Bernadette Morey Stockwell is a true artist. Her art medium is life.
She is not unique in that sense – probably all of us can find some “art” in our everyday life – (which is what her teaching is all about) – that is expressed in how we live, how we adorn our domiciles or even what we eat.
But Bernadette is that type of human – driven by a restless, constantly searching mind – to seek out new experiences and endeavors, to learn about them, strive to master them, and above all how to grow this little seedling she came upon on a walk in the forest into a thriving, bountiful and glorious tree of life and expression. (A tree can be a perfect icon of all life – struggling from accidental seedling infancy in a dank, sun-starved forest bed to thrust up towards the light, the sun – against all unexpected and threatening impediments to its future – lightening, wind, ice – until it crowns out into glory for a century to come).
Her life, even from childhood, was centered around creativity and quest for art. Childhood drawings, learning to tell stories, write poems – all those things we all touch on for a brief minute in elementary school, but for her the touch always remained as a guiding hand on her shoulder. Her mother Marjory was and still is to this day a wonderful and prolific painter. She also had a career as a solo vocalist, and entertained American GIs through the USO. (She owns a Les Paul 12-string guitar – one of the originals! Be sure to ask her about it!) But Marjory also knew how to turn her art into a business income and support her family through it. She operated a “sign painting” company for years with her husband out what is now Bernadette’s “Creative HQ.” She painted trucks, buildings, display signage – whatever was required – her original artwork still hangs to this day over the take-out window at Kimball Farms in Westford. (The prices have changed since it was first hung).
Little wonder Bernadette became the person she is.
Drawing, writing, music and haute couture (as in learn to make your own prom dress!). I guess she was not interested in a good Accounting course.
She majored in English at UMass Amherst and thought of a career as a high school English teacher – an idea that was squelched by an unpleasant student teaching run before she graduated where she had an inkling that there would be very little “English teaching” going on in that kind of venue.
She married her husband Wayne, (a “life artist” in his own right!), who she met at UMass and returned to her roots and what she knew close to home. She opened a business sewing and creating high quality decorative and artistic draperies and window treatments. Some of her work was featured in one of those fancy home décor magazines!!
Together, she and Wayne set out on the art of parenting – raising two children into the world, and guiding them towards an artistic, creative and inquisitive journey of education. Music lessons, Destination Imagination, charter schools, chorus, orchestra, Scouts – the art was to create two new sentient and worthy additions to the species. Good job.
I first met Bernadette as a new adult clarinet student at Indian Hill School of Music, where I was on faculty for almost a decade beginning in the late 1990s. Wayne had bought her “clarinet lessons” for Christmas through Indian Hill, and luck of the draw, she got me as the clarinet teacher. I have a lot of adult students, many of them – like Bernadette – played in high school and let it drop out of their life, and suddenly as part of a mid-life crisis or something, they drag their old Vito clarinet out of the back of the closet where it’s sat for 30 years!
Adult students are fun to teach – sometimes the second time around they get a chance to “re-set” and start again the correct way. They discover new things that they weren’t made aware of in high school, or just like appreciating finer wines or cuisine as we mature, they come to a deeper and more profound realization about what and why we do anything we do.
As a clarinet student on the bass clarinet, (her high school instrument), she quickly discovered things that she didn’t know in the beginning and was able to attain a new level of ability beyond anything she had ever though she was possible of years ago. She became interested in some of my on-going music performance projects, coming to concerts and rehearsals, especially rehearsals. She enjoyed watching creative musicians at work striving to out-do their previous achievements with every next performance and would chat up the musicians she was meeting after concerts, asking them how they “steeled” themselves for the moment of “battle” in a concert. “JFDI,” one of them answered her one night in my dining room!!
About a year into her clarinet study, and after a successful solo recital performance that she had given, she presented me with a notebook with a children’s novel that she had written, complete with hand-drawn illustrations. It was called “Trip to Musicland” and it was an extremely engaging and true to life depiction of a young music student who falls through a crack in the closet into a mythical place called “Musicland” – where all life is driven and nurtured by music. Taxi cabs are made to drive by singing, payment for services is rendered with a song or a sonata, and every single resident is involved in the day-long endeavor to create – each and every day. The characters were all unmistakably based on colleagues of myself, whom she had come to observe and to know.
It was such a good book, (especially the chapter about the master clarinet teacher!) that I immediately made a plan to present it as a children’s educational concert series – a project which came to fruition in the early spring of 2000.
Immediately following that, I launched the Claflin Hill Symphony Orchestra (CHSO) in May of 2000, and Bernadette was drawn – almost like it was magnetized – into helping to bring this new cultural enterprise from birth into its fledgling years – like a newly born colt, struggling to get up on its own legs. She suddenly learned how to create a website, brochures, narrative around the orchestra and was an advisor and brain-pool of ideas and creative thinking – she was a major part of helping this new CHSO identify and annunciate the new, innovative, unique and accessible personality I wanted it to exude.
In the midst of all of this – parenting, working, and endeavoring to live a creative life – she decided to return to school and resume her studies in English and writing towards her goal of someday becoming a university professor. She had never stopped writing, and had for many years continued to impose upon herself a discipline of making herself write every single day, but had always been afraid to take that next step up or off – who knows, you may be stepping into an unknown abyss. Better perhaps, to stay home and make cookies!
