plus a clinical social worker tells us one of the biggest issues for high school students. and we'll hear some amazing drumming. i'm marry sit. join me next on asian focus. good morning everyone and welcome to asian focus, i'm mary sit. our first guest is a flutist, amazing composer, talented artist and gifted teacher graduating from burblingly college of music as a college

he was an assistant director, he was music director of the band and a group called hashafora with brazilian rhythms with japanese spice. [laughs] how do you land the jazz with brazilian rhythms and jazz these japanese spice? >> first it is not a brethren jazz because brethren jazz is already an established terminology. for example jazz music. why i wanted to create something new that is more centered to the jazz improvisation using its almost hybrid music for the brethren

and breathen is such a huge country and such of rhythms. some canler mixing theirormens of rhythms, why they would never do such a thing. [laughs] >> you're not stuck in tradition. >> and where does the japanese sensibility come in? >> i think when i wrote the music i was careful of the melody that i root for the japanese influence. i don't need to think about it because i grew up with it. >> you were born in japan and grew up there and first encountered as a teacher of jazz during the naval band. >> not so much jazz but american culture. by taking a job, by lying i can speak english.

they were posting for music teaching and i took the job, i lied i can speak english,. >> one, two, three, right. [laughs] >> beautiful language, you're right. >> and then i started to, well before that i did have a love for blue's music, so i was listening to blue's music all of the time and then i decided to come to the stage. >> was there something teaching at that naval base when you encountered americans that listened to jazz and that turned you on to jazz? >> actually the true story is i didn't encounter jazz until the first week of my life in boston. >> so your bio lied to me somewhere,. [laughs] may be it was the flavof jazz. so your first week of boston

>> so my roommate took me to where george cazo next was playing and i had a knockout, basically i wanted to be him. >> and what was it about jazz that appealed to you so much? >> this is only the thing i learned as i came here is the timeframe, the groove, the swing that none of the japanese music has. it is the fascinating and driving beat. >> you know, for years you were the acsissant director to george russell at the conservatory, how did he influence your music? >> george's theory is a very unique theory and very

because he based it off of gravity. >> what does that mean? >> let's say you have one harmony here that you think what would be next we examining the direction by the gravity of the harmony. it is a little difficult to explain in the show but it is not like a traditional harmony at all. >> is it a-tone? >> can be. all depends on how you assemble it. >> and you're also a performer, a musician. is there like a favorite; do you like composing better then equal? >> it's all about creating something new. which was what i believed in miles davis. now have to create something new all of the time? and what

>> so that's how my hybrid music improved and came. and also to think about it i didn't grow up with american culture, so tried to play their culture music is not natural for me but you know i'm not going to do japanese music here, so the only option i have here is create something new. >> and also seeing it from a different point of view, from an eastern point of view, you probably see things people haven't and you're able to construct it in a certain way. now have a new book coming out, sort of a play on words, miles davis. >> it's smiles. >> and you brought a clip of this cd, slots take a listen to the clip and listen to the music.

>> very nice. >> thank you. >> i like it a lot. >> thank you. >> so four of your original compositions on this cd and then you said you have eight of miles davis' music and you do variations on his pieces. people can go to your website and find your engagements where you play around town. and what's the website? >> hotsofolo.com. >> coming up next, we'll find out what issues are troubling high school seniors and students and how one counselor gives them hope.

