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 About Me

“Unable to perceive the shape of You, I find You all around me. Your presence fills my eyes with Your love, It humbles my heart, for You are everywhere.” 
― Guillermo del Toro ("The Shape of Water")

"My life flows on in endless song; above earth's lamentation, I hear the sweet, tho' far-off hymn that hails a new creation; thro' all the tumult and the strife I hear the music ringing; It finds an echo in my soul— how can I keep from singing?"

-- Robert Wadsworth Lowry

Literature Background

 

Reading-- I have been in love with you for such a long time :) 

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I recall those sweet years when Dad would read to Josh & I before we went to sleep-- tales of the Hobbit, the Lord of the Rings, the Berenstein Bears, of Brer Rabbit, of Peter & the Starcatchers, Peter & the Shadow Thieves, Peter & the Secret of Rundoon, as well as those of Bible characters... 

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I recall reading of the Chronicles of Narnia, of Harry Potter, of Redwall, Charlie & the Chocolate Factory, Charlie & the Great Glass Elevator, of Egyptology, & of a number of self-help sages-- works by men like Mr. Zig Ziglar, Mr. Willard Tate, Mr. Napoleon Hill, Mr. Dale Carnegie, & Dr. David D. Burns... 

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I recall many nights drifting in and out of sleep listening to audiobooks encouraging piety like Adventures in Odyssey, audiobooks encouraging wonder and awe and being open to mystery like the Chronicles of Narnia, & to Lamplighter Theatre productions that so thought-provokingly encouraged nobility and sacrifices and perseverance within daily life... 

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I recall reading aloud chemical names off of soap products while taking a bath or a shower & sometimes even singing what I read just to keep my mind focused...

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I recall reading comics about the Peanuts, Dilbert, Garfield, Calvin & Hobbes, Daredevil, & Captain America...

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But lo, dear Reading! 

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When I was so graciously introduced to GBT ( http://www.gbt.org/gbt.html ), O how I came to love you all the more! 

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In the 1st year: I directly encountered the Iliad, the Odyssey, the 3 Theban Plays, & the Oresteia. I met the minds of Aristotle & Plato. I studied from Herodotus. I digested an epistle from St. Clement of Alexandria. For 2 challenging hours each class meeting for 35 weeks, my classmates & I would discuss what we had read. So that we might better appreciate such books & respect their authors, we were guided to ask questions about the texts we read. O Reading, we had much to learn with regard to that fine art-- for, up to that point, we were content being silent until we hopefully came across answers! Furthermore, so that we might better appreciate what it takes to convey thoughts with creativity and clarity, we were tasked with writing 6 essays. O Reading, I had so much to learn-- as you very well recall, my writing skills were certainly a mess! During this time, O Reading, I began to start opening up to the wondrous people around me-- without this social training, I'm not sure where I would be & I frankly am frightened to consider such a thing! 

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In the 2nd year: I tuned in to that epic news anchorman of olden times-- Thucydides. I re-encountered Plato. I read the Aeneid. I re-visited Aristotle & Plutarch. I took history lessons from Tacitus. I met the minds of Lucretius & St. Athanasius. For 2 captivating hours each class meeting for 35 weeks, my classmates & I would yet again discuss what we had read. 

Yet again, we were guided to ask questions about the texts we read. O Reading, we had improved with regard to that fine art-- but yet, we still had so much to learn! Once more, we were tasked with writing 6 essays-- papers diverse in content & style. O Reading, though I had improved somewhat, I had so much to learn-- as you well recall, my writing skills were iffy (at best)! During this time, O Reading, I also became delighted with Euclid's fusion of logic with geometry. Moreover, coming to the aid of my curiosity about the sort of Greek used in the Christ-ian New Testament, I started my journey in learning academic Greek (with modern pronunciations!). As a cherry on top of this grand scholarly sundae, the friendships I had begun to have the year before grew stronger still in this year! 

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In the 3rd year: I came into contact with St. Augustine of Hippo Regius, St. Anselm of Canterbury, & St. Thomas Aquinas. I read Mr. Dante's "Divine Comedy" & Mr. Chaucer's "Canterbury Tales". I also spent much time basking in the magnificent presence of the playwright Mr. Shakespeare. For 2 thought-provoking & humbling hours each class meeting for 35 weeks, my classmates & I would discuss what we had read. So that we might better appreciate such books & respect their authors, we were guided to ask questions about the texts we read. O Reading, while it was true we learned we would always need to learn from intellectual humility, we improved still more with regard to that fine art: scorched, blinded, and purified by the brilliant glory of wisdom's infinite regions, layers of deeply imbedded religiously narrow-minded modes of thinking began rapidly peeling off of me-- leaving both critical-thinking & open-mindedness in its wake! This year, we were tasked with writing 4 essays-- less papers, but lengthier. O Reading, although I had so much to learn-- as you very recall, my writing skills were finally becoming less of a mess! During this time, O Reading, the friendships grew oh so much more in number & quality-- I thank God for them all! 

