Waxing Philosophical

Waaaahhhhhhhh it's Wednesday!  It seems that I've gotten into the habit of blogging when I've either had a mediocre day, or when I'm bored, so I'm going to mix things up and blog after a particularly fantastic day.

This is week three, or the halfway point of summer school.  I had been feeling that our glee class was way ahead of the game, until it became week three.  Week three meant that we were halfway done and halfway to a concert.  Naturally, I started to freak out a bit and cut down the program.  7 songs are more than enough for this group of young girls, and I'd rather have them feel comfortable and excited about this performance than freaking out because we had to cram for it.  I think I did the right thing, because we will finish up memorizing by Monday or Tuesday, and will be able to start using the majority of every class time for dance practice from wednesday of next week on. We desperately need that time for dance, cause learning choreography takes a heckuva lot longer than learning a song, even when harmony is involved.

In order to finish up as much of the song-learning as possible, today was a signing-only day.  I was feeling a little unprepared and overwhelmed for today because yesterday I went to my new place of work to do a bunch of paperwork, and was feeling slightly overwhelmed about some of my responsibilities for next year (more on that later).  I really just wanted to be by myself last night and hunker down on some prep for glee, but didn't get as much done as I would've liked.  I woke up often throughout the night and was feeling stressed (very different than feeling anxious for me).  I got to school early and thought about every new idea or method I had read about in recent days that I wanted to try out, goals I wanted to accomplish, and teaching methods that had been successful.  I tried my best to incorporate what I could, and soon enough the girls were in the classroom, which meant that it was time to get out of my head and get stuff done.

The day was insanely successful for a number of reasons.  First of all, it's a two-part equation:  I brought my best preparation to the table, and the girls brought their best focus.  Without either, rehearsal wouldn't have been as successful as it had the potential to be on a day when both were present.  Next, we learned two new songs, and they happened to really enjoy them both.  Three, I gave out solos like free candy on Halloween, and everyone loves a little spotlight. I promised every girl a solo if she wanted one, and these two songs housed the bulk of those solos. Also, the girls are much more comfortable with their voices than on day one, so everyone is comfortable volunteering for a solo at this point.  Finally, we had two songs to polish, and two to learn.  The polishing went amazingly well!  We did an activity comparing what makes a performance good, and what makes a performance great (in terms of our own preparation).  The girls were concientious and adjusted appropriately.  By the end, they sounded awesome!  As for the two new songs, they were pretty simple - we only had to learn refrains, because the verses were solos.  They also sat really well within the girls' tessitura (most beautiful singing range), so that didn't hurt either.

I will try to replicate today's success tomorrow by having challenging, but manageable tasks, concise, prepared ways to fix potential issues, and some higher-level questions to have the girls and grapple with in order to enhance performance quality.

What I can do better tomorrow: there are virtually no behavior issues in this class aside from the girls chatting a little too much when I go to work with a smaller group.  For third through fifth grade girls in summer school, that's pretty darn good.  Today I asked specific girls to please stop talking or to focus, but I think that I can go a step further tomorrow and fix the problem without words.  I've found that when I just stop talking, the girls catch on pretty quickly and quiet down.  I can also try simply moving girls around, especially since they aren't in order for choreography or anything when we rehearse singing alone. For example, I think that I could ask a chatty girl to stand in a new spot because I want to see more of her sunshiny face, and she would never know that I was fixing a behavioral issue, and the issue would then be resolved.  The quicker and less distracting I can make my adjustments, the better.

When I went out to monitor the lunch area after class, I sat down at a table with my snack, and a handful of girls from the class rushed over to sit down with me.  I'm not in this business for the approval of third grade girls, but it's really nice to know that your students enjoy your presence.  What's even better is that all of the girls are super fun and great kids.  It was nice to chat with them over lunch, and I enjoy that I'm getting to know them better every day.  We have a girl coming in next week at the halfway point, and today one of the girls raised her hand in class, and asked how she was going to be able to learn all of these songs and dances in only three weeks.  I responded by saying I wasn't sure, and it would be tough, but the more that her classmates could help her out and take her under their wings, the better off she would be.  They immediately started to come up with creative ideas to help her out, like showing her dance steps at recess, or by having private sessions with her.  What sweet, sweet girls!  Kids are the best when you let them come up with their own ways to solve a problem.