think back when you were in high school what were the big issues? today's high school students

social media, texting and sexting, the pressure of colleges. please welcome the clinical social worker from the boston academy addressing the social students: >> oath than relationships gone bad. >> that's the major one. >> boy and girl, i joke that i'm, i've become a deer abby in the high school, i could really epoup a column actually. but apart from that though, diagnosis-wise depression and anxiety are really prevailing. >> and do you think it's worse in this generation or more prevalent in this generation than say our grandparents or parents? >> that's a really good question. some might say so. i don't know. i was not alive when my

grandparents were growing up. but i would say not so but it manifests differently. and the triggers and what exacerbates depression and than before. >> peer pressure was always a big deal growing up but i think it's even more prevalent or what's the word for it, there is more peer pressure now than before because of social media. instantly you see how your friends are dressed and where they're going and you can follow every move. my kids tell me mom went to facebook, we instagram. but you see it all, right. how does it effect, will they get depressed or not because they're not going out and being with the popular so-called kids. >> that's also another english which studies are being done now about how social media may

of depression, anxiety. >> do you see a lot of cyber bullying in the schools? >> yeah, yeah. >> well we have to, the first priority is safety. we have have to plan or help the child plan to be safe and how to react and respond when they are being attacked or victimized of cyber bullying, knowing who they could go to, and coping skills that they could use to really think clear in knowing how to respond. >> you know cnn recently did a piece on what 13 years are texting, did you see that by any chance? go look it up on-line, what 13 years can be texting, and they can be really cruel in the text, anonymous, and say lots of bad words in there and

say in person but they act like real sort of this bravado thing going on and real tough, but it's are all texting and not in person. do you see that with students and they come in to you and crying and upset because somebody texted something to them? >> absolutely. the phenomenon of anything digital media, the internet is that one person can really attack relentlessly another person and not have to worry about repercussion or at least they perceive that. >> and it's an instant attack and it's out to everybody. >> it is really a relentless attack on a person. >> so what do you tell your students when you talk to them issues. how do you help them cope with these kind of pressures? >> as i said number one thing is safety.

they have to remain safe. sometimes out of natural reaction we might respond in the way that actually perpetuates the situation, so just learning our tendency and being able to stop them before we perpetuate this situation. >> like get off the grid and don't respond to those attacks. >> yep, that's one way and also quoing with to turn to to get help and to help us be in-check and and i'll be able to respond appropriately. >> henry, with the relationship issues you get and joked about being dear abby. is it boy meets girl and girl gets hurt or is it deeper than that? >> i think the relationship issues that i'm seeing and even actually the depression

is stemming from broken home and a broken system. what i mean by that is i do feel that because of the brokenness we experience in our families we just never develop the skills to be in aholey relationship or to cope with our adverse feelings in a healthy way because of the brokenness we experience in the home but i don't want to sound like i'm putting all of the responsibility on family because i've seen in the many people that i work with, families they are in a as i say a broken system, where they are oppressed or just don't have equal chance to thrive. and i feel like we have lot of

that's not supportive and just further perpetuates the situation. >> do you get depressed? or are you able to see hope in the situation? >> i am. i'm a hard-core believer that people are resilient and people possess strengths inside of them that can really help a person thrive, they just need to find that strength. there are some cases where i take home and i might linger a while opit but there are things i to in my life to keep myself healthy. >> what drew you to social work in the first place and how do you balance the spiritual and emotional health. >> i originally started as a youth paster and addressing

the spiritual needs of absolutely. so while i was working in a church there were these situations that would come up that i felt that churches were very well meaning to address but not always equipped to address them and i felt these were clinical matters so i felt compelled to go back to school, get training as a clinician because i saw that, my belief is that at the core of all adversity there is a spiritual hole we are seeking to fulfill, but outside covering this hole is layers and layers and layers of felt needs and that's why i just felt so compelled to be trained as a clinician to really deal with these felt needs so people could, on their own, find what they're looking for. >> do you have any success

stories with your students. now can't breathe your identities but someone you've been able to help and get back on track and some come back and say hey thanks, or have you done that line yet. [laughs] glass these are one of those jobs where the fruit comes way later sometimes but i am happy to see that i've touched lives and help youth really think through things that # they really had a tough time. >> do you have any quick relationship tips for high school kids as a counselor? >> besides stay safe. >> patience. there is really no rush. i think developmentally teenagers want to believe that they can make good decisions.

