Before the flu came by for a visit, I managed to catch a showing of Les Miserables. I didn't hate the movie but didn't love it either. The movie had some real high and low points -- and I'm not talking about the general tear-jerker of the story line. What the movie did get me thinking about is the notion that there are actors who can sing and singers who can act. Some shows - Like Les Mis -- need singers who can act.
A true singer has at least a little actor in them. We are able to let go as we sing the song and let the character and emotion of the song wash through us. Think about some of the great performances you've seen regardless of musical genre. The really good ones that make your toes curl are the ones that the singer becomes one with the song. The singer may not actually be the best technically, but they managed to reach deep down inside and draw upon everything the song has to offer and feed it to you, the listener so that it touches you.
An actor who can sing might be able to do this, but actors generally pull from several bags of tricks to create the character. They may, in the end, give themselves over to the character completely, but they may not be able to give themselves over to the song. In many instances, this is fine -- not all songs are endless pools of emotions.
One thing I tell my students (and I can't take credit for this -- a theater friend taught me this) as they learn a new piece of music is to think about what just happened 30 seconds ago to inspire them to break out into song. Latch on to that teensy little period of time and let that spark ignite whatever emotion(s) the song brings up. If they can keep that moment in their mind's eye, the audience will see it too and be right there with them.
So back to Les Mis because it proves my point using two of its big-name actors. Russell Crowe is a fine actor. I've seen him in a number of movies and generally enjoy his performance. He is an actor who can sing and as such, fell flat as Javert. He couldn't capture the spark that lead to Javert's amazing monologues. I'd be willing to bet that if those monologues had been spoken instead of sung, Crowe would have nailed them. Anne Hathaway, on the other hand, had us down there in the gutter with her feeling the last shred of dignity leaching out of all us collectively during "I Dreamed A Dream'. Even though her background wouldn't suggest it, Hathaway is a singer who can act - and a damn fine one too.
As a voice teacher (and sometimes acting coach), I feel this is an important distinction to make, but it's an almost impossible thing to teach. Some of my students will never become singers who can act -- they have fine voices, but cannot give themselves over completely to the song. They take a technical approach to the song often times with lovely results, but lacking in emotion beyond whatever dynamics that are written into the piece. I have a few students who are solid actors that cannot translate that into song -- give them a monologue and they'll deliver. Give them a song and they may sound nice singing it, but they can't take it further. It takes courage and instincts that not all singers possess or can find in themselves. For the students where this comes fairly naturally -- and I have a couple -- I don't have much to teach them in this area, but instead, I throw ideas out at them for different approaches to take or places where they need to amp it up or tone it down and watch what unfolds.
When I was a voice student, I was fortunate enough to work with a coach who had performed and taught all over the world. She has some big names on her list of former students and, in her youth, had some wonderful opportunities. One day, she told me that one of her former students was a voice actor in a popular Disney movie. She concluded that while he was a good voice student, she knew that he would end up with speaking roles. At the time, I thought she was being kind about this person's singing abilities. Now that I'm a teacher and have experienced it for myself, I finally understand what she meant.
Monday, January 7, 2013
Tuesday, December 25, 2012
Wait. You should get paid to do that?!
Like so many churches across the U.S., ours is having budget issues. Things are looking up as people have stepped up to the plate and increased their pledges. A definite good thing. One thing that has come out of it is a hard look at what our church spends its money on including the music program. I think this sort of evaluation is a good thing -- are we sticking to the mission of the church? Are we using our money wisely? Of course the music program is being evaluated -- we're one of the biggest budgets for the programs and committees of the church. It's a significant amount of money -- not the largest budget compared to a few churches (mainly in the Boston area), but large by some standards. For what he has to work with, my boss has put together one of the top music programs here in the state.
During this process, though, some interesting viewpoints have come to light. The one that sticks in my craw is the idea that we as musicians should be doing this for free. This includes my boss, the Minister of Music. The rationale is usually along the lines that either music is just the "fluff" of the worship service or that we should give our services to the church because it's a church.
I can totally see how some people arrive to that first rationale. If you aren't into music, you aren't into. We try to run a varied program. I joke that our music program is much like the New England weather - if you don't like it, just wait for a few minutes. I think my boss does a phenomenal job of trying to appeal to as many as he can by keeping the selections varied -- everything from the "golden moldies" to modern. As a musician, I appreciate the variety as it keeps me on my toes from week-to-week. Unfortunately, you can't please everyone, though.
The second rationale makes absolutely no sense to me whatsoever. We don't expect our other ministers to work for free "for the good of the church" -- why should the professional musicians? My boss has his masters and has gone through the program that the American Guild of Organists offers that upon completion is pretty much on the level of getting your Ph.D. It's intense. Personally, I spent years (and tons of money) on my training to get me to where I am today. I do what I can to further my own education as time and money allows.