Back to my school-year job.  I found out that in order to supplement my music courseload, I'll most likely be teaching an honors 8th grade literature class, run in the format of a book club.  There will be very few students, and we are free to explore books as in-depth as we like, since it is an honors class.  How fun!  I also found out that I might be teaching algebra, which isn't bad cause I like math and am open to new challenges as a young teacher, but I won't find out if I'm teaching it until near the beginning of the school year due to logistical issues. The preparation-freak in me worries about that, so I began to look up algebra curricula online.  I will do what I need to in order to be full time, and if there's any time in my career that I'm open to trying something new, it's now.  That being said, I just worry that I will have little time for band and orchestra (they re extra curriculars at school).  I won't know until the school year begins, so I just hope that I have enough time to develop the music program, as that's what I'm most passionate about.

Finally, I want to end with a philosphical debate of sorts that I've had on my mind.  I was reading this blog of an accomplished math educator, and he was discussing the problem with teachers who are super passionate and caring toward their students, but don't teach them the necessary skills they need to succeed.  He said they give our profession a bad reputation.  He is of the camp that teaching is just a job, and it's our job, as educators, to provide students with the necessary skills that they need to succeed, and if our students happen to be inspired, great, but that's not our primary job.  I think that both sides have their merits - students are definitely more happy to come to class when they look forward to working with the teacher.  However, there are many teachers out there who don't teach their subject(s) well.  They rely on their friendly interactions with students to get by. On the flip side, there are great teachers who are not a joy to be around.  I think they they deserve more respect as educators, for sure, but is that enough?  What do you think?  Is it possible to combine compassion and high standards, and still make time for yourself?  I've had teachers at the Priory and at Ithaca who I believed managed to do so, and quite well, but it seems like no matter what, the balance can always be refined.  I'm definitely interested to know what anyone reading this blog, whether I know you or not, thinks about this issue of balancing standards, compassion, and personal time.

In another area of my life, I wonder about the balance I am achieving as a human being. I have friends who establish themselves in the public eye as more on the professional side, and friends who are more social butterflies. The thing is, both groups of friends are comparably capable, and in private settings, are just as friendly. Some people just prefer to establish themselves as more reserved and more professional, while others prefer to establish themselves as more outgoing and social. I'm not sure where I lie on this continuum, and I'm not sure if I'm always satisfied with where I lie. I try to be as friendly as possible, but I, just as much as most people, enjoy a great reputation. I don't think that anything I've been doing has explicitly not been working, as i have a great group of friends and have received high-quality feedback regarding my work, but I always wonder if I should be more friendly, or more professional, in certain situations. For instance, does the fact that I try to like many of my friends Facebook posts make me seem too eager? Or does it come across as supportive? Is being a little more exclusive with something like that elitist, or does it make me appear to be more professional, reserving my opinion for the occasions that truly deserve my praise?

I always try to air on the side of kindness, as I believe that's what connects us all as human beings, but what should be done in a professional environment that values exclusivity? For me the answer is mostly clear, but it is still challenging to strike a balance. Don't we want that which is harder to obtain? Maybe, but is it right to be exclusive with our brothers and sisters? The same goes with complaints - sometimes I find myself complaining about something just because somebody else is. It's tough to carve out our own path when society seems to favor the opposite. Does anybody else have lengthy internal debates over this on the bus, or lying in bed at night??

