The Virtual Tour

Okay everyone here's the virtual tour of my classroom.  Go to my classroom website and take a look.  Tell me what you think. 

First Video Blog

Okay, is this totally lame or what?

Hey We've got a social life

Last night Girl and I decided to be spontaneous and went to see a play at the new Guthrie theater.  WOW!  what an amazing building.  The new theater is huge and beautiful and has 3 stages.  We got to see a play at the McGuire Proscenium stage.  The play that we saw was "The Real Thing" by Tom Stoppard and it was amazing.  Tom Stoppard is a very famous playwright who also wrote the screenplay for Shakespeare in Love.  It was a great play about how do you know if it's really love and infidelity, and marriage.  It was funny and witty and just a really good play...especially since we were sitting in $55 seats and only paid $15 for them!!  If you have not been to the new Guthrie, go now and see something, anything.  During intermission, Girl and I and the friends we went out with took our drinks out onto the patio that overlooks the river.  It was a beautiful night. 

A Moment of Insanity

I woke up on Sunday morning and was sitting around surfing the net when all of a sudden I realized that I had just placed an order for a new MacBook Pro! Well, maybe it wasn't an accident...but I'd like to claim that a moment of temporary insanity drove me to this wallet-altering decision. It was my goal to complete my Master's degree and the buy a new one, but recent 'hiccups' in my current system have led me to do this sooner. Plus I saw that as a teacher if I bought a new system for this school year I would get a free iPod. Who can pass up a deal like that? No amount of will power could resist a free iPod. So now I'm sitting here lovingly looking at my brand new 30GB video ipod and checking the tracking number on the fedex website for when my new computer will arrive. Now I'll finally be able to do other stuff with my computer besides just checking email and writing blogs. Garageband here I come! Video blogging...I'm so down with that!

oh, I'm done updating my new ipod...time to watch some Teen Girl Squad

Teacher Workshops

For the last 3 days I have been in a workshop with fellow music teachers in disctrict 11.  What a HUGE change from Orff Level II class last week.  There really isn't any way to possibly explain the experience of taking an Orff Schulwerk Level...but I will try.  Imagine spending an entire day with a group of your closest friends creating, dancing, improvising, sharing, and making music for 2 weeks.  It's an amazing, life changing expereince.  Then I come to the ISD 11 workshop on Monday.  Geeze what a change.  Whenever these music teachers get together all they do is complain and bitch about everything that is wrong.  I was getting pretty angry with these people.  We were supposed to be there to talk about 1st grade teaching techniques (led by a master teacher who has really inspired me to do great things in 1st grade)...but it always digressed into a bitch session.  One teacher was actually upset because her BRAND NEW MUSIC SPECIFIC CLASSROOM was not finished yet and she would have to move rooms twice this year!!  I'm sorry perhaps you would like to come and teach in my portable classroom with the huge cracks in the wall and hollow floor.  Sheesh. 

I'm finally home and done with all my stuff for the summer...actually have a whole week to myself.  Guess I'd better start planning my school year with my free time.  This really has been a great summer: 3 handbell workshops/festivals, trip to DC, Orff level 2, and 1st grade literacy through music.  Whew.  I think I'm gonna be glad to get back to school and have a set schedule. 

One more thing:
I have found an incredible new composer that everyone should go and listen to.  His name is Karl Jenkins I just listened to some of his CD Adiemus.  The music is a crazy mix of Arabic, African, and Celtic sounds.  Listen to the song Chorale IV + Cantus - Song of Aeolus.  It will change your life. 

I've tried to explain this...

...to so many people over the years. Now thanks to the Magic copyright infringing wonder of YouTube, I am able to share it with you. Every once in a while I get this song stuck in my head. Now I can share it with my friends and they will know that I am not crazy but yes, there is a folk hero called "running faggot" (and no it's not about a bassoon). Enjoy: