Disclaimer: this is gonna be long and filled with nostalgia.
Location: One of the many Starbucks in Union Square, Manhattan, New York City
Time: 2:14PM (I indulged in a fourteen-hour dreamless sleep last night)
Mood(s): nostalgic, inspired, motivated (the last two are not the same!! Yay for things you learn while doing research)
I'm not really sure what purpose today's post will serve, but it will be random, long, and probably chaotic.
I got into the beautiful Port Authority bus terminal (sarcasm) last night at midnight after a short trip back up to Ithaca to finish up moving out and saying goodbye. I went for a whirlwind two days of hanging out, Wegman's, take out, Starbucks, and Kilpatrick's. Goodbyes included the IHS band, Jeff, Emily, and Jimmy. I've already posted a pouty FB status about how much goodbyes suck, so I'll just mention that "see you later" is not ideal when later is not defined. I truly hope to Skype with my friends often this summer, and to see them all sooner rather than later. Two hours before I was supposed to leave, I couldn't find Emily and couldn't leave without saying goodbye. I also got overwhelmingly sad to leave 18-07, the best BFF sleepover apartment palace that I will ever have. I was supposed to leave at 4:45, but got cold feet, and decided that time with friends and a slower goodbye was more important. In the words of Billy Joel, it's alright, you can afford to lose a day or two.
Anyway, got on the bus (hopefully that was the last shortline bus from Ithaca-NYC I will ever have to take!), took a Dramamine (the driver was a little reckless), and after an hour of misty reflection, zonked out for the final four hours of the trip. Got into NYC at midnight, got to Jan's apartment, and slept like a rock for the next ten. When I awoke, all of the sadness that I experienced leaving Ithaca had been swallowed by the morning sun, so I went on my merry way.
As I was telling a good friend, I've been dreading these goodbyes for a good six months, ever since they started to feel real. Surprisingly, however, senior week, several goodbyes, and a commencement later, I didn't feel too sad. If anything, I felt pretty numb. I kept waiting for it to hit, and it never did. Sitting alone at the bus terminal after a whirlwind two days, it did. It finally hit, and it sucked. Thankfully, I have a crazy fun summer ahead of me, so I'll probably be distracted from my sadness. In fact, I've been so distracted that I failed to notice that my NY state music teacher certification has been issued. I find that hilarious, cause I still feel like I'm 12 years old. Back to nostalgia - I'm sure that come October, when things start to settle down a bit more, I'll miss everyone/Ithaca quite a bit. Until then, I have plenty to do...
Today, I must:
Prep for my summer school class. That involves writing a letter for the parents, modifying the Glee arrangements for 10 female voices, doing a few lessons plans to take me through the first week or so, coming up with classroom procedures, locating/collecting materials that I'll need (sheet music, accompaniment tracks), learning the songs myself, figuring out how to teach tricky parts by rote (the entire class is taught by rote!!!), create a web page for the class, choosing vocalises and other warm-ups, finalizing the song list, and coming up with non-performance projects and things we can do to make the class a more complete musical experience.
Read more of Isaacson's Steve Jobs biography (thanks, Erika!)
Tomorrow is my errand day, and the weekend is for quality time with my sister. Home on Tuesday (via the INAGURAL JFK-HNL flight on Hawaiian Airlines!!
Today, you must:
Visit Christina's blog! Christina and I had the idea to blog with each other as a way of keeping in touch and recording our experiences as beginner teachers. We are hoping to use our posts as data for a research project in the future. If you're fresh into the real world, you should blog, too!
christinasantoro.blogspot.com
Welp, this post has been pretty chaotic - it reflects my thoughts, although it doesn't quite capture the sadness I feel about leaving Ithaca. Maybe I'll be able to reflect upon my time there more eloquently once summer has come to pass. I'll leave you with some lyrics from Billy Joel's Vienna, a song that has helped me to take pause during these last few weeks. A few people have told me that I'm totally different in recent months - much more carefree, and better able to relax and enjoy rather than worrying about what I have left to do. I credit all of the people who have encouraged this shift in me for the awesome final semester I've had. Not only did I chill out and have more fun, but I still got a 4.0 (ok, I credit that part to the fairly easy electives I took during my final semester - in my defense, all of my major coursework was already completed!). I'll admit, I feel equal parts ready for a fun summer and totally geared up to dive head-first into my career. Hopefully I can balance the fun I've learned to have (thanks, friends!) with the new responsibilities I'm ready to take on with my entire being. Anyway, here are the lyrics. Peace out!