I'd love to hear your thoughts!
DA

Summertime, and the livin's easy

I can't believe it's been over a week since my last post!  It's truly a testament to time flying when you're having fun.  I'm really enjoying working with these girls in the glee class - they're bright, fun, and easy to work with.  Last Friday, we performed Sweet Caroline for one of the teachers whose birthday was that weekend, and for the students as they ate lunch.  People loved it!  I couldn't believe how well the girls did, and how well their performances were received.  Classes have been going really well, and we have been covering plenty of ground.  My friend who teaches the dance portion of the class and I generally trade off.  That way, one day is singing-intensive, and the next is dancing-intensive.  It keeps things fresh and gives us a break!  The girls have learned their first dance, and have been working on five songs, two of which are totally memorized.  We have quickly realized that the girls learn songs super quickly, but take a while with the dancing.  That is to be expected, as kids have been singing since they could speak, and they know these songs from listening to the radio, whereas they don't know the dance steps.  At first I got carried away with the potential for a set list - I wasn't even sure if we would complete 3-4 songs, and all of a sudden we were way ahead of schedule!  However, I think I've finalized the set list and we seem to have settled somewhere around 8 songs.  Probably only half of those will have dance routines, but that just means we have extra time for high-quality singing.

Another item I've been striving to balance is having a classroom open to contributions from students but still being in charge.  So far, I've been very open to students sharing their opinions about ideas for performance, and even what we do in class.  Although I set the agenda for the day, if they request to sit instead of stand, I will usually let them as long as they sit with good posture and sing well.  I want the girls to have as much freedom as I can give them without the classroom turning into anarchy, but there are times when I need to step in and make a decision.  It's tough, because I feel bad when I have to say no, but I'm glad to have that authority when the classroom gets a little crazy and chatty, like it did today! I guess I'm a little torn, because most of my teachers were harsh disciplinarians, and I often behaved well out of fear.  I want my students to behave well out of respect for others and themselves, not because they are afraid of consequences.  Today the girls were super chatty, so we were considering modifying our point system - so far, they have earned enough for a free hour in class on Friday.  I don't want to start erasing points for disrespectful behavior, but something has to be done.  I'm not sure if that is a more realistic model - in life, if you screw up, your reputation is tainted - or if it is better to reward good behavior and ignore disrespectful behavior.  Either way, the girls and I will have a chat tomorrow, and I might honestly leave it up to them.  

So far, this experience has been incredibly fun.  I've been getting MUCH better at piano and singing (I go in a little early everyday to prep and to read thru some Adele), the girls and I have been finding a lot of success in working together, and I'm done by 12:30 and free to enjoy the rest of my day.  It still feels a lot like student teaching - I know when things go very well, and I know when something is unsuccessful either due to natural difficulty, or due to my error in preparation.  I feel a lot more pressure, but a lot less guilt, if that's possible.  I am responsible for identifying my own successes and failures, and for compensating and continually balancing day in and day out.  I feel less like I've let someone down and less scared of a bad grade or a bad evaluation if a lesson isn't 100% successful, probably because I just suck it up, reflect on the day, and make it better the next day.  Working with human beings is never black and white, but my reflection process kind of is.  I've already done my own personal journal after week one was over, except this time I didn't have to fill up a certain length to satisfy a teaching requirement - it was all for me, and all for the benefit of the girls.  It's quite nice!

More on the class - I was really nervous about putting on my first concert, especially with this being a show choir concert and me not having any experience with dancing or (real) singing.  I'm pleased to say that I'm insanely pumped for the concert!  The girls and I have talked about performance anxiety, and even though they were all a little nervous (more than I was, oddly enough!), we all got such enjoyment out of performing one song for our friends and teachers that I know any future performances will be a thrill.  Since one of our girls is leaving halfway thru the summer, we will do a midway concert at the end of next week to showcase what we've learned before we jump into session two.  I'm trying to get the songs learned sooner rather than later so that we can spend the final week and a half refining and preparing for our performance.  Here's what our set list looks like for now:

Sweet Caroline
Forget You (harmony, echos, solos)
Just the Way You Are (two part harmony and echos)
What Makes You Beautiful (I'm aware this has no musical nourishment, it is just for funsies)
Halo/Walking on Sunshine Mashup (mashups are tricky for us!)
Maybe rumor has it/someone like you Mashup, if the girls are ready for it/promise me not to belt
Blackbird
Thriller Mashup

