(no subject)
A Lot of you wonder why I talk about my aunt Jill so much... well this artical explains why!
Also, if you aren't aware, my aunt trains Stephanie J. Block, who was the ORIGINAL, yes I said orignal Elphaba in the hit musical Wicked. Before the show was on broadway, she developed the character! woot. Although she didn't take the role as Elphie on broadway, she played Elphie in the nation tour. She was also in the broadway show The Boy From Oz Starring with Hugh Jackman. She is now in the show The Pirate Queen (she plays the pirate queen/Grace O'Malley) which is in previews right now, but will be entering the broadway world in Feb. of 07'.
My aunt has and also trains...
John Stamos
Mr. T
Kendra Kassebaum
and many more, just can't think of them at the exact moment.
anywho...here is the article
Jill Grande Goodsell
KUCI Radio Interview with JILL GOODSELL June 24, 2001
Good Morning, its 8:30 am on 88.9FM KUCI in Irvine and its time for "Lets Talk Business and More," the program that takes a look at the people who are making things happen in Orange County. And now, Lets Talk Business and More with Gloria Zigner:
Gloria: Good morning. This is Gloria, and it is my suggestion that you stay tuned this morning because I have a very, very special guest. I try very hard to find the most interesting people in Orange County to talk to for half an hour on Wednesday mornings, and I think I have found a real winner this morning. Her name is Jill Grande Goodsell, and I have a feeling that she has a lot of fans out there that are friends of Jills that are listening in. And if you are, I dont blame you a bit, she really is a fascinating woman. A very good friend of both of ours told me that I needed to meet her, and that friend, Hope, was very right. Good Morning Jill.
Jill: Good Morning.
Gloria: Okay, having said that, Im going to read just a little bit of what you do and what youve done, and then the rest is going to be a half an hour of talking to you. Jill is a renowned singer, pianist, teacher and actress. She was a piano soloist with the Chicago Symphony at the age of nineshe was a child prodigyher education includes Julliard School Of Music, The Academy Of Music School Of Vienna, Lawrence School Of Music, Chicago Conservatory... Well, anyway, all of those places, and since Jill opened her own studio at the age of 11 in Chicago and started her own theater at the age of 16 in Chicago, she has taught thousands of children, young people and adults throughout this country how to sing, how to actand I am delighted that you are here.
Jill: Thank you so much. So am I.
Gloria: Okay, and one of the things were going to talk about today is something that youve done just recently at the Founders Hall of the Performing Arts Center, when you, yourself, were a star. And the name of the show is "Tragedy, Triumph and Tchaikovsky." Okay, lets talk about that. How did that come about?
Jill: I think that it has come about because it was time. It is the time right now to be doing it. It is basically a show about my journey through life, and its meant to inspire people through music and comedy. And I do this by singing and telling stories, with humor and comedy and emotions, and it certainly takes you on this journey with some tearful moments. And I am able to share with the audience the roller coaster and rainbow of my life which I know we all experience. And its come about because it was time to do it.
Gloria: I didnt watch the entire tape, but I watched part of it, and I have to say, at the very beginning you had me in tears, and then its very funny. Your explanation before you sing arias from famous and not-so-famous operas you have props, the costumes and the wonderful sense of humor that makes opera come alive. One of the reviews that I read said that you were the new up and coming Victor Borga. I think thats an extraordinary compliment. Whats next for you? So, you debuted in town at the Founders Hall of the Performing Arts Centerwhats next?
Jill: Were planning that right now. I think whats next is more shows, certainly back at the Music Center, hopefully places like the Cinegrill. Id like to go to Chicago, where I was born, and do a concert and be on Oprah. (Gloria: Yeah!) Certainly, its the book, more lectures, more teachingjust expanding and moving out the message that I plan to give out.
Gloria: You do do a lot of public speaking also.
Jill: Yes.
Gloria: Well, who do you think your show is for? Who is the audience?
Jill: My show is for ages three through 80! Men, women
Gloria: Dont stop at eighty!!!
Jill: No, of course not, cause Im living to 100 or 125. Single parents, certainly anybody who is dealing with adversity, students, young students, old students, developmentally disabled
Gloria: Okay, theres a great cue. Lets talk a little aboutbecause developmentally disabled is something that has touched your life. Lets talk just a little about your life, Jill, cause it has not all been a bed of roses, needless to say. Starting from when you were a child, this child prodigy who was going to all these schools and coming home. What was happening at your home when you got there?
Jill: Violence and abuse. And I had two alcoholic parents, and what was going on was the beginning of what people would call the first tragedy, or the challenge, as I choose to name it. Actually, I was taking care of my parents. Cleaning up the blood and the mess, and putting them to bed and then going on with my life; and it certainly was piano. I would sit at the piano quietly at night and put my hands on the keys. Id pretend that Chopin, and Beethoven, and Rachmaninoff were there, and they would tell me: " Youre doing great, that is just the way we want it!" And that was the beginning of the first tragedy. The beginning of the challenge.
