What a week for the healing power of classical music! Okay, maybe not literally, but I was suffering from a bit of a chest cold last week and after two wonderful orchestra performances in the last 4 days, I am starting to mend. It could have been the extra rest and the chicken noodle soup, yes; or, it could have been the sounds of Rhapsody...
Monday, November 28, 2011
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Did you miss me?
Something interesting happened today; on my drive down to Owatonna (part of many interesting events from the past three months) I found myself listening to a piece that I have always dreamed of conducting. I have spent literally hours listening to this piece; daydreaming about the future I know to be attainable, yet distant... I turned...
Monday, May 23, 2011
Glowstick Symphony
The signs that summer vacation is looming are quickly becoming more obvious than those for the failed rapture. I had my final band concert of the year last week and the students (and their teacher) are having a hard time trading their daydreams of golfing and bicycling for reappearing concerns over the intonation issues at m9 of Pomp and Circumstance...
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Another Brick in the Wall
It’s hot, sticky, perspiring, and fantastic! Even though my colleagues and I are sweltering away in our classrooms (our high temperatures over the weekend clocked in around 65 degrees, while three days later we skipped past our first 80 degree day and hit 92 degrees), I can’t help but enjoy this heat. I had a romanticized conversation with...
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Engaged and Still Having Fun
You know that look, that look of confusion beyond the realm of current consciousness; that look, which’s only condolence is, “someday they’ll figure it out…” We’ve all seen that look; but seeing our students...
Monday, April 18, 2011
Building a Community
Several random sources have led to today’s blog - news of several orchestras closing their doors, my favorite left-wing comedian/pundit hypocritically picking on the NEA (National Endowment for the Arts), my friends being jerked around by arts-cutting administrators, and Dim Sum (Chinese dumplings). Yes, these doughy white dumplings helped tie...
Friday, April 8, 2011
Embracing the Dark Side...
(Technology and Music in the 21st century)
It has been a busy week (month?) around the Triton High School band room; this past Wednesday was our conference’s Large Group Music Festival. For those less familiar with the instrumental music realm; “Large Group” is typically the pinnacle point of an ensemble’s yearly performances. Several of my music colleagues and peers may disagree...
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
The $125,000 Answer
“…because they’re worth it. Because teachers are the key, and if we can pay them this with the existing dollars, then why aren’t we doing it?” (Zeke Vanderhoek, principal and founder, TEP Charter School)
That quote silenced the conversations at my apartment for 15 minutes this past Sunday; my mother had come down for the weekend to...
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Knowledge is Power (or Kryptonite?)
With the help a few deep breaths and some quality coffee I sat down to watch “Waiting For Superman” this past weekend. This was a complex task, on one hand, a number of the points raised in this movie were correct, relevant, and detrimental to public education. On the other side of this coin were contradictions, flawed logic, and structured...
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Christmas in March
In celebration of today's new blanket of snow. Enjoy!
I may need to try the old Volume Knob decrescendo technique in the future. ...
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Trapped in a Box
I (briefly) mentioned my mid-winter refresher in my last entry but I’m afraid that was quickly squelched this past Monday thanks to 50 8th graders with brass noisemakers. (or was it?) For my 8th grade band, this past Monday was particularly… Monday; their sound was poor and their preparedness was even poorer, and I had to be the bad guy...
Friday, February 25, 2011
A Pedagogical Manifesto
This has certainly been an interesting two weeks in the world of education; the “job-saving” Wisconsin budget bill, aimed at cutting the state’s 3.6 billion dollar deficit passed the Wisconsin House last night, in response to this, the New Richmond, WI school district handed out pink slips to all of their 207 employees this morning claiming uncertainty...
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Appeasing the Public
To quote Linus VanPelt (of Peanuts fame), "There are three things I've learned to never discuss with people: religion, politics, and the Great Pumpkin". I'm going to try to abandon my own political beliefs on this blog, but it only seems fitting to start this journey with an explanation of one of my favorite hobbies...
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