Slow down you're doing fine
You can't be everything you want to be
Before your time
Although it's so romantic on the borderline tonight
Too bad but it's the life you lead
You're so ahead of yourself
That you forgot what you need
Though you can see when you're wrong
But you know you can't always see when you're right
You got your passion you got your pride
But don't you know only fools are satisfied?
Dream on, but don't imagine they'll all come true
When will you realize
Vienna waits for you
Thursday, May 31, 2012
Sunday, May 27, 2012
Time to do...something
Welp (my new favorite word), back to blogging, and sooner than I expected! My sister and I saw our parents and nana off this morning, and returned home to sleep in. I'm sad to see them go - it's been an awesome week and a half! However, I will be home in a week and a couple days myself, and I'm looking forward to establishing somewhat of a routine while I'm here.
So, here's what's up for today:
Go through all of my social networking sites and update my profiles to say that I am no longer a student at Ithaca College, but now an alumna! Hmm...I suppose this means I have to update my resume, too...grumblegrumblegrumble.
Practice horn (for the first time since juries...YIKES). Scales and balanced embouchure (BE) are in order.
Read something for fun.
Plan my trip back to Ithaca.
Meditate for 25 minutes.
I think I should call it there and keep it simple. Starting tomorrow, however, I gotta get crackin' on prep work for my summer job!
So, here's what's up for today:
Go through all of my social networking sites and update my profiles to say that I am no longer a student at Ithaca College, but now an alumna! Hmm...I suppose this means I have to update my resume, too...grumblegrumblegrumble.
Practice horn (for the first time since juries...YIKES). Scales and balanced embouchure (BE) are in order.
Read something for fun.
Plan my trip back to Ithaca.
Meditate for 25 minutes.
I think I should call it there and keep it simple. Starting tomorrow, however, I gotta get crackin' on prep work for my summer job!
Friday, May 25, 2012
A Contract!!
I just signed my two contracts for the 2012-2013 school year! One of my contracts is until December, and the other is from january until June. Part of my unique situation is that my first year involves both part-time, full-time, music, and non-music teaching. To me, this is ideal - I will have a chance to ease into teaching by beginning part-time and working with my former music teacher - somebody I respect very, very much. To become full-time, I will take on some non-music teaching responsibilities; what a way to round out my skill set and learn a ton about a new subject myself! I'm not sure exactly what my non-music responsibilities will be yet, but it will involve Algebra, advanced literature, or all/none of the above! I'm definitely up for the challenge, as it will be nice to take a breather from music; additionally, being flexible only helps, never hurts. I seriously can't wait!
As exciting as this all is, my sights are focused on what is up ahead - my summer school teaching job and my first semester. It is looking like summer school will involve teaching an elementary elective music class based on the music and dance from the show Glee. I will be co-teaching with a great friend who happens to be an incredibly talented choreographer and dancer. Once I have a little more alone time (oh yeah, forgot to mention - I graduated summa cum laude from Ithaca College last weekend with the Bachelor of Music degree, and now I'm on vacation with my family!), I will adjust the plans I have already made for the Glee class, and focus more on specific lesson plans.
Next up, three of my very best friends are coming to Hawaii to visit and be tourists for TWO WEEKS in late July!! Woohooooo! I'm beyond excited to welcome them to the Aloha state and to play tourist with them. They will be visiting over the end of my summer job, my 22nd birthday, and the beginning of my year-round job. Things might be a little hectic during that time, but it will be in the best way possible, and I know it will be one of the highlights of my life!
The very next week, I begin part-time work. I'll be spending most of my free time practicing (strings, piano, singing, horn, etc.) and preparing for lessons and ensembles. I also want to learn as much as I can from my mentor teacher. Any other time I have, I'll spend striving to fulfill my personal goals. I might as well take time while I have it to work toward these goals! I might have to play it by ear when it comes to seeing how much free time I actually have, but I'd at least like to approach my first year in the real world with some sort of routine, because I tend to work best when my life consists of some regularity.
Goals:
Run, swim, or bike at least 5x a week; get into decent enough shape to complete a sprint triathalon. I've always had a ton of respect for people who are dedicated enough to keep putting one foot in front of the other - maybe I can do this, too, and maybe it will combat my laziness!!
Meditate daily, and find a meditation group (or a yoga class, perhaps?) I can attend at least once a week.
Prepare the majority of my own meals and eat as healthy and balanced as possible.