Gloria: And then what happened?
Jill: I went through my young teen years and my high school years obsessing to be the best in everything, of course. Close the door on the house, and walk out and try to be everything that I could be to overcome this. And then, of course, I married my mother and dad. So, I remarried right into "The Burning Bed," and went through 10 years of the same type of battery and abuse, and then escaped.
Gloria: Okay, lets talk about the escape. And you escaped from New York?
Jill: I escaped from New York with my two children(Gloria: To Orange County!) to Orange County and my little girl Jillie was born out of this abuse as profoundly retarded and severely brain damaged and autistic, and had Grand Mal seizures, so that certainly was a tremendous challenge. And we landed in Cypress, actually, and no car...
Gloria: This is with your son.
Jill: With my son, Ruben, and Jillie, and the $75.00 I had, and
Gloria: Howd you come to Cypress?
Jill: Actually, my brother at the time lived here, so I knew a town. And we landed here, and I found a little apartment 490 square feet and two beds.
Gloria: How long ago was that?
Jill: 1972.
Gloria: And Jillie, your daughter that was disabled, they told you that she couldnt be fixed, that you really should institutionalize her. But you didnt do that.
Jill: No. Absolutely not.
Gloria: So, lets talk a little bit about that.
Jill: Dont tell me NO! It took 7 years of patterning, and a belief that she could walk, to get her to walk. And 12 years to toilet train, 8 years to hold a cup, and then probably a good 18 years to get her to say a word or two. And at the end of her life, she had a little job. She went to these very special, wonderful schools that we found. It was a grand journey. It was my greatest honor to be her mother.
Gloria: And Ruben was with you through that, holding the other hand?
Jill: Yes, yes. It was the three of us. We were a team. And we made sure that she was part of everything that we did.
Gloria: When did you open your school?
Jill: Ive always had my own studio. I started it in Chicago at age 11, and then it was the next, of course, thing to do here...
Gloria: Wait a minute, what were you doing at age 11 with thisyou were 11 and you were teaching? I read that and then I sort of passed out. Lets go back. For those of us who cant quitewhat were you doing at 11 teaching? How old were your students?
Jill: 16, 18, 25...When you are such an accomplished little girlor at any skill, whether its cooking or gardening or
Gloria: A prodigy as well.
Jill: A prodigy, yes. You can teach, and that seemed to be the next thing to try to share. And, of course, I madeI was trying to think how much money I madeI think it was $3 a half hour, in the 50's, so that was a lot of money. I could give that money to my parents, and help them.
Gloria: So then you opened a studio in Cypress.
Jill: And then we, of course, moved to Yorba Linda, because there was a wonderful school there for Jillie, the George Key School, and a wonderful team for my son to be on, since he had the world-class athlete stamina and obvious athletic ability that is going to help him be what he wants to be. And it just expanded, and I of course taught in every school system, practically, in Orange County, you know: Orange Coast College,...
Gloria: Teaching music?
Jill: Yes. And then the studio opened, and I kept it all going, as a single Mom for 27 years. How about that? It was the natural thing to do. Its my vision. Would you like to know what it is?
Gloria: Of course!
Jill: Oh, okay, Ill tell you! Its my vision of a place where people can come, and become an incredible artist, if they want to. Its also a place were they can come to become my goal and vision is for them to become balanced and excited, and on-fire people who love life, and want to make a difference in the lives of others.
Gloria: But theyve gotta want to sing. Theyve got to have some talent?
Jill: No, not necessarily.
Gloria: No, no talent...?
Jill: Sure! I have engineers and doctors and lawyers. I have psychologists,
teachers because it isn't just about voice and I have pianists and actresses
It's more about becoming self-confident and self-motivated, and become excited about
your own life. Thats what its really about.
Gloria: So, one of the hottest professions now in the country is the profession of
coaching. And so you have taken the coaching that you started with the voice,
and coached as a life-style coach.
Jill: Exactly. I am a coach. I'm a mentor, and I want to bring the best out of every human being that comes into my arena. I justthat is so exciting.
Gloria: Well, let me say you are listening to KUCI 88.9FM. This is Gloria Zigner with Lets Talk Business and More, and my guest today is Jill Grande Goodsell, obviously one of the real characters of the world that I am delighted to know. She has such a wonderful passion for life. This morning is the first time that we've really met. We've talked on the phone, and I've looked at her tape and I have to say she obviously is a very, very special woman. But, I do need to say that all the views expressed today are the views of yours, Jill, and mine, and not the views of the University of California at Irvine, or the Board of Regents, or the staff or management of KUCI. Okay, so lets go on with this wonderful life. Lets go back to some of the tragedies, and how a person overcomes tragedies. Lets talk a little bit about what happened. You had the tragedy of the abusive childhood, the abusive husband, the child that was born that was
Jill: "Very Differently Abled."
