Borger High school and Middle school choir Christmas Concert is Sunday, December 11 at 2:30 in the Borger High School Auditorium. Excited for my students!
Borger High school and Middle school choir Christmas Concert is Sunday, December 11 at 2:30 in the Borger High School Auditorium. Excited for my students!
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A few more weeks and my first semester as a public school teacher will be complete. What have I learned about the role and process? Most notably... The system for educating and certifying teachers doesn't care about elective teachers. School required meetings and training seminars don't care about electives. Administrators don't care about electives.
What I mean by this isn't that they don't care... but that nothing they do, say, or require gives any thought to how it may or may not be useful, or applicable, or even relevant to the electives. I understand the difficulty in considering ways to incorporate the concerns or issues facing the teachers of electives but I don't think anyone even tries. Please don't misunderstand! I do think that core classes should be the focus but if I am required to attend a training, or sit through many semester long certification classes at WTAMU and I have gotten exactly NOTHING from it (and sometimes at great financial price) I don't think it is unjustified to be angry about this. 2 composers I have a love / hate relationship with Are Richard Wagner and Eric Whitacre. Yes, I realize that this may be the only time these 2 composers are on a list of anything together. Wagner is one of if not THE greatest composer to ever live... as far as the quality, scope, and nature are concerned. Wagner, the man who destroyed the gods and replaced them with his creations, will always endure. But as a human being he was one of the worst. I leave it to you to look up his personality flaws but the are both numerous and fatal. Eric Whitacre is not a great musician or composer. His music is not great. On a maturity level it is about as deep as a teacup for a termite but it is usually pretty, sometimes gorgeous, and performed ad nauseum. As a human being I can not stomach the man. He has no hand in the Holocaust (unlike Wagner) so that is a positive! But to listen to the man talk about his music and his process... I'm not saying it is sappy but it likely would give diabetes to a humming bird. "My inspiration for this piece was... on a sleepless evening a gossamer strand of moonlight, reflecting off a fairy wing, caused mystical beams of angels and the Christchild himself to shine a vision of perfection upon my pillow, feather-light waves of mercy and understanding and the call of a distant and lost age of man compelled upon me a soul beyond poetry, and while in that not-quite slumber, the hand of God rocked me gently while humming a tune of such serenity and beauty that I rushed to write it all down before the memory faded." This is my imitation of Eric Whitacre the man speaking of his music. Glurge Take 6 minutes and watch the video below. Try not to shudder. Wagner was a terrible man but one of it's greatest achievements. I was going to put a Whitacre video here as well... but after watching that Wagner clip it would sound far more damning than I planned to be. I don't have the heart to do that even to Whitacre. Added a page of links to websites I have found useful. Will add more as I can.
My first concert with Borger is this Sunday. The 23rd. Should be short but good. We have worked hard and the kids will do well. I have learned that there seems to be no middle ground for 6th graders. They either love choir or they hate it. I have plenty of both as this school district has the policy of requiring all 6th graders to take a full year of choir or band.
I have added a section to this page where I review Theory and other music books. This list will grow.
So I have a music theory class. 4 girls with no musical background, no interest in music beyond the scope of the class, and no apparent desire to pursue music beyond school. They aren't in choir. They aren't in band. They are in the class because they didn't want to take a different elective for personal or health reasons. This has me torn. I know for a fact that by the end of one semester they will know more about music, these 3 8th graders and 1 7th grader, than any 12th grade band or choir nerd. They will have a better grasp of music and have a better developed ear. The problem is... I feel it is wasted time for them.
Every teacher knows that their students won't use 100% of what they are taught in the real world, but they will use some of it. I don't think my theory kids will use one tiny bit of this class. I guess it rounds out their personality and give them some depth of character... it just seems so much more hollow an exercise for some reason. Above is the empty canvas in which music is made or mangled.
I find myself at a loss at how best to reach my students. I am replacing a choir director who has served faithfully and prostegiously as the Borger Choir director for 29 years. I haven't replaced a teacher but a member of the family. He taught my students and my students parents. I feel resentment more than just pre-teen angst at the dubious honor it is to replace a local living legend. I don't need to be loved but if I am to be resented let me of done something to earn that scorn. With an odd sense of ugency today has come at last. I begin the undertaking of directing the Borger Middle School Choir Much water has gone under the bridge. The passions of my youth are still compelling me I fear my age and disposition may tarnish that fire. I hope to teach the joy I rememer of music and not the memory it now recalls The attached picture is me standing in front of the perminantly affixed bio of John Bayless outside the Borger High School Auditorium John Bayless is/was a great pianist who left Borger to persue perfection. With an excess of talent, technique, and personality he conquered Juliard and the concert stage. I actually met him once. This was a few years AFTER my right arm was paralyzed but a few years BEFORE his was and we spoke of availible left hand alone piano repertoire, much of which I was aware but speaking with him made things feel somehow hopeful. He even spoke (most likely out of morbid curtesy) of writing a piece himself for piano left hand alone. Irony. Grotesque Irony I hope that Borger becomes a home. |
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