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In the 4th year: I read about Don Quixote. I met the minds of Mr. John Calvin & Mr. Martin Luther. My heart and soul were moved something mighty powerful by Mr. Bach's "St. Matthew Passion"-- and even still more by his "St. John Passion", which I went on to discover. 

I learned from Mr. Montaigne, Mr. Francis Bacon, & Mr. Descartes. O Reading, how I loved meeting Mr. Blaise Pascal! I read "Paradise 

Lost" & "The Leviathan". I visited with Mr. Leibniz, Mr. Spinoza, & Mr. David Hume. I was blown away contemplating a painting from Mr. Vermeer-- learning to do the difficult task of just observing it first, then to ask questions about it, & then to think abstractly about it (which, it turns out, is strikingly similar to https://bible.org/seriespage/4-homiletical-process ). I read "Gulliver's Travels". We watched a version of "North & South" & began our journey in approaching films with critical minds. We also got to take lessons in government from Mr. John Locke. For 2 awesome hours each class meeting for 35 weeks, my classmates & I would discuss what we had read. We were guided to ask ever more penetrating & clarifying questions about the texts we read. O Reading, we always have much to learn with regard to that fine art-- but, by that point, we began to embrace that being curious & open to correction was a better way to live than being vain & stubborn. We were tasked with writing 4 essays-- these being just a bit longer than the previous year's papers. O Reading, I had so much to learn-- but as you may recall, my writing skills were certainly becoming ok! During this time, O Reading, we all were so in love with learning as we were & didn't particularly want to think of graduating from such a cool way of life-- but, by some miracle, we kept on keeping on!  

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In the 5th year: I met the profoundly verbose 

Immanuel Kant plus the social philosopher & musician Jean-Jacques Rousseau. I took economics lessons from Adam Smith. I encountered the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, the Articles of Confederation, & the Federalist papers more intensely than I ever had before. I read "Huckleberry Finn". I got introduced to Mr. Hegel-- a fascination that continues to this day! I read "War & Peace". I took philosophical socio-political & economics lessons from Mr. Karl Marx. I was wowed by Mr. Soren Kierkegaard! I heard Mr. Wagner's musical take on "Tristan & Isolde" for the 1st time. I met the mind of Mr. Nietzsche, & have actually just recently started reading him again (just for theological and philosophical kicks)! I met "The Brothers Karamazov", Mr. Alexis de Tocqueville, the tremendously thought-provoking Mr. Sigmund Freud, & we all ended it off by contemplating with the incomparable Mr. C.S. Lewis! For 2 blissful hours each class meeting for 35 weeks, my classmates & I would discuss what we had read. We asked more questions & questions about the questions we just asked! We were tasked with writing 2 essays-- but, my goodness, these were academically rigorous & emotionally tough essays to craft! O Reading, I always will have so much to learn-- but as you remember, my writing skills became pretty good! During this time, O Reading, we couldn't believe our 5 years were done & we still get together these days wondering where all the time went...But lo! You--O Wisdom & Truth & Goodness & Beauty--have brought us together, you have broken us, you have strengthened us, & you keep refining us: for that, we give our ceaselessly constant thanks, praise, & devotion!  

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Oh! Reading! I almost forgot! 

 

Wedged in somewhere during those 5 years, I took 1 wonderful yr. of Latin-- courtesy of a dear home-schooler mom, the sublime Mrs. Johnson.  

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And, it was either in 2016 or 2017 that I took a Reading class at Palomar College under Professor Melinda Carillo ( https://www2.palomar.edu/pages/reading/faculty-staff-table/ )-- and, moreover, did quite well! 

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O Reading, a few last things & please forgive me for being so close to forgetting! 

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Well, lol, one more P.S. 

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I'd love to keep talking about the great people I've met from GBT, about all the books I've been reading since, & about the mysterious magnificence of God, but I think the world might have trouble containing all the books I could write!  

Music/Piano Background

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To be honest: long before I began to formally learn about music, I was passionate for it :)

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Allow me to explain...