Gloria: Differently Abled. That was the word I was looking for that I saw on some of your literature. So, how do you cope with that? How do you get through that if you're a mere mortal?
Jill: It feels that, for me, it became this incredible challenge to create the ways to make it work, rather than to let it tumble us. This became an exciting adventure. And I noticed, as a child, instead of toppling under it and crawling under the bed, andI think it was the spirit of music and, of course, of life that motivated me to want to become more, do more, make it work for me, make it become the reason why I do. How do you overcome it? It's your attitude. It's how youre looking at it. I think thats basically the theme of the whole thing, because I think, as with all my lectures and teaching, and coming in touch with people, everybody has thiseverybody. Everybody has the sorrow and humiliation, and the abuseall of the tragedies that happen to them. So, I've come to the conclusion, then, in my own life that it wasn't what happened to me that mattered, its what I did about it that counted. That's the deal.
Gloria: But how did you get to that place? What have you done to overcome the
things that life has thrown at you?
Jill: Keep walking. You know, the Chinese say Fall down 7, get up 8. There just was no choice. Get up! Go! And, I think, in the beginning there was no one to help me. It was me, and of course I wanted to hide it, being a child, a little person. In New York, again, I had no family. I was ostracized, and shut off from them, so it was my spirit. And then of course, angels show up. If you ask, you receive. You'd better want what you are asking for, because your going to get it! (Gloria: Right! Right!) And I had angels help me escape. And then, in California, my help was, of course, Ruben, and Jillie. We helped each other. And then the marvelous people that showed up; the teachers, the coaches...
Gloria: Who are some of your mentors?
Jill: Certainly, as I said, in Chicago I think it was Chopin, Rachmaninoff and Beethoven.
Gloria: Thats a good start.
Jill: Yeah-huh! I remember talking to them. They were sitting right there at the piano, and they would say: Youre doing better than any body ever did! You know, I would make this up. And my piano teachers, at Chicago and the American Conservatory of Music: Professor Paul Zichenko and Mae Dowling Schmidt, my incredible teachers, to deal with this little, crazy, stubborn child! And in New York my mentors, I think, were the tragedy. It was the (Gloria: The tragedy itself.) The tragedy itself. In California, it became Jillie and Ruben. They were my mentors. They taught me unconditional perseverance, unconditional love, unconditional joy and unconditional patience. They taught me that. And then, of course, the wonderful people who come into our lives. I do a song at the end called People, and I tell everybody: You know, this song was mine. I don't care if Barbara got it first, it was mine. And I sign it, because people have made a difference in California.
Gloria: So whats next for you? What are you up to? You have tremendous energy (Jill: Yes.) You're going to take the show on the road. Obviously, you must have a book, if you haven't already written one that I havent heard about.
Jill: Yeah, Im writing it. I have several chapters done, and thats it. I think of the book, the lectures, the appropriate and incredible places that I want to do this show. Were planning that now. More teaching, I love my teaching. I love helping others twinkle.
Gloria: Do you have some really, truly stars that have come out of your studios?
Jill: Yes! Well, first of all, everyone is a star.
Gloria: Of course, I know, I was trying to phrase that for anybody thats out there listening! Do you have some that are really going on to a really tremendous career?
Jill: First, I have so many all over the world on ships, in Taiwan, the Mediterranean just all over. Wonderful young people, and old peoplemiddle-agedevery people! I dont like that word. Because you know Im not old, Im youthing.
Gloria: Right!
Jill: I had John Stamos for a long time, I dont know if you know who he is
Gloria: No, but just keep going
Jill: If were talking names, everyone in my studio, in my life, is famous. I had Debra Voight, a wonderful opera singer, Mr. T and his whole family came, and Rod Carew, just incredible people that have come into my life, if we are talking famous. I have young women and young men right on the very edge, all over the country....Stephanie Block and Steve Parmenter, you will hear these names. If you dont know them now, they are going to be famous.
Gloria: They are going to be.
Jill: Thats right. For me it isnt about names as much as it because its not about me, its about that I can make this difference in their lives to know they can do it. Anything I can do, they can do better. Thats what I teach.
Gloria: Well, if theres anyone listening out there that is interested in talking to you, to have you become their coach for whatever coaching they need, how do they find you?
Jill: Im in Yorba Linda, and I have a studio there, and its called "The Grande Goodsell Institute for the Arts and Humanities," although some people say its for the sanity of the world!
Gloria: Thats good! Thats a good place. What is the phone number there?
Jill: 714 970-0724
Gloria: Lets talk about something obviously very serious, and that is your relationship with your daughter, Jillie, who passed when she was 30, according to the material that I read. What made you decide to take care of her, instead of having her put in an institution?