Whew, that's a lot!  We might have to scale back, but since we have such a long program for 12 3-5 graders, it certainly wouldn't be a shortcoming by any stretch.  Ok, so here are my final final words on the class thus far - at the end of week 1, I pulled out my checklist to make sure we were hitting the items I wanted to cover in this class.  I'm pleased that we are, and even added a few to be covered that I didn't originally think would happen.  For instance, we aren't reading any music in the class, but we have gotten into solfege and warm up in major and minor.  I'm looking forward to introducing pentatonic warm ups, and to aurally covering the difference between minor modes.  Heck, we might even get into modes!  It's nice to have 2 hours of class - I can set aside 15 minutes of warm ups and cover a huge amount, and not have to worry about cutting into rehearsal time.  This will NOT be the case during the regular school year, but at least I can scale back the time, keep the proportions, and still git 'er done in 45 minutes.  I've found that so far, taking the time to cover musical concepts and demand excellence in warm ups is insanely worth it.  However, even with covering all of these topics that I didn't understand until freshman year of college, none of this feels really special or advanced.  It kind of just feels normal.  I'm glad that these girls will progress through their musical studies thinking that knowing these concepts are normal.  I guess this whole music teaching thing just feels normal, not like any magical teaching breakthroughs that I might've hoped for.  

In other areas of my life, I've been enjoying my new bike, and how bike-friendly Kailua is, but I desperately need a place to ride that doesn't have so many driveways.  If I have to slow down before every driveway to make sure I'm not going to get squished like a bug, it gets a little old.  However, I have become much more conscientious, which I appreciate.  It's nice to be out on the road with nothing but my bike and my camelbak.  There's something refreshing about that!  In other transportation-related news, I'm buying my annual bus pass on July 2nd.  $660 isn't bad for a whole year, although it is quite the step up from my $110 TCAT semester passes.  However, it is worth it.  I also met with a financial advisor yesterday, and he told me that the best thing I can do with my graduation money is to keep it where it is, educate myself on my student loans (payments start next month for me due to consolidation...yikes!), and actually KNOW what my expenses are so I know exactly how much I have remaining to spend or invest.  Then, if I want to start investing or start up a retirement account, I will know what is possible.  I think that this is the first time in my life that I will be budgeting.  It sounds bad, but up until this point, I didn't really have to watch my money.  I had money from working in the summer and money from working at school (it also didn't hurt that my mom still gave me my allowance) so I kind of always knew I had enough to cover my books and purchases.  My parents covered all of my necessities like groceries, our apartment lease, flights, and bus trips (or more accurately, thanks student loans and scholarships!), so I never had much to worry about.  I was truly lucky.  Now that I want to be more independent and actually have a real paycheck, it's time for me to keep track of this stuff.  I'm using software to help me, and it's becoming painfully obvious that I waste a lot of money on takeout.  Also, I'm not a huge shopper, but the last few weeks have involved several big purchases (that I was planning on, but still...). It's time to step up and pay my own way, so today I packed a ham and tomato sandwich, and enjoyed the free-ness of it.  It wasn't take out sushi, but again, it was free, and it did the trick.  I probably could afford a new car living at home, but I don't even begin to want to pay for that, and I am perfectly content waiting for the bus (I'm writing this on the bus!), which is cheaper and less dangerous. W00t

One last thing - my grad party was this weekend, and it was awesome!  It was great to see friends and family and celebrate in a low key yet high fun way!  I am so grateful to have such wonderful people in my life!  It was also nice, because I began to see some of those people in different ways.  For example, my former music teacher asked me to call her by her first name, my boyfriend was tremendously helpful and put up with my introducing to family and friends like a champ, and I'm beginning to see who my true friends are.  It's weird, but I began to see the people at my party as people who would survive the transition into the next phase of my life, and it was insanely exciting.  I've had my doubts in the past, but in a way, that night kind of cleared them up, and I was ok with how my near future looked.

Perhaps I'll fall into the habit of only blogging once a week, and writing way-too-detailed blogs. Sounds like a plan!  Now, off to Waikiki for a piña colada with my sister!

DA

Day 2 - Check!