Set plans to travel - I want to meet up with my girls in Las Vegas (I've never been, although I'm not really interested in gambling), volunteer in a country that needs it (maybe next summer - for a month or so?), or travel somewhere I've always wanted to go on one of my breaks, just for fun.
I know this falls under my musical duties as an artist educator, but I want to get my horn and piano chops way up - I think that I can make some big improvements with my part-time status, as long as I apply the lessons I learned in undergrad. I'm thinking horn warm ups everyday at 6AM?
Start spending and saving my money wisely.
Use public transportation as much as possible (TheBus, represent! Holla!)
Read as much as possible and continue to learn and grow.
Ok, so this list is pretty ambitious. I'm honestly not sure how much time I will have to do all of these things, even with my part-time status. Of course, if I'm bored to death, I could pick up another part-time job, although I don't think that will be necessary or a wise decision. Maybe this summer, though?
Something I've been toying with is deactivating Facebook, or at least significantly limiting my time on it. Although I spend time on Facebook just like everyone else, I never considered myself someone who wastes huge amounts of time on it - instead, I use any free time I have shamelessly refreshing my newsfeed. Facebook usually doesn't get in the way of my work, but if I am to accomplish any or all of these goals, I might need to take a break from it. Thoughts, friends? I think deactivating it would be a little extreme, and something I wouldn't want to do right away. But perhaps some limits? Like no FB until I've dne my work/exercise/practice/whatever else for the day? I'm curious to hear your thoughts!
Welp, I've written my fair share of words for the day/week/month. Maybe another blog after the memorial day weekend?
Until then, as my Italian prof would always say, ciao ciao ciao ciao ciao, ciao ciao ciao!!!
As exciting as this all is, my sights are focused on what is up ahead - my summer school teaching job and my first semester. It is looking like summer school will involve teaching an elementary elective music class based on the music and dance from the show Glee. I will be co-teaching with a great friend who happens to be an incredibly talented choreographer and dancer. Once I have a little more alone time (oh yeah, forgot to mention - I graduated summa cum laude from Ithaca College last weekend with the Bachelor of Music degree, and now I'm on vacation with my family!), I will adjust the plans I have already made for the Glee class, and focus more on specific lesson plans.
Next up, three of my very best friends are coming to Hawaii to visit and be tourists for TWO WEEKS in late July!! Woohooooo! I'm beyond excited to welcome them to the Aloha state and to play tourist with them. They will be visiting over the end of my summer job, my 22nd birthday, and the beginning of my year-round job. Things might be a little hectic during that time, but it will be in the best way possible, and I know it will be one of the highlights of my life!
The very next week, I begin part-time work. I'll be spending most of my free time practicing (strings, piano, singing, horn, etc.) and preparing for lessons and ensembles. I also want to learn as much as I can from my mentor teacher. Any other time I have, I'll spend striving to fulfill my personal goals. I might as well take time while I have it to work toward these goals! I might have to play it by ear when it comes to seeing how much free time I actually have, but I'd at least like to approach my first year in the real world with some sort of routine, because I tend to work best when my life consists of some regularity.
Goals:
Run, swim, or bike at least 5x a week; get into decent enough shape to complete a sprint triathalon. I've always had a ton of respect for people who are dedicated enough to keep putting one foot in front of the other - maybe I can do this, too, and maybe it will combat my laziness!!
Meditate daily, and find a meditation group (or a yoga class, perhaps?) I can attend at least once a week.
Prepare the majority of my own meals and eat as healthy and balanced as possible.
Set plans to travel - I want to meet up with my girls in Las Vegas (I've never been, although I'm not really interested in gambling), volunteer in a country that needs it (maybe next summer - for a month or so?), or travel somewhere I've always wanted to go on one of my breaks, just for fun.
I know this falls under my musical duties as an artist educator, but I want to get my horn and piano chops way up - I think that I can make some big improvements with my part-time status, as long as I apply the lessons I learned in undergrad. I'm thinking horn warm ups everyday at 6AM?
Start spending and saving my money wisely.
Use public transportation as much as possible (TheBus, represent! Holla!)
Read as much as possible and continue to learn and grow.
Ok, so this list is pretty ambitious. I'm honestly not sure how much time I will have to do all of these things, even with my part-time status. Of course, if I'm bored to death, I could pick up another part-time job, although I don't think that will be necessary or a wise decision. Maybe this summer, though?