Jill: There was no choice. Its my greatest honor to be her mother, and my sons, in my life. Theres a thing about me, that if you tell me: No, it cant be done!...then its going to be done, and she was my daughter.
Gloria: But, what do you tell other people who may not have the same fortitude that you have and the same strength? What kind of advice? Im sure that people have come to you when they have a child that theyre not sure that they are capable of taking care of?
Jill: What I say is mostly by example, This is what weve done, this is what we can do, and dont miss out on the opportunity to have this wonderful gift in your life, because it does change your life. Its changed everyones life whos ever come in touch with Jillie. because it teaches us that the Jillies of the world do so much with so little and we do so little with so much. (Gloria: Thats wonderful!) And this is the great lesson, and to give that up, youre missing the gold and silver threads of the tapestry . Is it hard? Oh yes! Has it been difficult? Was it difficult? Yes. But my son is the man he is today, and I am who I am today, because of her, and because of this whole list of tragedies. Again, you know, you want to embrace these tragedies and challenges. It sounds Pollyanna, but boy if you do your life is taking off, youre going to go.
Gloria: Well, actually, you have the fairytale ending. Well, its not an ending, because Mr. Wonderful arrived in your life.
Jill: Yes, 352 weeks
Gloria: Tell us about that, because everybody wants to hear about that.
Jill: Ive been a single Mom for 27 years, you know, and he is an architect and very involved in giving back to his community in Los Angeles and Orange County .
Gloria: Whats his name?
Jill: Gregory Donald Villanueva
Gloria: And where did you met him?
Jill: In an EST seminar, with Werner Erhardt.
Gloria: But thats been a while ago.
Jill: Yes. And we were friends for years many, many years before we ever got married. So, its 352 weeks that weve been married.
Gloria: Oh, how funny! And how many days? Did you count it by the days, Dorothy Harris?
Jill: Yes.
Gloria: Okay, so obviously a woman like you thats been through what you have, and has the wonderful spirit and joi de vivre that you obviously have, has some principals that guide your life. Why dont you share those with the listeners.
Jill: Yes. Certainly, perseverance and patience, and goals and intentions; cause the choices we make, are what make us who we are. Thats the important question to study. Fall down 7 get up 8, certainly is one of the big ones. Discipline, practice and that extreme quality called it is never-ending. There are no trophies. You know, you put them on the mantel piece, and say thank you very much and then you get back up and start all over again. And that, for me, is very exciting. The fire and excitement, the joy of learning, there is so much to know, so much to learn and it doesnt matter how old you are or how young you are. Remember, Im youthing. (Gloria: Right!) And the qualities of service, giving back, that is very important, thats guided my life. Huge, to give back. I am a servant. We are all here to help each other, and I lead those principles. I think my greatest gift is to be the example. So, I work so hard, I work harder on myself than I do my jobs, so that by looking and being with me, and meeting my son and my grandchildren and my husband and daughter-in-lawyou look at people by whos around them and whats around them, and not what they tell you, but what you see and feel. And thats my goal, my principle: Be who I am.
Gloria: And what would be your challenge to any of the listeners out there, if you have any?
Jill: First of all, wherever and whenever I do this show, I want them to come and say, when they walk out the door: Oh my gosh Im so glad I came! That would be number one. Number two: to remember that its gonna happen to us, all of us. Youre not going to get out of here without it. So, its not what happens to you that matters, its what you do about it that counts. And then, one last one, I think the challenge. The challenge to every human being is creation. So the question is: Will you create with reverence, or will you create with neglect?
Gloria: Oh boy, is that profound! Okay, well that You are listening to Jill Grande Goodsell, and she is some lady! As I said, I watched the tape of your show, and Im very curious, in all the numbers that you did in that show, which is your favorite number that you sang?
Jill: Oh, gosh! You know, I love everything. My favorite? I cant do anything that isnt my favorite! "I Love Life." Thats the title of the song, can you just believe it?
Gloria: Thats your opening number, right?
Jill: Thats my opening number.
Gloria: Thats a perfect opening number.
Jill: Thats 1918! That song is, like, prehistoric. And when I found it, I went: This is my song!
Gloria: It is a wonderful song. One of my favorite songs that you sang, and that is "Im Still Here."
Jill: I come back on the stage, and "Im Still Here! You know why Im still here? Because I have a lot more to tell you.!
Gloria: Unfortunately, you cant tell us very much more today because, as I told you, the half hour was going to go really quickly. And I know you could fill up a couple of hours! But lets tell people your phone number, and how to find you if their looking for you, now that they have heard you this morning. For the Grande Goodsell Institute For The Arts and Humanities in Yorba Linda, whats the phone number?
Jill: 714 970-0724
Gloria: And, I want to say, stay tuned to KUCI 88.9FM, and listen again next week to Lets Talk Business and More with Gloria Zigner.