At the same time as her involvement with CHSO grew exponentially each year – she entered into graduate studies and finally received her Doctorate degree in 2017 – a proud morning for her, her family and us friends and students who had gathered to see her reach her pinnacle.
Or was that a pinnacle?
As any musician worth his salt knows, you never reach your pinnacle. The day you THINK you did, should be the day you retire for good. Just as CHSO is about much more than just giving some concerts, Bernadette’s goals were about much more than just being called “Doctor” and teaching a schedule of classes.
Much in the way that helped CHSO begin to evolve and identify its unique “raison d’etre” – she is taking her own life struggle to be creative, to fight against her own apathy, doubts and fears and turning it into a “teaching moment” for her students and peers.
Many of us – maybe ALL of us – have that inner creative lurking inside ourselves, but we’ve been ingrained from childhood to live life pragmatically, and submerge those yearnings to do something that just might not be lucrative or support an income. For myself, I never had a choice in life to be a musician. I wanted to be clarinet player and professional musician from the age of nine, and never thought about it again since. I never allowed myself another option, I didn’t take a “minor” in college – “Just in case you don’t make it as a performer, you can always teach,” I was told, and refuted. Plan B always becomes Plan A immediately. I was asked by my great uncle Bill on his deathbed, “Are you making any money in that music racket?” I don’t he really cared, he was dying of cancer early and was kind of pissed off about it. “Oh, sure,” I replied. “I just played all week with the Hartford Symphony and made $350!” Truth was, I was called as a sub for a week, and probably didn’t work with them again for a year!
Maybe that will become Bernadette’s “life-work” or her testimonial – helping everyone she comes into contact with on her journey to free up that inner “starling” of creativity – helping others to acknowledge and then conquer and ignore all the fears they have about allowing themselves to “come out creatively” — understanding that failure is learning and that striving for self-achievement is a life-long and un-ending process, until that last day when your last surprised words will be “All over already??”
A life of creativity and achievement through struggle is a life well worth living.
I am happy and proud to recommend Dr. B. Morey Stockwell to anyone who is ready to contemplate finally taking that leap into their own abyss of discovery.
As someone who had a Great Teacher, and strived to be an even better teacher to my own students, I am proud of her as my former student, and privileged to call her a friend, muse, collaborator and “fellow traveler” on this road of life.
Paul Surapine
I have had the pleasure of working with Bernadette Stockwell as my writing coach and mentor for the past year; and what a year it has been! Through a pandemic, Bernadette has been the shining light that kept me focused when everything else seemed to be pulling away my attention from writing.
I can’t brag enough about Bernadette. She has an amazing combination of skills that enable her to be both teacher and cheerleader. Her knowledge of the writing process is outstanding; providing actionable suggestions that give a fledgling writer like myself the tools to overcome blockades. She has a unique ability to breakdown difficult tasks (such as dreaded editing) into smaller digestible portions that are not only less difficult, but now enjoyable. But her greatest strength as a writing coach/mentor is truly her ability to keep things…fun! This year I completed NaNoWriMo, my first novel, and am working on my second. In additional I published the first of a set of three Kindle books on navigating healthcare. I can say without any question, that Bernadette was the energy and the force behind my productive year.
Alexandra Weill, MD, author of How to Get Your Doctor to Listen.
My name is Eileen Healy and I am well-known artist/art teacher and musician based in Cork, Ireland.
There have been times in my career as an Artist that I struggled to remain creative so I turned to outside sources for support. During one such time I read a book by Eric Maisel’s ‘Coaching the artist within.’
There was a section in the back of the book to volunteer for a coaching program. Through Maisel, I was connected with Bernadette Stockwell- at that time a ‘coach in training.’
Over a sixteen week period, we corresponded where we discussed at length my need to continue to make art and music and my frustrations around them. I found this extremely useful at the time as I had hit a creative wall.
Bernadette was always encouraging and supportive. She helped me to gather the necessary tools to rejuvenate my creative spirit.
I continue to be a major part of the thriving artistic scene in Cork City where I live, teach, play music and have a studio in Backwater Studios and I teach Life Drawing/Painting at Crawford College of Art.
Eileen Healy, Cork, Ireland
It is with pleasure that I write this reference for Bernadette Stockwell.
“If you want to get something accomplished, ask a busy person.”
That quote epitomizes Bernadette! It is what brought me to recently ask her advice about a poetry project I am working on. My meeting with her was helpful because she asked insightful questions and helped clarify my goals. She was sincerely interested and willing to listen. She was clear about what she can offer and what I should commit to each day. I always find her inspiring and uplifting.
Over the past twenty years I have been amazed to watch the growth and productiveness of Bernadette as a most valuable promoter in the development of the Claflin Hill Symphony Orchestra organization. She has done everything from photography, videography and slide shows to accompany musical performances, to readings, announcing raffle winners , setting up booths at concert venues to becoming the Director of Development. I am always grateful for the time and energy she puts in with her creative talent and expertise to promote our orchestra.
During this time, I also saw her pursue her education to receive her Doctorate. She is teaching at Fitchburg and Lowell University, advising clients pursuing writing, creating her own artwork and writing novels. I tell you she is some accomplished woman driven to succeed and to help others pursue their dreams.
She is the ultimate accomplished person I would recommend to have on anyone’s team. She is kind, sensitive, thoughtful, talented, energetic, with a passionate and untiring work ethic.
Nan Foley, musician, Milford, MA