Art skills, life skills: There is a lovely turquoise block print of a headshot of what appears to be a heron standing along the shore of a body of water in the current art show on the walls of the cafe at Rising Tide Co-op in Damariscotta. It is an attention-getter – and it was created by a student in a fifth and sixth grade class at Chewonki Elementary and Middle School in Wiscasset as part of a printmaking unit focused on coastal Maine’s salt-marsh ecology.

Singing in community: There is a lovely, no-cost event that takes place the fourth Saturday of each month at 6 p.m. at Sheepscot General in Whitefield — a community singing circle. Led by singer-guitarist Dan Townsend, who is a member of local band Well Seasoned, the singing circle, as a recent press release put it, invites “anyone who enjoys singing with others.”

Checking out Czech Republic: As some of you know, I was out of the country recently for nine days visiting my son, Benjamin, and his family in Germany. I returned to work this past Monday – somewhat jet-lagged, but happier for the opportunity to have gone on my trip.

Music’s power to heal: In mid-December, I turned this column over to guest columnist Paul Kando, a local lover of the arts and the writer of the weekly “Energy Matters” column in this paper. Readers will remember Kando’s eloquent words about his inspiring arts education growing up in his native Hungary.