XKCD of the Day

2009: A Year In Review

It's 2010.  How weird is that?  I remember sitting back during the '90's and wondering what life would be like in the next millennium.  I remember the days before the Internet, before the day of the ubiquitous cell-phone, before Facebook and Twitter and Tim Horton's and Starbucks being on every single block of Winnipeg.  But that was so 20th century.  Let's talk about last year.

Looking back, 2009 has been an important year for me in many ways.  Here are a few significant events:

Winter 2009.  I started running at the gym.  It is a very fulfilling endeavour.

Spring 2009 - I had my first ever teaching practicum at John Taylor Collegiate.  What an experience!  This 6-week teaching block reaffirmed my desire to teach, and gave me immense amounts of ideas and material.

Summer 2009 - two things.  I spent July and August at 4 Wing Cold Lake teaching music to Cadets.  This was an important time for me as I got to spend the summer doing work that I love, as well as a time for me to live on my own.  Second, Aaron and Caitlin got married - which was a blast, and it was the first wedding of my close friends.

Fall 2009 - many things (not just because it is more recent and my memory is failing me.  Get off my lawn!).  I worked hard all summer and won a spot in the U of M Symphony Orchestra.  This was important to me as I had set a goal for myself and worked hard to achieve it.  Francesco and Amalia got engaged.  I got baptized in October.  I played in the Concerto Competition.  I made some new friends and got closer with the old.  I survived Swine Flu and lived to talk about it.

Some favourites from last year:

Music (pop/rock).  This year, I discovered Sufjan Stevens and Regina Spektor.  A friend from Cold Lake gave me Stevens' Michigan and I heard Spektor's The Calculation on CBC Radio Two, and immediately went out and bought the album.  Maybe I'm a little late getting to Stevens and Spektor, but I am still really enjoying their music.  I finally listened to Thriller in its entirety, too.

Music (classical).  After a year of 20th Century Music classes, my horizons have expanded significantly.  I rediscovered John Adams this year, played a lot of Eric Ewazen, and, thanks to Orchestra, have been discovering classical orchestral repertoire (something that, for some reason, I didn't really care for until this year).  I played Haydn 101 (The Clock) and Wagner's Siegfried Idyll, and those were fantastic, got to see Tchaikovsky 4 at the WSO, and am playing Schumann 3 (Rhenish).

TV and movies.  I didn't do a lot of TV-watching this year, but I did watch my way through a few seasons of House, which was fantastic.  I stopped after season 3, and didn't continue, but life gets in the way.  Futurama also continues to be a favourite.  I saw the Half-Blood Prince and Avatar in theatres, watched Up on Blu-Ray.  I finally watched Dr. Strangelove, The Nightmare Before Christmas, The Godfather, Full Metal Jacket, and Mean Girls.

Games.  I finally got my hands on a copy of Twilight Princess for Gamecube, and have been enjoying it immensely.  I played through Link to the Past again, which was also fantastic.  For board games, I have really been enjoying Apples to Apples and Ticket to Ride.

Relationships.  No "significant others" last year, but I did make new connections and deepen many existing friendships (probably a better choice).  I am especially grateful for my Bible Study Friends (tm) and Ginger, Alyssa, and Elise - you guys host great parties!  And, as always, for the guys, for many nights of crashing in Andrew's basement playing Mario Kart.

Looking ahead.  I have no idea what 2010 will hold for me.  My goals at the moment are to run more, to practice more, and to gain the wisdom to know what is truly important in life.


Here's to 2009, and best wishes for 2010!

New fun stuff

Two new sites I discovered that are amazing:

Mystery google

My life is average

QC of the Day #8

QC of the Day #7

I'm back

After a grueling 14-hour drive, I'm back in Winnipeg for good. More on that later.
Biggest development of the summer? I fell in love with Regina Spektor.

Reflections on my practicum.

Here are a few things that I learned from my first student teaching placement:

1. The primary role of the director is to listen at all times.

2. Sectionals are extremely important, but should not be places for students to learn their notes and rhythms. Instead, sectionals should be used as time spent working on instrument-specific things and doing chamber rep. Sectionals are also a place for students to develop independently from the director.

3. Make sure that you have food that you can eat quickly - you never know when you'll end up missing lunch.

4. Take the time to have everyone in your bands play percussion once in a while - it works so many different aspects of musicianship.

5. Build a 3 or 4-year plan for repertoire, and figure out what you value as the basis for the repertoire you choose.

6. Focusing on balance and blend usually solves intonation problems.

7. Bloom's Mastery Learning - do not continue until a concept/skill has been fully understood and a student can demonstrate proficiency.

8. Teach articulation styles with letters for tonguing - T t D d L l.

9. When presented with problems, ascertain whether the problem is with a concept or a skill. If it is a concept problem, talk through it until everyone understands. If it is a skill problem, then drill, drill, drill.

10. In rehearsal, focus on one concept (balance, blend, crescendo and decrescendo, tone matching, etc), and teach the concept after the warm-up and rehearse sections in the repertoire that the students will need that concept for. This approach focuses your rehearsal and reinforces learning better than trying to fix everything at once.

11. Don't try to fix everything at once. (see above).

12. A good lesson plan outline: Warm-up, Lesson, Technique, Repertoire.

13. The Rule of Swing Phrasing - emphasize (tongue) the first, highest, and last notes in a phrase.

14. Wait time is perfectly acceptable. Make sure you have collected your thoughts before you say anything - otherwise you run the risk of babbling or saying something you regret.

15. Be as efficient as you can with what you say in class.

16. Check your ego at the door. Once you enter the school, your first responsibility is to the students. Constantly ask the questions, "What is best for the students? What do the students want? What do the students need?"

17. Don't try to make fewer bad decisions. Instead, strive to make more good decisions.

18. Many discipline problems will disappear if your pacing is good.

19. Never, ever talk over students - you will hurt your voice and then have to repeat what you said. Wait until you have everyone's full attention before you speak.

20. The podium is for conducting, not for teaching.

21. Developing a chamber program is the key to having strong, independent musicians.

22. Realize whether you are being a band director or a music educator.

23. Always remember why you got into music - it is fun and interesting to play!

24. Be prepared for anything - you may find yourself in the role of a stagehand/roadie, a guidance counsellor, or anything in between.

25. Above all, the students are the only important part of our job. Strive for compassion, kindness, love, and mercy. Try to get to know each student individually. Take a genuine interest in who they are. See them for who they are, but also for who they can be. We don't teach band - we teach life through music. Through music, we enrich our students' lives and teach them a way to make sense of the world.

In other news, I'm leaving bright and early for Cold Lake, Alberta for the summer. I'm teaching music to Cadets there. Wish me luck and send me mail! Message me if you'd like my mailing address - I'd love to hear from you!

See you in the fall!

QC of the Day #5

A 2-parter. Hannelore is definitely my all-time favourite character. Enjoy!

QC of the Day #3

Look Around You