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