As promised, here is my blog after two days of teaching Glee. I was a little nervous about teaching the class, as I'm not a vocalist and I've never really taught anything on my own (unsupervised, that is) before. As usual, my fears were unfounded, as day one was as smooth as it could've gone! I tried to be super structured, because it sets the tone for the class, and because I've always respected the teachers who had their stuff together on day one. The structure was to everyone's benefit, because everything ran smoothly. The girls are all super sweet, they catch onto dance moves quickly, and they can all match pitch. Hallelujah! We read through Sweet Caroline pretty quickly. In our warm ups a few times I've heard a super good tone, so they're definitely capable of singing really well together. Now, it's my job to encourage that sound as often as possible.

As smoothly as things ran, there were plenty of humbling, thought-provoking moments:
Kids are really intuitive. They can feel the beat well, know exactly when to come in (as long as you are clear enough and are fairly consistent), and don't need nearly as many instructions as I thought they would need. Less talking, more singing!

They are also really smart. They had awesome observations and if you let them, they kind of take the lead. My goal for the rest of the week is to step back more and put them in the driver's seat.

Always have extra materials on hand - a girl was added to my roster over the weekend, and I only noticed fifteen minutes before class. By luck, I had materials to make her a name tag. I would've felt awful had that not happened.

Be on time - I need to set an alarm for myself to make sure we get the girls to lunch on time everyday. I ended class early, but it takes them much longer to gather their belongings than it takes college students.

Check your mailbox everyday, dammit. The attendance was delivered to us yesterday and I assumed the same would happen today, even though I know that it is put in mailboxes from three years of being an aide. Derp, come on, Dana.

Today was mostly focused on analyzing dance routines from Glee. The girls are suuuuper bright and by the end of the day, were identifying the elements that make a routine effective or ineffective. Awesome!

I only had a short while to keep working on Sweet Caroline today. Even through I said that memorization was a bonus, not the goal, I think I tried to cram everything - diction, tone, and memorization into a short amount of time. In the future, I will choose just one or two goals, and keep the pace more relaxed. The girls were getting fidgety, and this was super nitty-gritty work. If it was tedious in college chorus, it was probably tedious for them. Next time, I'll let them take more of the lead - if they are eating it up, we keep going, but if it is not what they're into at that time,I can shift gears. I also like to keep things lighthearted and fun, and I think I may have been too hellbent on good diction, which is a buzz kill. Tomorrow will have more time, songs they have personally requested we sing, and more smiles and a slower pace from me. :)

I'm also starting to see how the timelines for each piece will take shape - I have a little better idea of what is realistic and what takes time. There are also some quick fixes to issues - for example, Sweet Caroline is a little on the high side, and while some girls can sing in their head range with ease, not all can. I think simply transposing down a few steps will fix that. I want to try some harmony tomorrow in Forget You. It might go really well, or it might not. If not, thankfully I have a backup plan. Either way, we will learn something. There are girls who are begging me to sing a solo, so I think I'll split up the verses and give them a chance to do some singing on their own.

While this class isn't too time consuming, there are lots of things I want to try, plan for, or arrange. I also just got a new bike (Yayyy!) and took it for a joy ride around Kailua yesterday. Needless to say, I was exhausted and ready for bed by 7pm last night! Lots going on with my grad party and sister's visit coming up. I don't quite feel overwhelmed, but definitely busy. No time for hanging out much. :(

Even though it's only been two days, I'm already getting a feel for what my first year of teaching will be like. It feels a lot like student teaching, where I'm hyper-aware of what I do and say, I know when something isn't as successful as it could've been, and I don't give myself credit for the things that did go really well. I'm trying to work on that balance, but it is really interested to be my own co-operating teacher. I reflect on every day, just like during student teaching, but now I have to identify my own strengths and weaknesses, and come up with solutions. I'm also trying to keep track of what I do to make sure that the curriculum is balanced.