Also, if you aren't aware, my aunt trains Stephanie J. Block, who was the ORIGINAL, yes I said orignal Elphaba in the hit musical Wicked. Before the show was on broadway, she developed the character! woot. Although she didn't take the role as Elphie on broadway, she played Elphie in the nation tour. She was also in the broadway show The Boy From Oz Starring with Hugh Jackman. She is now in the show The Pirate Queen (she plays the pirate queen/Grace O'Malley) which is in previews right now, but will be entering the broadway world in Feb. of 07'.
My aunt has and also trains...
John Stamos
Mr. T
Kendra Kassebaum
and many more, just can't think of them at the exact moment.
anywho...here is the article
Jill Grande Goodsell
KUCI Radio Interview with JILL GOODSELL June 24, 2001
Good Morning, its 8:30 am on 88.9FM KUCI in Irvine and its time for "Lets Talk Business and More," the program that takes a look at the people who are making things happen in Orange County. And now, Lets Talk Business and More with Gloria Zigner:
Gloria: Good morning. This is Gloria, and it is my suggestion that you stay tuned this morning because I have a very, very special guest. I try very hard to find the most interesting people in Orange County to talk to for half an hour on Wednesday mornings, and I think I have found a real winner this morning. Her name is Jill Grande Goodsell, and I have a feeling that she has a lot of fans out there that are friends of Jills that are listening in. And if you are, I dont blame you a bit, she really is a fascinating woman. A very good friend of both of ours told me that I needed to meet her, and that friend, Hope, was very right. Good Morning Jill.
Jill: Good Morning.
Gloria: Okay, having said that, Im going to read just a little bit of what you do and what youve done, and then the rest is going to be a half an hour of talking to you. Jill is a renowned singer, pianist, teacher and actress. She was a piano soloist with the Chicago Symphony at the age of nineshe was a child prodigyher education includes Julliard School Of Music, The Academy Of Music School Of Vienna, Lawrence School Of Music, Chicago Conservatory... Well, anyway, all of those places, and since Jill opened her own studio at the age of 11 in Chicago and started her own theater at the age of 16 in Chicago, she has taught thousands of children, young people and adults throughout this country how to sing, how to actand I am delighted that you are here.
Jill: Thank you so much. So am I.
Gloria: Okay, and one of the things were going to talk about today is something that youve done just recently at the Founders Hall of the Performing Arts Center, when you, yourself, were a star. And the name of the show is "Tragedy, Triumph and Tchaikovsky." Okay, lets talk about that. How did that come about?
Jill: I think that it has come about because it was time. It is the time right now to be doing it. It is basically a show about my journey through life, and its meant to inspire people through music and comedy. And I do this by singing and telling stories, with humor and comedy and emotions, and it certainly takes you on this journey with some tearful moments. And I am able to share with the audience the roller coaster and rainbow of my life which I know we all experience. And its come about because it was time to do it.
Gloria: I didnt watch the entire tape, but I watched part of it, and I have to say, at the very beginning you had me in tears, and then its very funny. Your explanation before you sing arias from famous and not-so-famous operas you have props, the costumes and the wonderful sense of humor that makes opera come alive. One of the reviews that I read said that you were the new up and coming Victor Borga. I think thats an extraordinary compliment. Whats next for you? So, you debuted in town at the Founders Hall of the Performing Arts Centerwhats next?
Jill: Were planning that right now. I think whats next is more shows, certainly back at the Music Center, hopefully places like the Cinegrill. Id like to go to Chicago, where I was born, and do a concert and be on Oprah. (Gloria: Yeah!) Certainly, its the book, more lectures, more teachingjust expanding and moving out the message that I plan to give out.
Gloria: You do do a lot of public speaking also.
Jill: Yes.
Gloria: Well, who do you think your show is for? Who is the audience?
Jill: My show is for ages three through 80! Men, women
Gloria: Dont stop at eighty!!!
Jill: No, of course not, cause Im living to 100 or 125. Single parents, certainly anybody who is dealing with adversity, students, young students, old students, developmentally disabled
Gloria: Okay, theres a great cue. Lets talk a little aboutbecause developmentally disabled is something that has touched your life. Lets talk just a little about your life, Jill, cause it has not all been a bed of roses, needless to say. Starting from when you were a child, this child prodigy who was going to all these schools and coming home. What was happening at your home when you got there?
Jill: Violence and abuse. And I had two alcoholic parents, and what was going on was the beginning of what people would call the first tragedy, or the challenge, as I choose to name it. Actually, I was taking care of my parents. Cleaning up the blood and the mess, and putting them to bed and then going on with my life; and it certainly was piano. I would sit at the piano quietly at night and put my hands on the keys. Id pretend that Chopin, and Beethoven, and Rachmaninoff were there, and they would tell me: " Youre doing great, that is just the way we want it!" And that was the beginning of the first tragedy. The beginning of the challenge.
