kids, and hard-working," said Xavier L. Suarez, who became Miami's first Cuban-American mayor in the 1980. He went to Notre Dame d'Haiti on Sunday to show support.

"If you're going to stereotype them, you should say they're law-abiding, super-ethical, warm and kind to strangers," he said. "They want to thrive in this country, as I did, and become part of the American dream."

There were a host of other international organizations that weighed in on the president's remarks.  Time magazine reported that Rupert Colville, the UN's human rights spokesperson said, "There is no other word that one can use but 'racist.' This isn't just a story about vulgar language, it's about opening the door to humanity's worst side, about validating and encouraging racism and xenophobia." 
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For extra credit, you can take a look at Nicholas Kristoff's opinion piece on what so-called "sh**hole" countries can teach the US.

Photo Credits: first two - The New Yorker

Meet Kaz Boyle: Composing Music for Films

Kaz (Kazimir) Boyle

After completing his Bachelor of Music in Composition at the U of I, Kaz (Kazimir) Boyle attended the University of Southern California graduate program in Advanced Film and Television Scoring, studying under such legends as Elmer Bernstein, David Raksin and Christopher Young. While at USC Kazimir met many film students and soon gained a reputation as a trusted musical collaborator.

Kaz then joined Hans Zimmer's team at Media Ventures. His experience in Zimmer's tech world led to several opportunities working for James Newton Howard.

In 2002 Kazimir opened Flash Music, LLC, his own studio in Hollywood. Since then he has been busy with myriad freelance projects: independent feature films, cable television MOWs, television commercials and cutting-edge short films. 

You went to USC attending their master’s program in advanced film & television scoring. What was your main take-away from that experience?

I’m most grateful for the people I met while studying at USC. There were several film students, as well as my fellow composers who have remained friends and collaborators to this day.

What led you to USC in the first place? i.e. The move from a love of music composition to a love of scoring music for film and television?

I’d already loved the idea of composing specifically for film, and I knew that a move to Los Angeles would be essential to make that happen. USC was a great facilitator – I was able to make the move with a plan in place for my first year.

You created the score for OLD FASHIONED, along with more than 15 other films. How do you begin a collaboration with a director? What do you discuss?

This is an excellent question, and the answer is specific to the director and the film. Many projects, like OLD FASHIONED are first time collaborations, and it takes a lot of listening, a lot of asking questions, and a healthy amount of trial and error. In an ideal situation, the director walks that line of knowing what he or she wants the music to DO for the film, but open to my creative approach for what the music will BE.

How about your experience with OLD FASHIONED, specifically – what made this project different and/or appealing?

OLD FASHIONED was one of these felicitous collaborations. Rik ADORES music, and its role in the film was exceptionally important. Music was built into the script, and features heavily in many scenes. Before I began working with him, Rik already had a playlist of music that inspired him, and reflected the beautiful story and the characters Amber and Clay. He had ideas for instruments he felt captured moments and the setting. Clearly music was not a weak spot in his director’s tool belt, yet he was open to listening thoughtfully to new ideas. He trusted me, and appreciated experimentation.

You’ve also done lots of additional musical arrangements for other film projects. Can you describe the networking that results in receiving such assignments?

So many of my opportunities I can trace back to a combination of luck, and hard work. I’ve never been good at “networking” when it hasn’t been organic. I have, however, tried very hard to say yes to everything, and that can open some surprising doors. Once a door is open, I do the best work I can, and that breeds successful repeat collaboration as well as word of mouth recommendations.

You’ve worked with Elmer Bernstein, Hans Zimmer and Quincy Jones. That’s quite a wide range of composers/arrangers/musicians! Is that sort of range normal for folks in the industry?

I don’t think there is a “normal” anything in the world of film music. Every composer has a different story about their start in the business, the musical gifts they bring to their work, and the folks that helped them along the way. That said, I’m very aware that my opportunities to work for the legends that I have, has been an extremely rare blessing.

You’ve also worked for quite a diverse group of organizations, including Pushing Daisies (ABC), Hallmark Entertainment, ESPN, the History Channel and HBO. Is that range also normal for someone in the industry?

I do feel that if you do put in enough years, get a healthy dose of the aforementioned luck, and say yes to whatever project comes you – eventually many composers do build up an interesting resume of production companies and channels that have featured their work.

What made you decide to open up your own studio, Flash Music LLC?

Film scoring is primarily a freelance, project-based career. Though I often wish I could work for a company that paid me to show up 9-to-5 to compose music, much of my work has had to be entrepreneurial. Starting Flash Music allowed me to formalize and add structure to how I go about business part of my career.