I'm trying to do more of what I do well, and improve the areas where I am not in sync with the students' needs. Not gonna lie, it's pretty fun! Also, the piano experience is a perk. It's amazing how quickly your chops improve when you have to play warm-ups/chords/lines while watching the girls, listening to their sound, and evaluating. One girl told me I was really good at the piano, and I laughed, and almost told her about how much I had to practice to simply not make a fool of myself in secondary methods (and I still did). I decided to keep an air of mystery about my piano skills, or my good job faking them.

Now that I'm not nervous anymore and have a better idea of how the class will work, it's time to be more student-centered. More after week one is done! :)

Whoa, lots goin' on!

Quite a bit has happened since my last post, mostly having to do with building my routine and starting a new chapter of my life here in the islands...let's recap!

I had my first-ever teacher prep/work day on Friday. It was for my summer school job, where I will be teaching a Glee-themed elementary enrichment course. It was awesome to be on the other side of things. I got hooked up to the school's network and got into my classroom to prep....I felt so old and official! Once I was in there (and for the record, it's not MY classroom - I'm just lucky enough to borrow it, but it sure is beautiful!), I kinda froze for a bit and had a slow start with prep work, just cause I couldn't believe I was actually there, in a music classroom, where somebody would be PAYING ME to teach music for the next six weeks - livin' the dream, I guess! Yay for run-on sentences. Anyway, my first order was to play some piano because I haven't played in a month, and if I'm going to warm these girls up everyday, I should be able to play. Thankfully, it came right back! Next, I took care of some logistical things, but was still unsure of the best way to approach teaching these pop songs by rote. I didn't totally finish the task during the prep day, but I definitely have a mostly-concrete idea of how I will approach rote teaching on Tuesday. If I'm a little nervous, it is because tomorrow is my last free day before class begins and things aren't totally finalized. It's not that I don't have a clear idea of what I want to accomplish, it's that I just keep going back and forth in some areas. Anyway, I'm positive that by the end of the day tomorrow, I will be totally set for day one, just somewhat nervous. Part of what I'm realizing is that I can't plan too far ahead because this is a team effort, and I have to see what these girls bring to the table. I may need to step it up and move class quicker, or I may need to slow way down and cut back on goals to achieve. Either way, I won't know for a few more days.

Here's what I did finalize that I am excited for/proud of:
A daily routine consisting of entry music, extensive vocal warm ups, singing, dancing, analyzing music videos and recordings for musical elements and choreography quality, extrinsic motivation - a point/reward game, discussion of lyrics and their meanings, a mini-lesson on song history, vocal technique mini-lessons, and some Glee-watching, of course!

My biggest challenge tomorrow is planning the first day down to a T to eliminate as much confusion and to establish expectations as highly as possible. I need to be totally familiar with the music and the day's agenda so that the craziness of the first day doesn't throw me for a loop. In any case, I'm also going to try my best to remember that this is day 1 of my (summer school) music career, so I should cut myself some slack.

Next up, I recently went for a swim at the beautiful district park pool! I say beautiful because even though it's a little old, we are very lucky to have a free, regulation swimming pool available for ample public use. I haven't swam in over a month, so I got back in and started off slow. I was sorely out of shape, but it was nice to get reacquainted with the water. I'm sure that the two ladies next to me must've been judging me so hard - I was dying after only a few post-warm up laps! Oh well, all the more motivation for me to practice and improve. :) I didn't stay long - it was near closing and I really just wanted to check the place out and see how it ran, but I did get to observe some swimmers before I left. I picked up a few tips just by watching, and jogged home.

Two days later, I decided to give yoga a try. For the record, my last brush with yoga was as a first semester freshman at IC. I took this class at the fitness center with my friends, and it was not great. The instructor was a little odd, and made us feel slightly uncomfortable (not creepy, just not totally at ease), the poses were too hard for me, obviously, cause he kept having to come over and adjust me and it HURT, and it just wasn't worth sticking with it - we all stopped going after a few classes cause the hour and the half could be better spent on other things. Now, from what I've heard about yoga, it shouldn't be like that. So, I looked up places in town, found one with super reviews (they all did, but this one had glowing reviews AND was half a mile from home!), and went after it. I took the easiest class possible, and showed up early, ready to go. The nice thing is that you pay by class, not up front, so it's not a huge financial or time commitment. That being said, I'm definitely going back! It was the perfect intro-level class - I had to step outside of my comfort zone, but nothing was painful or unpleasant. In fact, the adjustments by the instructor were more than welcome. The class was enhanced with spiritual readings, meditation, and peaceful music. I surprised myself and got into poses that I never thought I was capable of. The class was quite lengthy, but was the perfect way to spend an afternoon. I will definitely be going back, at least once a week! I probably shouldn't get carried away and go ALL the time, but if I'm feeling it, I can definitely sneak in an extra class or two in a week due to its convenience, price, and availability.