Gloria: And then what happened?
Jill: I went through my young teen years and my high school years obsessing to be the best in everything, of course. Close the door on the house, and walk out and try to be everything that I could be to overcome this. And then, of course, I married my mother and dad. So, I remarried right into "The Burning Bed," and went through 10 years of the same type of battery and abuse, and then escaped.
Gloria: Okay, lets talk about the escape. And you escaped from New York?
Jill: I escaped from New York with my two children(Gloria: To Orange County!) to Orange County and my little girl Jillie was born out of this abuse as profoundly retarded and severely brain damaged and autistic, and had Grand Mal seizures, so that certainly was a tremendous challenge. And we landed in Cypress, actually, and no car...
Gloria: This is with your son.
Jill: With my son, Ruben, and Jillie, and the $75.00 I had, and
Gloria: Howd you come to Cypress?
Jill: Actually, my brother at the time lived here, so I knew a town. And we landed here, and I found a little apartment 490 square feet and two beds.
Gloria: How long ago was that?
Jill: 1972.
Gloria: And Jillie, your daughter that was disabled, they told you that she couldnt be fixed, that you really should institutionalize her. But you didnt do that.
Jill: No. Absolutely not.
Gloria: So, lets talk a little bit about that.
Jill: Dont tell me NO! It took 7 years of patterning, and a belief that she could walk, to get her to walk. And 12 years to toilet train, 8 years to hold a cup, and then probably a good 18 years to get her to say a word or two. And at the end of her life, she had a little job. She went to these very special, wonderful schools that we found. It was a grand journey. It was my greatest honor to be her mother.
Gloria: And Ruben was with you through that, holding the other hand?
Jill: Yes, yes. It was the three of us. We were a team. And we made sure that she was part of everything that we did.
Gloria: When did you open your school?
Jill: Ive always had my own studio. I started it in Chicago at age 11, and then it was the next, of course, thing to do here...
Gloria: Wait a minute, what were you doing at age 11 with thisyou were 11 and you were teaching? I read that and then I sort of passed out. Lets go back. For those of us who cant quitewhat were you doing at 11 teaching? How old were your students?
Jill: 16, 18, 25...When you are such an accomplished little girlor at any skill, whether its cooking or gardening or
Gloria: A prodigy as well.
Jill: A prodigy, yes. You can teach, and that seemed to be the next thing to try to share. And, of course, I madeI was trying to think how much money I madeI think it was $3 a half hour, in the 50's, so that was a lot of money. I could give that money to my parents, and help them.
Gloria: So then you opened a studio in Cypress.
Jill: And then we, of course, moved to Yorba Linda, because there was a wonderful school there for Jillie, the George Key School, and a wonderful team for my son to be on, since he had the world-class athlete stamina and obvious athletic ability that is going to help him be what he wants to be. And it just expanded, and I of course taught in every school system, practically, in Orange County, you know: Orange Coast College,...
Gloria: Teaching music?
Jill: Yes. And then the studio opened, and I kept it all going, as a single Mom for 27 years. How about that? It was the natural thing to do. Its my vision. Would you like to know what it is?
Gloria: Of course!
Jill: Oh, okay, Ill tell you! Its my vision of a place where people can come, and become an incredible artist, if they want to. Its also a place were they can come to become my goal and vision is for them to become balanced and excited, and on-fire people who love life, and want to make a difference in the lives of others.
Gloria: But theyve gotta want to sing. Theyve got to have some talent?
Jill: No, not necessarily.
Gloria: No, no talent...?
Jill: Sure! I have engineers and doctors and lawyers. I have psychologists,
teachers because it isn't just about voice and I have pianists and actresses
It's more about becoming self-confident and self-motivated, and become excited about
your own life. Thats what its really about.
Gloria: So, one of the hottest professions now in the country is the profession of
coaching. And so you have taken the coaching that you started with the voice,
and coached as a life-style coach.
Jill: Exactly. I am a coach. I'm a mentor, and I want to bring the best out of every human being that comes into my arena. I justthat is so exciting.
Gloria: Well, let me say you are listening to KUCI 88.9FM. This is Gloria Zigner with Lets Talk Business and More, and my guest today is Jill Grande Goodsell, obviously one of the real characters of the world that I am delighted to know. She has such a wonderful passion for life. This morning is the first time that we've really met. We've talked on the phone, and I've looked at her tape and I have to say she obviously is a very, very special woman. But, I do need to say that all the views expressed today are the views of yours, Jill, and mine, and not the views of the University of California at Irvine, or the Board of Regents, or the staff or management of KUCI. Okay, so lets go on with this wonderful life. Lets go back to some of the tragedies, and how a person overcomes tragedies. Lets talk a little bit about what happened. You had the tragedy of the abusive childhood, the abusive husband, the child that was born that was
Jill: "Very Differently Abled."