Do you have any words of wisdom or advice for anyone interested in pursuing a career in scoring music for film?

In no particular order: Learn the craft. Learn about story, about character. Watch movies. Listen to movies. Listen to as much music – soundtrack and not – as you can. Know more than enough about the music-making technology to facilitate your creativity. Be a people person - this career is all about working with many other people to tell stories. Be prepared to balance your assured awareness of your genius with crippling self-doubt. Find opportunities to actually write music to picture – failing and getting up again is essential. If you’re able to identify and nourish a music that is innately your own, that is so much more valuable than being able to sound like a clone of some top tier film composer. Be savvy about finances. Try (it’s hard but try) to find balance in your life – work and family. And I’ll sound like a broken record here, but SAY YES!

Looking back, what particular skills/experiences contributed to your success?

My undergraduate study at the University of Illinois introduced me to experimental music, which I feel contributes to my open mindedness and willingness to experiment. My work under Hans Zimmer taught me many skills, particularly electronic music production. My upbringing instilled in me the value of being kind, honest, and friendly.

Who are three of your favorite musicians/composers, and why?

This is a tough one, so I’ll just stick with film composers and list the first three that come into my head. First is John Williams. His mastery of the orchestra is unparalleled. His brilliant thematic writing combined with his narrative approach to a scene sets the bar for every other composer. Next is Ennio Morricone. Morricone has written some of the hands-down most gorgeous melodies of all time. Finally, I’m going to say Hans Zimmer. I have come to appreciate so many elements of his genius. Zimmer is an envelope pusher who strives to discover a story’s “big idea”. His control of sound and love of experimentation has allowed him to reinvent himself musically many times over.

Is there anything else you’d like to mention?

Thank you so much for this opportunity, and the great variety of questions. It’s not often that I take time to put my ideas and experiences into words, and it allowed me to be mindful of my past, as well as my present.

You can find out more information on Kaz, via his website.

Practical wishes for the New Year

Happy New Year!

Happy 2018!!!

As a kid, the slow movement from one year to the next didn't really register like it does now.

Then came adulthood.

And for some unforeseen reason, someone messed with the time clock and pushed the "fast forward" button.

But even at this stage of life, post-retirement, the value of fresh beginnings isn't lost.

Fact is, there is something powerful in experiencing the turn of the calendar from one year to another.

It's more than marking a change from 2017 to 2018. More than acknowledging that one year has come and gone and another stands fresh before us.

We need a re-set. Especially living in the Northern Hemisphere - where the onset of winter is readily apparent.

Our human concept of time can only take in so much. Spiritually speaking, I believe that God knew this and did us a favor by giving us one year at a time.

2017 may have been a great year for you. It may have been awful. Or somewhere in-between. But the fact is, it's not 2017 anymore.

The New Year gives us a chance to be refreshed mentally, physically, emotionally and deep in our spirit.

So, here's what I wish for you this New Year:

Patience: Not everyone thinks, looks or acts like us. Patience helps us slow down and begin to understand and appreciate the differences. Patience allows us to see people and situations from another point of view.

Love: Almost every religion on the planet places a great emphasis on love. One of the classic definitions of love is found in the 13th chapter of 1st Corinthians. "Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful and endures through every circumstance."

Kindness: Is the oil that lubricates human relationships.

Forgiveness: It's been said that God is a God of second chances. If we're made in God's image, then we're in a perfect position to pass some of that forgiveness along. If you don't believe in God, then consider this - if you've been alive for more than a year, the chances are very high that you've needed to be forgiven. Why not choose to pass the favor along?

Grace: This one is linked closely to forgiveness. It's unmerited favor. Being extended a helping hand when you didn't necessarily earn or deserve it. Grace comes in many forms - like the last time someone let you into the turn lane in rush-hour traffic. Or someone offered to carry your grocery bags to the car when you had small kids with you. Or a neighbor shoveled snow off your sidewalk.

Hope: The epistle to the Hebrews begins with, "Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see." It's interesting that this same epistle goes on to list several people who lived out this hope. Often in the middle of very difficult circumstances. Even if you aren't a Christian or a believer in any religion, there's no denying the positive effects of hope. Hope lights the way through tough times, helping us realize we'll get through them. Alexander Pope said, "hope springs eternal in the human breast."

Peace: This isn't referring to the absence of war. Rather, it's the calm of knowing we're all connected to the same human race. It's assurance (call it "blessed assurance," if you're religiously-minded). It's comforting and it indeed settles the soul.

Happy New Year to you!

Photo Credits: top india.com; middle NDTV.com; bottom pinterest.