and they cannot make good judgments. >> exactly. >> ok. so be patient, take your time ok. coming up next, we're going to take a break but we'll be back with more and this time a taste of his adventures when he's not at school; his travellers, original photography. don't go away. [music] you've been waiting for. bacon up.

catch holiday-cookie cheer on the tip of your tongue with dunkin' donuts' holiday- cookie-flavored coffees, lattes, and macchiatos. enjoy every sip of the new snickerdoodle macchiato. we've been talking to henry wann, clinical social worker, when he's not working henry is travelling the world and taking great photographs and

so where have you gone? >> wow, hong kong, maylin china, beijing, singapore, vietnam, switzerland, sweden, ireland, scotland, england. >> you just hang out on vacation days and you're out of here. >> we're in a school now actually, it's nice. i have a couple months to travel. >> right, summertime off, right. >> before i started working at school i would save all of my vacs and take it all at once. >> and what are your big hobbies, besides you're a musician and we'll hear you play the drums in a second and you love photography and it's one of your hobbies. let's take a look at the pictures you've taken on your travels. >> this is in hong kong off one of the islands in hong kong. i just love photographing this place because it was a time capsule perfectly preserved. >> like the old way of living. >> yeah.

a mountain called malosun and they just have wild monkeys roaming the place. >> and do they try to steal stuff? >> yes they do. if your backpack has a zipper they will open it if they smell food. >> they look cute but they're pretty aggressen. >> they know how to look cute so you go up to them so you're within striking zone. [laughs] exactly. just a monkey just chilling, they are all like that. and this is tantow. >> these are like junk boats, do people actually live on these boats? >> some people do, it's just amazing they still use these boats to fish. so on this island it is as if, they are living as if they have always been for many

beautiful sun-set on chanto. and this is i conic hong kong skyline, this is where my family is from. >> it is so crowded there. oh, my goodness, rightment everywhere you go. but because of that you have amazing food. >> what is this? >> this is probably the best bowl of meat you'll ever have in your life. >> beef? >> beef brisket with a curry and noodles. it is pretty sublime. # and this is back on the island. just really serene, very slow, old way of living. oh, this is my fiance, this is a photo we've submitted, the mfa was having a photo entry contest and we were hoping to win. >> ok. very nice. so all of these hong kong

>> what kind of camera do you use? >> i use a dslr, a night-level, 33300. >> and i've seen you on mountains and hiking. >> i love scenery shots. >> you also do marathons and i think you've told me 18 marathons, is that right. >> yep, 18 of them. i think 10 of them were unofficial, but 18 in total. >> that's great. i love running. >> are you always constiply practicing and training for that. >> i'm what you call a run commuter, so i trun to commute. so every morning i would run to work. >> literally run in. >> get my running gear out. >> that's how you get your practice and training in. >> i do my commute and irk without at the same time. >> are you hot and sweaty when you get to work. [laughs]

but you're with students. [laughs] >> well you have a gym to use the shower there, right? >> yes, i use the shower at work. >> you have a bachelor in music and you are percussion major and you still keep that up and your a teacher of drumming in a youth bagpipe band. so let's take a look now. you've played a snare drum for us, original rhythms. >> yeah, i was just improvising. >> let's take a look at that now.

>> that is incredible. i love it. very nice. >> thank you, thank you. >> and you were just making up these rhythms in your head going along. >> i love rhythms, constantly feeling rhythms and they just come out. >> that's great. thank you so much for being with us. >> thank you. >> that's all for this addition of asian focus.

thanks for joining us. i'm mary sit and i'll see you again in four weeks. but at bedtime... why settle for this? enter sleep number. don't miss the ultimate sleep number week going on now! sleepiq technology tells you how you slept and what adjustments you can make. she likes the bed soft. he's more hardcore. so your sleep goes from good, to great, to wow! give the gift of amazing sleep, only at a sleep number store. this week only, save 50% on the ultimate limited edition bed. hurry, sale ends monday.