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!!!