Gloria: Differently Abled. That was the word I was looking for that I saw on some of your literature. So, how do you cope with that? How do you get through that if you're a mere mortal?
Jill: It feels that, for me, it became this incredible challenge to create the ways to make it work, rather than to let it tumble us. This became an exciting adventure. And I noticed, as a child, instead of toppling under it and crawling under the bed, andI think it was the spirit of music and, of course, of life that motivated me to want to become more, do more, make it work for me, make it become the reason why I do. How do you overcome it? It's your attitude. It's how youre looking at it. I think thats basically the theme of the whole thing, because I think, as with all my lectures and teaching, and coming in touch with people, everybody has thiseverybody. Everybody has the sorrow and humiliation, and the abuseall of the tragedies that happen to them. So, I've come to the conclusion, then, in my own life that it wasn't what happened to me that mattered, its what I did about it that counted. That's the deal.
Gloria: But how did you get to that place? What have you done to overcome the
things that life has thrown at you?
Jill: Keep walking. You know, the Chinese say Fall down 7, get up 8. There just was no choice. Get up! Go! And, I think, in the beginning there was no one to help me. It was me, and of course I wanted to hide it, being a child, a little person. In New York, again, I had no family. I was ostracized, and shut off from them, so it was my spirit. And then of course, angels show up. If you ask, you receive. You'd better want what you are asking for, because your going to get it! (Gloria: Right! Right!) And I had angels help me escape. And then, in California, my help was, of course, Ruben, and Jillie. We helped each other. And then the marvelous people that showed up; the teachers, the coaches...
Gloria: Who are some of your mentors?
Jill: Certainly, as I said, in Chicago I think it was Chopin, Rachmaninoff and Beethoven.
Gloria: Thats a good start.
Jill: Yeah-huh! I remember talking to them. They were sitting right there at the piano, and they would say: Youre doing better than any body ever did! You know, I would make this up. And my piano teachers, at Chicago and the American Conservatory of Music: Professor Paul Zichenko and Mae Dowling Schmidt, my incredible teachers, to deal with this little, crazy, stubborn child! And in New York my mentors, I think, were the tragedy. It was the (Gloria: The tragedy itself.) The tragedy itself. In California, it became Jillie and Ruben. They were my mentors. They taught me unconditional perseverance, unconditional love, unconditional joy and unconditional patience. They taught me that. And then, of course, the wonderful people who come into our lives. I do a song at the end called People, and I tell everybody: You know, this song was mine. I don't care if Barbara got it first, it was mine. And I sign it, because people have made a difference in California.
Gloria: So whats next for you? What are you up to? You have tremendous energy (Jill: Yes.) You're going to take the show on the road. Obviously, you must have a book, if you haven't already written one that I havent heard about.
Jill: Yeah, Im writing it. I have several chapters done, and thats it. I think of the book, the lectures, the appropriate and incredible places that I want to do this show. Were planning that now. More teaching, I love my teaching. I love helping others twinkle.
Gloria: Do you have some really, truly stars that have come out of your studios?
Jill: Yes! Well, first of all, everyone is a star.
Gloria: Of course, I know, I was trying to phrase that for anybody thats out there listening! Do you have some that are really going on to a really tremendous career?
Jill: First, I have so many all over the world on ships, in Taiwan, the Mediterranean just all over. Wonderful young people, and old peoplemiddle-agedevery people! I dont like that word. Because you know Im not old, Im youthing.
Gloria: Right!
Jill: I had John Stamos for a long time, I dont know if you know who he is
Gloria: No, but just keep going
Jill: If were talking names, everyone in my studio, in my life, is famous. I had Debra Voight, a wonderful opera singer, Mr. T and his whole family came, and Rod Carew, just incredible people that have come into my life, if we are talking famous. I have young women and young men right on the very edge, all over the country....Stephanie Block and Steve Parmenter, you will hear these names. If you dont know them now, they are going to be famous.
Gloria: They are going to be.
Jill: Thats right. For me it isnt about names as much as it because its not about me, its about that I can make this difference in their lives to know they can do it. Anything I can do, they can do better. Thats what I teach.
Gloria: Well, if theres anyone listening out there that is interested in talking to you, to have you become their coach for whatever coaching they need, how do they find you?
Jill: Im in Yorba Linda, and I have a studio there, and its called "The Grande Goodsell Institute for the Arts and Humanities," although some people say its for the sanity of the world!
Gloria: Thats good! Thats a good place. What is the phone number there?
Jill: 714 970-0724
Gloria: Lets talk about something obviously very serious, and that is your relationship with your daughter, Jillie, who passed when she was 30, according to the material that I read. What made you decide to take care of her, instead of having her put in an institution?