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Section 1/3: Environments I Grew Up In

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My very earliest memories of music had to do with singing either at the Avenue N church of Christ or at the Katy church of Christ

( https://www.avenuenchurchofchrist.org/ & https://katychurchofchrist.com/ ) on Sundays & Wednesday evenings-- plus the occasional Kleinwood singing events ( https://kleinwood.com/annual-singing ). Since our move to California several years ago, we've attended http://ncchurchofchrist.com/about & http://www.bostoniachurchofchrist.org/ the most. 

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Two positive/cool facts about worshipping with such congregations tracing back to the Stone-Campell Restoration Movement? Because there's such an emphasis these congregations placed on acapella 4-part harmony singing, I learned how to sight-read music from a very early age. From very early on in our lives, my younger brother and I also got to lead songs-- which often involved: (1) carrying a song-book to near where the podium was, (2) blowing the proper notes from a pitch pipe, & (3) using basic conducting skills to indicate the desired tempo & which hymn verses we'd be singing. 

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Some of my other earliest memories of music consist in joyfully toying around with a variety of pianos, guitars, recorders, & some Kimball-organ(ish) instrument.

 

To this day, though, I love playing whatever instruments I can get my hands on. 

 

So far: I've encountered pianos/keyboards, guitars, organs, harpsichords, & banjos the most. 

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Section 2/3: Family Members I Grew Up With

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My Mom & Dad both learned how to play the clarinet (for a time) during their high school education. Many members of Dad's side of the family (and certain of their family friends) are well-known for their skillful folk & country guitar-playing. For instance:

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Moreover, folks like Mr. Nathan Welden ( https://nathanwelden.com/ ) & Mr. Ricky Ruis ( https://www.sandiegoreader.com/bands/ricky-ruis/ ) are family friends. 

 

Section 3/3: My Credentials

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As for me, again?

 

Well, I've been seriously studying music for about 14 years now--- I began seriously learning music at about 7 years of age, I'm now 21 and have kept up learning, & I am to keep learning/improving as time goes by. 

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When I began learning piano: I briefly had regular 30 minute lessons under a teacher in Texas (who held a Doctorate degree in Piano Performance & Pedagogy, if I recall correctly), but this was interrupted by a move to California. 

 

Once in California, there was something like a 2 year period where I taught myself whatever I could in absence of teachers.

 

Approximately between 2009 to 2013, I was blessed to receive piano lessons from the remarkable teachers at San Diego Music Studio ( https://www.sandiegomusicstudio.com/ ). 

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Wedged in between those years:

 

  • In 2011, I received San Diego Music Studio's "Spring Formal Recital Outstanding Achievement Award" for a piano performance I delivered. 

  • Before he began to work for the music department at Grossmont College, I began taking acoustic guitar lessons under the wonderful direction of Mr. Anthony Cutietta ( http://www.anthonycutietta.com/ )

  • In 2013, I began teaching piano lessons to younger children (in fact, my first 2 students were originally instructed by the Ms. Rachel Brady discussed within the following article: https://www.biola.edu/events/2017/rachel-brady-piano ). 

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Then, between 2013 & 2017, I was blessed more than I can express to study piano with the extremely excellent Dr. Diane Snodgrass-- who's mentioned within (e.g.):

 

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Wedged in between those years: since 2015, I've been blessed to study as a Music Major courtesy of Palomar Community College.  

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Following is a list of certain classes I've taken as a Music Major-- each class involved challenging work in their own ways & I greatly appreciate the magnificent people (Professors & Classmates) I've encountered thus far in my journey:

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In my music career so far, I've served as:

 

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A few more notable mentions from my musical career: 

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  • I've performed at a bridal shower

  • I've performed for Escondido high school graduation progressive dinners 2 years in a row (the most recent year, I took out some Les Miserables music & the high schoolers spontaneously sang along!)

  • Since about 2015, I've been requested to perform "Sound of Music" pieces at E.T.S. functions while folks gather around me to sing! (for more information, please see http://www.gbt.org/events/etseventscurrent.htm )

  • I've taught a total of 13 students within 5 years-- and have loved it :)

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Chess Background

 

Oh how I love this game :)

 

I began learning it early-- around 5yrs old. I remember playing my first chess games with my Dad & younger brother Josh (about 3 at the time). 

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From about 2008-2011, I attended my first chess club-- which was supervised by the Chess Master Mr. Bruce Baker (i.e. the man discussed within http://blog.sandiegochessclub.org/2009/03/bruce-baker-player-of-month-february-09.html ).

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During our time with the San Diego Chess Club, my brother Josh & I were blessed to befriend 2 first-rate excellent families (the Negus & Householder clans), & as it so happens, I was able to dig up an article on one of the Householder's: http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/sdut-hunneman-a-thinking-mans-game-2010may19-story.html .