The final exciting thing I did recently (beside all of the amazing quality time spent with friends!) was check out the local bike shop. Ironically, it is called The Bike Shop. Ever since I've become intrigued by the idea of triathalons, I've toyed with the idea of getting a bike. I had one in Ithaca, but it was a $70 Walmart special, and as my friends can attest, it has tried to kill me several times. Needless to say, it didn't get much use. Thus, I want to buy myself a high-quality bike suitable for commuting, riding around town, and beginning triathalons and races. This will be my graduation present to myself. If I want a bike that will work well, enhance my experience, and last, I need to invest more than $70. Since I didn't splurge on anything post-commencement, this seemed to be the hot-ticket item. At first I just went to look, but I was captivated almost right away. My dad came with me and asked good questions that I would've never thought to ask. The staff at the shop was awesome, and I'm confident in my decision to purchase there because it is always good to buy local, and they were very friendly and knowledgeable. In any case, there are two bikes that are identical. One happens to have a women-specific frame, and since they didn't have it on hand to test, it will be delivered from another store tomorrow and I can try the two side by side at that point. The regular one I did try, however, was amazing! I should've known that quality means quality - the ride, even though it was just down the block, was the smoothest, most efficient bike ride I've ever taken. It was a joy just to experience! I'll try the two side by side tomorrow, make a decision, and purchase one, along with some accessories. I'll be sure to take good care of it, lock it up, insure it, and get tons of use riding it around town!

I think that's it for now - more after my first day or two of work! Oh, and regarding living at home - so far, so good, although Nana doesn't like the idea of me "exerting myself" (jogging one (1) mile). Lollllz, she's adorbs!

Two links for thought:
Concrete Solutions: Critical Thinking in a Choral Rehearsal
You're Not Special



DA

Aloha, NY!

For the record, the title of this post is shamelessly stolen from the Hawaiian Airlines promotion for their brand new nonstop service from HNL to JFK, which just started this week. Lucky me, I was on the inaugural HNL-bound flight! It was by far the best flight of my life! Aloha spirit was everywhere, from the ticketing counter to the touchdown in Honolulu. I enjoyed two free meals, plenty of Hawaiian Sun pass-o-guava juice, and super service on behalf of the awesome flight crew. It was a smooth ten-hour flight! I look forward to telling my kids and grand kids one day that I flew the first Hawaiian Airlines nonstop flight to Honolulu from JFK. The only problem was that because I wanted to stay awake and enjoy the experience, I was (and still am) super jet lagged. I woke up at 4am today, and then crashed for a few more hours after making some guacamole for breakfast (shout-out to my ladies in 18.07.JIVE!). So, my schedule has been screwed up, and I'm only starting to finish unpacking, getting a routine, etc. I'm still in lazy-bum mode. I DID, however, pick up the schedule for the public pool hours, inquire with a local meditation center, and am looking forward to attending a yoga class this weekend. Gonna check out the local bike shop as well to see if I can find a bike that is suitable for both beginning triathalon training and commuting. Yay for being a proactive adult (kind of)!