Jill: There was no choice. Its my greatest honor to be her mother, and my sons, in my life. Theres a thing about me, that if you tell me: No, it cant be done!...then its going to be done, and she was my daughter.
Gloria: But, what do you tell other people who may not have the same fortitude that you have and the same strength? What kind of advice? Im sure that people have come to you when they have a child that theyre not sure that they are capable of taking care of?
Jill: What I say is mostly by example, This is what weve done, this is what we can do, and dont miss out on the opportunity to have this wonderful gift in your life, because it does change your life. Its changed everyones life whos ever come in touch with Jillie. because it teaches us that the Jillies of the world do so much with so little and we do so little with so much. (Gloria: Thats wonderful!) And this is the great lesson, and to give that up, youre missing the gold and silver threads of the tapestry . Is it hard? Oh yes! Has it been difficult? Was it difficult? Yes. But my son is the man he is today, and I am who I am today, because of her, and because of this whole list of tragedies. Again, you know, you want to embrace these tragedies and challenges. It sounds Pollyanna, but boy if you do your life is taking off, youre going to go.
Gloria: Well, actually, you have the fairytale ending. Well, its not an ending, because Mr. Wonderful arrived in your life.
Jill: Yes, 352 weeks
Gloria: Tell us about that, because everybody wants to hear about that.
Jill: Ive been a single Mom for 27 years, you know, and he is an architect and very involved in giving back to his community in Los Angeles and Orange County .
Gloria: Whats his name?
Jill: Gregory Donald Villanueva
Gloria: And where did you met him?
Jill: In an EST seminar, with Werner Erhardt.
Gloria: But thats been a while ago.
Jill: Yes. And we were friends for years many, many years before we ever got married. So, its 352 weeks that weve been married.
Gloria: Oh, how funny! And how many days? Did you count it by the days, Dorothy Harris?
Jill: Yes.
Gloria: Okay, so obviously a woman like you thats been through what you have, and has the wonderful spirit and joi de vivre that you obviously have, has some principals that guide your life. Why dont you share those with the listeners.
Jill: Yes. Certainly, perseverance and patience, and goals and intentions; cause the choices we make, are what make us who we are. Thats the important question to study. Fall down 7 get up 8, certainly is one of the big ones. Discipline, practice and that extreme quality called it is never-ending. There are no trophies. You know, you put them on the mantel piece, and say thank you very much and then you get back up and start all over again. And that, for me, is very exciting. The fire and excitement, the joy of learning, there is so much to know, so much to learn and it doesnt matter how old you are or how young you are. Remember, Im youthing. (Gloria: Right!) And the qualities of service, giving back, that is very important, thats guided my life. Huge, to give back. I am a servant. We are all here to help each other, and I lead those principles. I think my greatest gift is to be the example. So, I work so hard, I work harder on myself than I do my jobs, so that by looking and being with me, and meeting my son and my grandchildren and my husband and daughter-in-lawyou look at people by whos around them and whats around them, and not what they tell you, but what you see and feel. And thats my goal, my principle: Be who I am.
Gloria: And what would be your challenge to any of the listeners out there, if you have any?
Jill: First of all, wherever and whenever I do this show, I want them to come and say, when they walk out the door: Oh my gosh Im so glad I came! That would be number one. Number two: to remember that its gonna happen to us, all of us. Youre not going to get out of here without it. So, its not what happens to you that matters, its what you do about it that counts. And then, one last one, I think the challenge. The challenge to every human being is creation. So the question is: Will you create with reverence, or will you create with neglect?
Gloria: Oh boy, is that profound! Okay, well that You are listening to Jill Grande Goodsell, and she is some lady! As I said, I watched the tape of your show, and Im very curious, in all the numbers that you did in that show, which is your favorite number that you sang?
Jill: Oh, gosh! You know, I love everything. My favorite? I cant do anything that isnt my favorite! "I Love Life." Thats the title of the song, can you just believe it?
Gloria: Thats your opening number, right?
Jill: Thats my opening number.
Gloria: Thats a perfect opening number.
Jill: Thats 1918! That song is, like, prehistoric. And when I found it, I went: This is my song!
Gloria: It is a wonderful song. One of my favorite songs that you sang, and that is "Im Still Here."
Jill: I come back on the stage, and "Im Still Here! You know why Im still here? Because I have a lot more to tell you.!
Gloria: Unfortunately, you cant tell us very much more today because, as I told you, the half hour was going to go really quickly. And I know you could fill up a couple of hours! But lets tell people your phone number, and how to find you if their looking for you, now that they have heard you this morning. For the Grande Goodsell Institute For The Arts and Humanities in Yorba Linda, whats the phone number?
Jill: 714 970-0724
Gloria: And, I want to say, stay tuned to KUCI 88.9FM, and listen again next week to Lets Talk Business and More with Gloria Zigner.