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CBS News – The Early Show with Jeff Glor
Billy McLaughlin performed for the Apple Specialists Marketing Coop (ASMC) Fall Conference October 16. Billy is pictured here with ASMC Executive Director Kevin Langdon.
On October 18, Billy was back in Minnesota presenting at the “Impairment without Disability” conference, which was held at Mayo Clinic.
Dr. Les Kertay, a clinical psychologist and writer, reported on Billy’s presentation at the conference at Mayo. Read Dr. Kertay’s article about Billy, “A Fortune Cookie – Friday’s Life Lesson.”
The Daily Circuit – MPR
ST. PAUL, Minn. —
Preceding the broadcast of Billy’s concert with Orchestra Nova on Twin Cities Public Television, Tom Weber from The Daily Circuit on Minnesota Public Radio, interviewed Billy and they discussed what relearning the guitar was like. Listen to the broadcast that aired October 19 on Minnesota Public Radio.
“In the 90s, guitarist and Minnesotan Billy McLaughlin was a rising star as one of his albums cracked the top 10 on Billboard.
But he slowly faded away from the spotlight. Not because people had grown tired of his music, but because McLaughlin had developed a baffling disorder called focal dystonia. If you’ve ever heard of writer’s cramp, that’s a form of dystonia.
McLaughlin’s “Starry Night” concert performance will air Saturday night and Sunday afternoon on Twin Cities Public Television.”
Continue to Tom Weber’s article, “Minnesotan Billy McLaughlin on dystonia and re-learning the guitar.”
St Paul, Minn. —
Tune into TPT as Billy performs with Orchestra Nova, conducted by Jung-Ho Pak. During this joyful event, Billy combines a series of his original compositions along with his story of reinvention—his ordeal with dystonia and journey back to the stage as a left-handed guitarist. The music and the life-affirming experience behind it will inspire you to never give up on your dreams and to keep reaching for the stars.
Billy will appear live, in-studio, when the event airs in Minneapolis and St. Paul on TPT Saturday, October 20, at 8:45 p.m.
Billy McLaughlin: Starry Night With Orchestra Nova
Billy McLaughlin and Orchestra Nova conducted by Jung-Ho Pak filmed a new program called Starry Night for KPBS Public Television San Diego in early January. The program will debut on KPBS in San Diego on March 18th with live appearances by Billy and Jung-Ho. The music and the story behind it will inspire you to never give up on your dreams and to keep reaching for the stars. Starry Night will be made available to PBS stations across the nation in June and Billy anticipates visiting as many stations as possible with a fall concert schedule that would include cities that broadcast the show. All seven string arrangements by Eugenio Toussaint that were featured on Billy’s Into the Light CD and Coming Back Alive DVD were performed by Orchestra Nova with a new twist. Master percussionists and long-time friends of Billy, Marc Anderson and Jimi Englund added their wide array of percussion sounds and skills to the existing arrangements as well as a never-before-recorded string arrangement of While She Sleeps by Jacob Tews. Special guest violinist Nathan Wilson joined Billy and the percussionists for a new piece called Back From the Brink and Billy rounded out the concert with two solo works. Please support this new opportunity for Billy by letting your friends in San Diego county know about the March 18 premiere!!! Broadcast schedule available here.
ARRM
Billy Presents:
McLaughlin will speak at ARRM Annual Conference
On September 26, Billy will open the annual leadership conference of the Association of Residential Resources in Minnesota (ARRM). ARRM is a nonprofit association comprised of community services providers that support people with disabilities with such essentials as housing and daily support.
Billy’s message of reinvention is extremely relevant to ARRM. Changing demographics and spiraling healthcare costs have made the current care-giving system unsustainable in light of declining revenue at both the state and federal levels. It is a challenge that seeks a creative solution. Fortunately, ARRM is taking a proactive approach to reform and rebalance the services its members provide. Recognizing that innovation occurs in the private sector, ARRM is working to facilitate solutions to the problem by removing barriers to innovation and choice. ARRM has designed a “cost-saving plan to deliver the right disability services in the right setting at the right time.” According to Bruce Nelson, chief executive officer of ARRM, “Part of the movement is to recreate services that are self-directed by people with disabilities and their families—to enable greater independence wherever possible.”
Rather than allowing funding cutbacks to define the future, ARRM is presenting the legislature with a “Blueprint for Reform,” a plan to unlock the traditional group home model and help facilitate the movement of people who want a more independent style of living. Meanwhile, the plan would allow for supervised care to continue for those individuals who want and need it. Last spring, 90% of the Blueprint for Reform was adopted by the legislature. Nelson added, “Support was bipartisan and included the governor.”
Now that adoption of the Blueprint is in process, ARRM will soon be positioned to move forward with implementing its plan. Members will be confronted with big changes in their delivery systems. The focus of ARRM’s conference this year will be on opening the door to innovation and invention while addressing questions related to “Why should I do it?” Benefits of affordability, independence and a preferred lifestyle will drive a different business plan for members’ future. The conference will enable upper management and decision makers to collaborate on design opportunities and tools. Billy’s presence will add perspective to the changes ahead for community services providers. “With any big change, we always have a choice to either focus on what’s working or what’s not. This event will be an opportunity for participants to design a better future than simply leaving it to chance. My goal is to inspire the creative thinking needed to make that happen,” he said.
For more information about ARRM and its Blueprint for Reform, as well as home and community-based programs that support Minnesotans with disabilities, visit www.arrm.org.
ST Dystonia Presents
Billy had the privilege of appearing in a ST Dystonia publication written by Stephen J Busalacchi. Busalacchi has complied “Inspiring success stories of people who BELIEVED they could overcome a baffling disorder called dystonia.” Billy was asked to share his story along with seven others. If you are interested in purchasing this book, or learning more about ST Dystonia, please visit their website.
More about ST:
Spasmodic Torticollis (ST), and/or cervical dystonia, is a neurological condition thought to originate in the basal ganglia portion of the brain. A disturbance in the balance of chemicals produced in the brain may be responsible. One of these chemicals known as Acetylcholine may be affected. The neurotransmitters or chemical messengers are secreted from the basal ganglia and travel through nerve pathways to certain muscles of the neck. The increased nerve signals cause spasms to occur which cause the head to be pulled pulled per the renderings to the left. More here.
Dystonia Medical Research Foundation
March 9 & 10, 2012, New York City –
This two day summit of international experts focused specifically on various focal dystonias that affect musicians is the first of it’s kind. The first day (3/9) will focus on the scientific side of this life-changing disorder with presentations by world-reknown researchers describing in scientific terms what the most current research has revealed. A concert that evening will feature:
– World acclaimed guitarist David Leisner who has battled and conquered focal dystonia of the right hand
– Nashville fiddler Ryan Thompson who switched hands to be able to continue his successful career
– Billy McLaughlin and string quartet featuring special guests Dr. Stephen Frucht and daughter Emma, as well as Steven Leung who continues to play violin despite the challenges of focal dystonia of the lefthand
Day two (3/10) will focus on the practical side of how musicians can recognize, adapt and identify possible effective therapies or beneficial changes to their playing techniques. The day will include panelists with both hand dystonia and embouchure dystonia. Interactive discussion time with both physicians, researchers and musicians through a Q & A format will prove to be lively indeed.
More information and details on presenters, topics, daily schedule and registration fees will be posted soon at: dystonia-foundation.org
Read Billy’s ‘welcome back’ article to the Mobile area from the Press Register. In addition to having two performances and a workshop, Billy was asked to appear on 92.1 WZEW for a short interview with Catt Sirten.