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In my chess-playing career, I was blessed to receive many trophies and medals, but my highest honor was participating in the National Jr. High School K-9 Championship (at San Diego, CA during April 27th-29th, 2012)-- in which my younger brother Josh & I worked as a 2-man team & together became 11th place in the U.S.

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Once upon a time, my chess bag was signed by the International Chess Master Mr. Larry Evans (i.e. the man discussed within the following article: http://sdvoyager.com/interview/meet-larry-evans-mountain-lake-chess-camp/ ).

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I also was blessed to have experienced about 3 lessons under the International Master Mr. Cyrus Lakdawala-- i.e. the gentleman discussed in further detail within the following article: https://www.sandiegoreader.com/news/2007/may/31/when-you-play-chess-you-cant-hide-who-you-are/ .

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Although 2014 was the year I got back my most recent official United States Chess Federation rating (my peak rating around then was about 1660), I have kept up my love for chess in other ways. Before long, I aim to re-establish my registration with the USCF & perhaps even start up a chess club at Palomar college.  

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As far as chess movies go, 2 of my favorites are "Searching for Bobby Fischer" & "Pawn Sacrifice". 

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As far as chess books go, I especially love the instructive works of Mr. Jeremy Silman, Mr. Siegbert Tarrasch, Mr. Bruce Pandolfini, Mr. Josh Waitzkin, Mr. László Polgár, & the combined efforts of Mr. Lev Alburt, Mr. Roman Dzindzichashvili, & Mr. Eugene Perelshteyn.   

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As far as chess figures go, I have many favorites-- but I'd like to highlight the fascinatingly audacious style of Mr. Karl Ernst Adolf Anderssen (generally, he seemed to favor 'open' positions) & what I'll call the impressively stifling 'boa constrictor' style of Mr. Wilhelm Steinitz (generally, he seemed to favor 'closed' positions). 

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More often than not, I'd say my playing style often favors 'closed' positions-- but I love learning from those who've mastered the art of winning with 'open' positions! 

  Weston Scrivner  

My Shorter Bio? 

 

Howdy & aloha!

 

I was born in Arkansas in 1996, but since then I've been blessed to visit Florida, Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, Mexico, & Canada thus far. Since moving from Texas when I was about 7, I've been living in California & loving it.  

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Thanks be to God & all who have positively impacted me throughout my life, I became an Eagle Scout from Troop 669 in 2014. I've served as an Assistant Patrol Leader, a Patrol Leader, a Den Chief, an Assistant Senior Patrol Leader, a Senior Patrol Leader, a Troop Guide, & an Assistant Scoutmaster. I also achieved the rank of Brotherhood in an Order of the Arrow chapter & served as a Secretary. In 2010, I was graced with a Combs Service Award for Outstanding Service to God, Country, & Self. Before any of that: I was a Webelos Scout & I earned an Arrow of LIght Award. As part of this whole grand Scouting experience, I was blessed to participate in numerous volunteer service opportunities & picked up my continued love for frequent hiking/backpacking trips from such experiences. 

 

In 2015, I graduated from Sapere Aude Academy (the home-schooling name my parents chose) along with many wonderful home-schooled high schoolers. 

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Currently, I'm contemplating various combinations of career paths in teaching (e.g. Biblical Studies, Great Books, &/or Music), preaching, and performing music :)  

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My Longer Bio? 

 

Feel free to check out https://deopatriaelitteris.wordpress.com/about/ , & thanks in advance-- hope you'll enjoy!

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I’d love to hear from you!

Area: Escondido, CA | 92025  

Email: wtscriv@gmail.com | Telephone: 760-750-2545

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MY AVAILABLE HOURS

*not including travel time; not including other pandemic considerations*

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Monday          Quite open!

Tuesday          N/A during 9:30-11am;                               otherwise quite open!

Wednesday    N/A during 6pm through                           the remainder of the                                 evening; otherwise quite                           open!

Thursday        N/A during 9:30-11am;                               otherwise quite open!

Friday              Quite open! 

Saturday         N/A

Sunday            N/A 

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NEWS

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Schedule above reflects my coming to the end of the Fall 2020 Palomar College semester.

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Transitioning to CSU-SM for the Spring 2021 semester! Starting a Literature & Writing Studies BA program with my end goal being to teach Humanities/English for kids on various bases as an Educational Assistant with the Department of Defense + continuing teaching, performing, & composing music! 

 

Thank you for being you; hakuna matata, namaste, & shalom! 😎🖖🏻

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Contact me now for a FREE 1st lesson!

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Vicinity:          Escondido, CA 92025

Email:             wtscriv@gmail.com

Telephone:    760-750-2545

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