Chilean Clarinet

The clarinet recital, in case you were wondering, was excellent!!  I never realized that the clarinet was really the only wind instrument that Brahms wrote for.  It almost inspires me to pull out the Brahms Sonata in F Minor and attempt to not butcher the 3rd movement.  Got a closeup look at the Chilean clarinet at the end.  It was all one piece and the guy that made it is a clarinet genius!  He makes them in a way that solves a lot of the common clarinet problems (besides the squeaking).  The register key was like a saxophone octave key.  While this might seem sac-religious to clarinet purists, as a wanna be saxophone player I was totally digging it!  Something else to add to my "When I win the Lottery" list.

Inherently Happy People

You know the people I'm talking about right??  Those people who always view the glass as being half full as opposed to half empty, the people who love their job everyday, the folks who walk around with cartoon birds and woodland creatures buzzing about them because they are so happy........you know the folks that tend to disgust you from time to time.

I have a friend that is a happy person.  Have you ever been around a happy person when they have not had a stellar day?  Its a very odd sensation, kind of like there is some riff in the force.  I am hoping tomorrow is a better for my friend.

On another note, I am going to a recital tomorrow and I am actually kind of excited about it.  Brahms Sonatas played on a Chilean clarinet.  Yes, I realize that statement puts me in a whole new category of band geekdom, but I don't care. 

Side note, Brett Favre just threw his 500th touchdown pass...........it might be okay to retire now, just a thought........

Random Dozen

1. Do you believe, somewhere deep inside, that blondes do indeed have more fun? That they are "dumber" than brunettes or redheads? Be honest!  My friends who are blondes are fun to be around so I don't know, there may be something to that........

2. Which animal would you most like to observe in its wild habitat?  Cows, but their habitat really isn't that wild 

3. This week the U.N. announced that Dr. Mazlan Othman has been appointed the official "Alien Ambassador," should any extraterrestrials contact us. Have you, or has anyone you know, ever seen a UFO?  Let me email my friend Greg who lives in Roswell, NM.  He may have....

4. Name your favorite Hitchcock film.  I can honestly say I have never seen an Alfred Hitchcock film.  I have seen an episode of the The Simpsons that parodied one once though.

5. Would you rather spend time at the library, the mall, a craft store or home?  I would rather spend time at the golf course but I guess I will say home.

6. Which Disney princess is your favorite? (Or Disney character, if you are a guy)  Mulan, that girl kicks butt!!!

7. What kind of art is your favorite?  Artwork from my students.  Thanks to some talented kids I have things to hang on the wall.

8. How do you feel about viral videos, that is, videos made by amateurs that end up on Youtube receiving thousands of hits?  Some of them are pretty funny, others are just plain stupid.  I have to admit that no matter how bad of day I am having, Tracey always makes me laugh.  Peace and blessings, peace and blessings.


9. Where do you buy your jeans?  Where ever they are cheap and I find some that fit!

10. Tell me about your first automobile accident.  Well, let's see......I flew my dad's pickup for 30 feet and then rolled it three times, all while not wearing a seat belt.  I pretty much totaled the pickup.  I ended up on the floor on the passenger with one knee shoved up under the dash.  I swear to this day I still have pieces of glass in my back although my husband thinks I'm nuts.

11. Have you ever been honest when you knew you would benefit more if you would be dishonest?  *Sigh* 

12. If you were appointed "Ambassador to Aliens," what would you show and tell first about life on Earth? What would be the most difficult thing to explain?  I'm not really sure if the aliens would find it interesting but I'm pretty sure I could get  World Series tickets that way.  I think politics would be the most difficult thing to explain.

Fun with Harmonics

As a musician and a fan of science and math, this video caught my eye.  It was posted on Facebook on the "Teaching Music in the 21st Century" group that I am a part of.  I would not suggested having your speakers turned up very loud especially at the end.  The frequencies used were really messing with my ears and I'm not sure that I even heard all of them because of the damage my ears have sustained.   Enjoy!!!

My Classroom

Here are some pictures from my room.  The chairs are not always this neat.  In fact by the end of the day it kinds of looks like a tornado has hit the chair area.

The left side of the room are the instruments that are made out of wood.  We have maracas, shakers, wood blocks of all shapes and sizes, claves, guiros, castenets, rhythm sticks, two tone wood blocks, and our xylophones.

This is the right side of the room which are the instruments that are made out of metal and drums.  We have our resonator bells, cowbells, triangles, agogo bells, glockenspiels, wind chimes, finger cymbals, sleigh bells, jingle sticks, cabasa, tambourines, and the bongos and the hand drums. 

hmm.....what to blog about.....

Well, I suppose I could tell you about my weekend.  Friday night started off with a trip to Peabody Kansas.  I have some fond and not so fond memories of Peabody.  I remember their poor little cheerleaders when I was in junior high chanting PMS on the sidelines.  They changed their name to Peabody Junior High not too long after that.  I remember playing basketball in their little gym with the sidelines at the walls and the spectators up in the balconies.  Kind of a fun place to play except I went diving for a ball out of bounds in one of the corners and went rolling down a spiral staircase for my trouble.  And then there was our freshman basketball tournament where we ended the championship game 3 on 4 because everyone else had fouled out.  We won by the way, I still have the medal. 

Saturday was laundry day.  I don't enjoy doing laundry but it is better than cleaning the dishes and cooking which is the deal we have worked out in our house.  I did however, get to watch Back to the Future one and two, Snow White, and Aladdin in the process.

Then there was Sunday.  I took the Mr. Clean Magic Erasers to the bugs and the tar on my pickup.  Two and a half erasers later I was finally ready to head to the carwash.  After I got the truck back into presentable condition, I swept out the garage and we cleaned all the leaves and twigs off the back patio.  I went to school for a while to work on lesson plans for the week and showed the hubby my cool Interwrite Board, which I absolutely love!!!  The rest of the day pretty much consisted of "The Dukes of Hazzard" on CMT.  I loved that show when I was a kid.  I still like watching it but I have my dad's habit of dissecting shows and pointing out all the things that could never possibly happen. 

This week will include a visit to the Kansas State Fair.  I usually love going to the fair and I could spend all day there.  Unfortunately, this will be a pretty quick trip that will require me leaving before 5:00 am.  At least I can sleep on the bus!

Student of a Student

Tonight was my school's Open House.  Things got pretty intense in the music shack for a while. It was great to have so many kids and parents come out to see the room (even though there may have been some bribery involved). 

A few years ago I had a former student show up at 5th Grade Band Night.  I still remember seeing him coming down the hall grinning at me.  He was there with his two 5th grade step sons.   He then continued to torment me for the rest of the year showing up at parent/teacher conferences and every concert.  While this made me feel slightly old,  I reminded myself that these were not HIS kids.

Tonight, in walks one of my former students with her kindergarten daughter.  Yikes!!!  I guess this is it, I am now one of those teachers.  Luckily, I am so tired that I don't really have the energy to think about it right now. 

All elementary teachers deserve a reserved spot in heaven.........to quote Mrs. Hays........just sayin'.