September and October CDs were mailed out this morning. I'm going to refrain from ever saying, "I hope to have them out soon" again. It's foolish of me to ever think I will have enough time to get them out when I say they will be going out. That being said, I am hoping to have the November playlist made by Thanksgiving and, ideally, mailed out in a month that starts with Nov. So, unless Novembuary is added to the calendar soon, I'm going to have to work hard.
Please continue to let me know when/if you get your music and to let me know what you think of it all!
Time Flies When you are putting on your first concerts:
That's right. Plural. Concerts. As I teach at both high schools in the district, I thought it would be a nice gesture to combine the ensembles from each school to form a big, full, professional-type concert. Then, I decided neither school should have home-field advantage for the show and I scheduled two concerts, back-to-back, on Monday, October 25 and Tuesday, October 26. The first took place at Glennallen and the next night we traveled down to Kenny Lake. I had this grand idea that since both schools would be traveling during dinnertime, the host school would provide a meal and we would all commune together before the show and relax and come together in a musical spirit. Well, that took a lot more planning than I thought. Coordinating parents to donate food stuffs as well as some baked goods to peddle at intermission was no easy task. I have learned that it is far better to simply ask people to help in a certain fashion than to ask for volunteers and have them place themselves. I had some wonderful parents step out of the woodwork (seemingly at the last minute) to put together an awesome experience at each school. The Home Ec. teacher at GHS had her classes whip up stuff for the meal all day and parents at Kenny Lake showed up with crockpots full of soups and homemade bread.
So, after a brief rehearsal as a mass band/choir, we ate and were merry. It was actually a very nice time. The junior high and theater class also performed. I heard nothing but compliments from parents and community members. The kids even gave me flowers after the first show and an "Alaskan Survival Kit" after the second (complete with firewood, bug spray, homemade jam, pork chops, and fishing gloves). I have some video of it and after I get a chance to edit out the intermission, would love to post it somewhere for all to see.
It was also quite fortunate we had an Inservice Day the Wednesday of that week. So, the kids had the day off and I got to sleep in before afternoon meetings and such.
Parent/Teacher conferences were also that week. I had only about a dozen or so parents visit with me. Most were parents of kids doing well in my classes who had excellent things to say about my brief teaching career. A few wanted to know why their kids were getting Bs or Cs. When you only turn in 75% of your assignments, the best you can hope for is a 75%. Some kids are just lazy. I might have to look for some appropriate motivation.
I spent my Halloween weekend caribou hunting with John. Well, HE was going caribou hunting. I was along for the ride. Though, I did splurge on a small-game license (ptarmigan, rabbit, fox, etc...) and borrow his 12-gauge for the day. I spent the day in awe of the beautiful sights this my area has to offer, but didn't see a single thing worth shooting.
The oddest part about hunting in AK is that as long as you have one foot off the road, you can legally shoot something. In addition, because of Alaska's wild-ness, you have to do most of your hunting near the road system or risk trying to pack out a 500-pound caribou for a couple of miles. So, you drive along the roads really slow, scouring the countryside for good views/signs of life. Then, when you see something, you stop the car, grab your gun (which is already loaded and right next to you in the passenger seat, step off the road, and shoot it. So. Weird. I did convince John to do a little bit of hiking and sitting outside. It was good to get out of Glennallen for a day.
At the school Halloween Carnival (where I was sponsoring the Junior class and student council), I dressed as a King Salmon. I dressed in all gray with a red tie and wore a construction paper crown. The duck tape dorsal fin on my back made most people think I was King Shark or something. I forgot to take a picture of myself, so I'm still looking to see if someone has one to post.
I was so broke at the end of October, I couldn't afford to buy Halloween candy. Luckily, I was able to stretch the candy my mom sent me to last the night. Also, I handed out October CDs to the high school kids who came knocking. Like they needed more candy!
Since then, I have been trying to kick things into high-gear to prepare for my Holiday concerts. Kenny Lake's is December 14 and Glennallen's is December 16. At Kenny Lake, I only have to take care of my 3 classes, which is going very well. At Glennallen, though, I have to plan out what each grade K-12 is doing, which is much harder, especially when I only see certain age groups once a week. I feel like I am behind trying to get these kids ready for Christmas, but I am trying very hard to not sacrifice learning about music for the sake of rehearsing Christmas stuff.
I've gone on a few minor adventures. Played in the river, taught some kids Mayville Rugby, ventured to the Tolsona lodge, etc... With a little more snow I could go XCountry Skiing or even sledding. However, everyone is sick and/or busy this time of year. And I am both.
Anyway, that's a long enough post for now! Hope the music and life treats you well!