Something I've been toying with is deactivating Facebook, or at least significantly limiting my time on it. Although I spend time on Facebook just like everyone else, I never considered myself someone who wastes huge amounts of time on it - instead, I use any free time I have shamelessly refreshing my newsfeed. Facebook usually doesn't get in the way of my work, but if I am to accomplish any or all of these goals, I might need to take a break from it. Thoughts, friends? I think deactivating it would be a little extreme, and something I wouldn't want to do right away. But perhaps some limits? Like no FB until I've dne my work/exercise/practice/whatever else for the day? I'm curious to hear your thoughts!
Welp, I've written my fair share of words for the day/week/month. Maybe another blog after the memorial day weekend?
Until then, as my Italian prof would always say, ciao ciao ciao ciao ciao, ciao ciao ciao!!!
Thursday, May 17, 2012
Alas, I've finally created a blog! Sitting here waiting for the shipping company to come and pick up my eight (8) boxes, I figured now was the perfect time to begin. While I'm technically not an inhabitant of the real world yet, I do graduate from Ithaca College with a Bachelor of Music degree on Sunday. Thus, my immediate and extended families (all SEVEN of them!!) arrive tomorrow and Friday, so today really is my last chance to do anything alone for a good week and a half. I'm beyond excited for them to arrive, but I might as well savor this solitude.
I'm not sure if my natural curiosity, boredom, excitement about the future, or my generational narcissism got me to cave, but it doesn't matter much, cause they will all serve as excellent motivators to keep this blog up for at least a year. Wait, random thought...in my second year of teaching, will I have to change the name of this blog?!? First world problems.
Anyway, this week has been crazy, relaxing, and amazing, all at once. Senior week at IC provides the graduating seniors a chance to spend time together doing whatever they like (within legal and moral limits, of course). My friends and I didn't subscribe to the college-sponsored senior week pass, but that doesn't mean we haven't been living it up. Last night we went on a dinner cruise on Lake Cayuga. We dressed to impress and shared an amazing three hours, during sunset, on the lake. Food was deeeeeeelicious, the view was spectacular, and the company was grand. Before we boarded the ship, these odd townies asked us what the occasion was. When we told them graduation, they apparently assumed that we were graduating from high school. When we politely corrected them, they laughed. Hmph. I don't know many high school students who dress in formal wear and go on dinner cruises! But I digress. A good time was had by all, and when the bill for $600 came, we all felt very fancy and super rich. Note: there were ten of us, and that included food, boarding fee, gratuity, and tax, so it really wasn't that crazy.
Four years worth of stuff is about to be picked up, so I should get going. I'm surprisingly not as sad about this as I thought I would be. Maybe it's because some of my best friends are coming to visit in a couple of months, or maybe it's because I'm looking forward to the next chapter. I'll leave you with a link to one of my best friend's blogs. She's doing an incredible internship this summer with special needs students, so I highly recommend following along and learning what you can from her research. If you have a blog, let me know, and I can follow it!
http://www.erikastdenis.com/blog.html
I'm not sure if my natural curiosity, boredom, excitement about the future, or my generational narcissism got me to cave, but it doesn't matter much, cause they will all serve as excellent motivators to keep this blog up for at least a year. Wait, random thought...in my second year of teaching, will I have to change the name of this blog?!? First world problems.
Anyway, this week has been crazy, relaxing, and amazing, all at once. Senior week at IC provides the graduating seniors a chance to spend time together doing whatever they like (within legal and moral limits, of course). My friends and I didn't subscribe to the college-sponsored senior week pass, but that doesn't mean we haven't been living it up. Last night we went on a dinner cruise on Lake Cayuga. We dressed to impress and shared an amazing three hours, during sunset, on the lake. Food was deeeeeeelicious, the view was spectacular, and the company was grand. Before we boarded the ship, these odd townies asked us what the occasion was. When we told them graduation, they apparently assumed that we were graduating from high school. When we politely corrected them, they laughed. Hmph. I don't know many high school students who dress in formal wear and go on dinner cruises! But I digress. A good time was had by all, and when the bill for $600 came, we all felt very fancy and super rich. Note: there were ten of us, and that included food, boarding fee, gratuity, and tax, so it really wasn't that crazy.
Four years worth of stuff is about to be picked up, so I should get going. I'm surprisingly not as sad about this as I thought I would be. Maybe it's because some of my best friends are coming to visit in a couple of months, or maybe it's because I'm looking forward to the next chapter. I'll leave you with a link to one of my best friend's blogs. She's doing an incredible internship this summer with special needs students, so I highly recommend following along and learning what you can from her research. If you have a blog, let me know, and I can follow it!
http://www.erikastdenis.com/blog.html
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