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Mariachi

I'm in the middle of performing my normal Sunday afternoon task: lesson plans for the coming week. My third graders are studying Mexican music this week so I was searching for a video of some Mariachi to show them. I came across the one below, which I thought was so superb that I had to share it. This might not be your type of music, but you've gotta admit these guys are good!

12 Days of Christmas

Purple People Eater

In honor of Halloween, one of the 3rd grade classes will be singing Purple People Eater. Their classroom teacher asked me if I would make a recording for them to sing along with and I decided to do a Soulja Boy remix.

If you haven't heard Crank That yet, first listen to this excerpt:

Next, listen to my Purple People Eater remix:

First Impressions

So far, teaching music in an urban elementary school is just plain difficult. I have over 300 new names to learn and I know maybe 30-40 so far. The group I know best is my lunch crew. I have lunch duty every day and I am assigned to specific group of 2nd graders. They are cute but difficult to work with nonetheless. They only get a half an hour to eat and lunch and have recess every day. I think they need  lot more time to expel some energy! Many of them only eat a small amount of the food they are given. Our school is big on their new health policy, which means they can't have candy, soda, potato chips, etc. No one is making sure they actually get some nutrients into their bodies, though!

I have two classes for each grade, from kindergarten up to grade 6. I also teach a combined pre-K class, which includes special needs students. My easiest classes are probably kindergarten and 1st grade, although I always find that I run out of stuff to do with my kindergarteners! From 2nd grade up, they become a real handful. There is always a lot of anger in the air and it's difficult not to get angry myself. We do a call and response clapping drill, which is supposed to get their attention. I give smelly stickers to those who freeze when they're supposed to. They freeze pretty well, but it never lasts long. All of my classes, from 2nd to 6th, are on a point system where they are working toward an incentive they chose as a class. A pizza party is the most popular one. Thankfully, the nurse gave me the OK on bringing in pizza.

It seems that just about every child in the whole school knows the Soulja Boy dance. Hopefully, I will be able to develop lessons that are more immediately relevant to their world as I go along. I want to broaden their horizons, but I also want to meet them "where they're at" and help them to explore the music that surrounds them daily.

Chorus is going fairly well so far. I have about 60 participants and they are divided into three groups. My most difficult rehearsal so far was the first one with boys only (they're group 3). We're learning 6 songs for our Winter concert.

I guess that's all for now...

The Good Life

Popular music has helped to keep composers in touch with their audience—that is, until the mid-twentieth century, when composers turned away from their audiences (and from popular music), with disastrous results....I am concerned with maintaining good relations with the audience; I see the composer as a moral force, as an instructor, and as an essential contributor to the good life. (William Russo, Composing Music, p.179)

Primo PDF

I highly recommend Primo PDF, an application that allows you to create PDFs for free. I've never used Adobe Acrobat or the like, so I can comment on the comparative quality. For the price, however, I think this is a great deal. I've used it to share sheet music that I prepared in my cheap notation program. Once it's installed, all you have to do is print your document, but select Primo PDF as your "printer."

Update on the Job

As of today I am officially certified to do alternate route teaching! We also found out that the school I'm going to be working for is willing to start me at a higher salary because of the credits I earned toward a Master's at Fuller. I met with the superintendent of schools today and now I just have to wait for approval from the Board of Education.

A Job!

It looks like I may have a job for the Fall! A real live teaching job! I am being recommended for the position by the principal of the school and the music supervisor for the district. Now I just have to be interviewed by the superintendent of schools. The position is K-6 general music plus a 4th-6th grade chorus.

Two Down...

...one to go. Composing and Arranging World Music for the Classroom was not all I hoped it would be, but I did learn some things and was exposed to some good resources. One of the highlights for a lot of people in the class was that we built our own guitar-like instrument and a xylophone. I'm not really too much into building things so it didn't excite me that much. In the end, however, I have to admit that it was kind of fun.

I have a week off now followed by Choral Conducting the following week.

One Class Down...

...two to go. I spent the last week driving down to Villanova, which is near Philadelphia, for a graduate-level class. It's about a 2 hour drive each way. The class was called Understanding Rhythm Through West African Culture. We learned to play drums, sing, and dance to several different styles of music from Ghana. We also learned how to teach complex rhythms by simplifying them and then gradually increasing the complexity. It was a lot of fun, including the dancing. I wasn't very good at that part, but I think it's something students of all ages could get into.

Next week: Composing and Arranging World Music for the Classroom