Even though I am back home, I do not feel that I am part of the real world yet. My first day of work for my summer school job (teaching an elementary glee-themed class!) is tomorrow - it's a teacher prep day. Although I've put a fair bit of work into designing the class and choosing rep, I'm really looking forward to this prep day because I feel like I've been lazy with the whole commencement-vacation-moving home shindig. My big goals are to finish my letters home, plan days 1 and 2 down to the minute, and come up with my goals for the girls this summer. I also need to make sure that logistically, the room is ready, and add a few elements of my own. My biggest concern is my piano skills, as I haven't played in a month. Thankfully, my only playing would involve playing lines with the class and chords for warm ups. Shouldn't be too bad. I suppose I better memorize and put more score study time into the music - at least enough to be totally confident for days 1 and 2. Because this class is laid back and we are only dealing with pop music (as opposed to a lengthy band piece), I only have to stay a few days ahead of them memorization-wise. I do want to have my 6-week curriculum mapped out by the end of day 2 or so, once I am a little more familiar with the incoming skill and experience.

The next topic I wanted to address is quality of life. To be honest, I was a little unsure if I was making the right choice by moving back home to Hawaii. Above all, I just want to be happy, push myself musically and professionally, and thrive. I thought that maybe staying on the mainland would allow more opportunities for growth, but the job I accepted is so unique and involves so many components that I will get experience in a way that I would not get anywhere else. It's hard when you get invited to a second-round interview for a very prestigious school to turn it down and not have any doubts. However, I figured that I would get the best experience, feel the most comfortable to hone my skills, and hopefully be happiest if I came home. I'm still not sure if my prediction will come true, but I must say that I'm already happier than I expected to be. Here are just a few things I'm thankful for. I honestly forgot (and missed!) how nice the people are here.

The man at the post office is one of the most genuinely happy and helpful people I've ever encountered.
Everyone smiles and says hi walking down the street. Ok, not EVERYBODY, but most people. It's quite the change from NYC!
DF and I had a super fun first date in 5 months, the longest we've been apart. This semester apart was truly challenging, but just having the pleasure of spending a few hours with him again rejuvenated my faith in us and my love for him.
I'm sitting at the local Starbucks (duhhh, where else did you think I would be?!) and everyone is so nice! I hope that I get to know the baristas here as well as I got to know the ones on the Commons! Also, did I mention that there is yet another Starbucks in our town, and it is located exactly one (1) walking block away from the school I'll be teaching at? I will be spending a lot of time there.
The guy at the public park who helped me get a copy of the hours for the pool was, yet again, super friendly.
It's so great to see friends and family again.
Sun!! It came out today, finally!! I definitely need to go for a swim later.

Paradise tax is rampant; my recent purchase at the new whole foods in town broke the bank, and it was only lunch/snacks! However, if I can figure out how to live on a budget (I'm confident I can!), I think the quality of life here will be worth it. I'm also excited and ready to build a routine that involves meditation, exercise, and healthy eating and sleeping habits. I kind of let all of that slip over the past few weeks, as I've been on vacation. Well, vacation is over, and I would like to build upon the healthy habits I developed during my time in Ithaca.

It's funny - I was ready to return home and be insanely depressed by how much I missed school, and immediately wonder if I made the right decision. However, so far, so good. I might be in the honeymoon stage with Hawaii, but if my expectations were turned upside down, I'm hopeful things will continue to be enjoyable and only get better. Now, time to do some work, eat some lunch, and practice some horn. I'll leave you, friends, with a quote I've been contemplating. I used to feel way more mature than my peers, but as I began to approach commencement, I felt so young, and less mature and more scared than ever. I spent much of my time at Ithaca feeling like I needed to get out of there and get on with my life in the real world. When that dream started to become reality, I suddenly began to feel like I had not spent enough time going out, sewing my wild oats, and generally acting my age. I tried my best to carpe diem and YOLO my way through my last semester, and it was worth it. I guess I just graduated with the fear that I had more "being young" to do before I was ready to commit myself to anything, anyone, or anywhere. It's something I'll continue to grapple with, but I'm hoping to find a balance between living with and respecting others, fulfilling my responsibilities as an artist-educator, and being 21. After all, I AM young, and my days being young are not over. Tonight, we are young. I guess I'll just have to figure out how that ties in with being a grown up. This quote by Julius Gordon helps. Enjoy.

"Maturity implies otherness... The art of living is the art of living with."

DA