I think this whole idea of musicians doing stuff for free for the good of some cause or for the experience is common well outside of our church. Some think they're doing us musicians a favor just giving us that experience, so why should they pay us? Some think "it's just music" -- their kid can play a couple of tunes of the piano so how hard can it be? Yet, these same people would never expect their accountant to do their taxes for them for free or expect their doctor to give them a free exam or their minister to work at their church for nothing.
I am grateful that I know so many people who do understand that music -- like any other profession -- is..well.. a profession. I wish everyone did. Unlike some professions, music can be treated as a hobby and I do admit that music is fun for me. I like what I do and it sometimes feel like I'm being paid to do my most favorite hobby in the whole world. But I have bills to pay and education to further. If the church can no longer sustain a budget that pays me to show up and use my expertise, so be it. But please don't expect me to come and do it anyways for free because it's for the good of the church. I may decide to stick around because I love the work and I have the best boss in the world. If I do stick around, the arrangement will be different, though. Because at that point, singing at the church will be fully in the hobby category. Expecting otherwise is unreasonable.
During this process, though, some interesting viewpoints have come to light. The one that sticks in my craw is the idea that we as musicians should be doing this for free. This includes my boss, the Minister of Music. The rationale is usually along the lines that either music is just the "fluff" of the worship service or that we should give our services to the church because it's a church.
I can totally see how some people arrive to that first rationale. If you aren't into music, you aren't into. We try to run a varied program. I joke that our music program is much like the New England weather - if you don't like it, just wait for a few minutes. I think my boss does a phenomenal job of trying to appeal to as many as he can by keeping the selections varied -- everything from the "golden moldies" to modern. As a musician, I appreciate the variety as it keeps me on my toes from week-to-week. Unfortunately, you can't please everyone, though.
The second rationale makes absolutely no sense to me whatsoever. We don't expect our other ministers to work for free "for the good of the church" -- why should the professional musicians? My boss has his masters and has gone through the program that the American Guild of Organists offers that upon completion is pretty much on the level of getting your Ph.D. It's intense. Personally, I spent years (and tons of money) on my training to get me to where I am today. I do what I can to further my own education as time and money allows.
I think this whole idea of musicians doing stuff for free for the good of some cause or for the experience is common well outside of our church. Some think they're doing us musicians a favor just giving us that experience, so why should they pay us? Some think "it's just music" -- their kid can play a couple of tunes of the piano so how hard can it be? Yet, these same people would never expect their accountant to do their taxes for them for free or expect their doctor to give them a free exam or their minister to work at their church for nothing.
I am grateful that I know so many people who do understand that music -- like any other profession -- is..well.. a profession. I wish everyone did. Unlike some professions, music can be treated as a hobby and I do admit that music is fun for me. I like what I do and it sometimes feel like I'm being paid to do my most favorite hobby in the whole world. But I have bills to pay and education to further. If the church can no longer sustain a budget that pays me to show up and use my expertise, so be it. But please don't expect me to come and do it anyways for free because it's for the good of the church. I may decide to stick around because I love the work and I have the best boss in the world. If I do stick around, the arrangement will be different, though. Because at that point, singing at the church will be fully in the hobby category. Expecting otherwise is unreasonable.
Wednesday, November 21, 2012
Giving Thanks Again
I just went back and re-read my list from last year about what I was thankful for. I'm still thankful for all of that, but I want to be more specific this year.
My Super Cool Kid: I'm continually amazed at her creativity and the stuff she comes up with. I'm also continually overwhelmed by how quickly she absorbs information and is looking for a fresh source of it. Both of these ideas manifest themselves in just about every aspect of her life.
I'm thankful that she's finally settling into "her things". Music is definitely her biggest thing, which I know is unsurprising given that she's been hearing me sing/play the piano/make some kind of music since she was in the womb. I love to watch her learn how to play the piano. I love to watch her learn a new rhythm when we drum. I am a super-proud mama watching her sing and chime at church. I love watching her connect musical concepts to other things -- today, was the rhythm of poetry. In fact, today, she became inspired to set a poem we studied to music. This is a project she wants to start in earnest with me next week.
I'm thankful that she's taking a more active role in finding new resources for information. She's starting to tell me what she wants to learn and how she wants to do it. I still get a say in the process (for now), but I'm thankful that she's giving me lots of direction. This has subsequently made school much easier because it's something that we both look forward to doing most days.
I'm thankful for her friends. While all of us home schooling parents know that lack of socialization for our kids is a myth, it's still nice knowing that she has a great (and expansive) group of friends. I've watched her blossom over the last year into a bit of a social engineer. She has turned into the kid that tries to include everyone. She quickly figures out someone's strengths and plays to that so they feel comfortable. I'm amazed that she can do this at six when many adults fail at this miserably.
My Patient Husband: Between home schooling, teaching voice/music classes, and performances, I pull a 50 - 60 hour weeks most weeks. I am thankful that he's supportive (and helpful) on the home school front and understanding on the work front. I am also thankful that even though he's busy between his job and whatever projects he's into, he still manages to pick up quite a bit of the slack.
My Growing Studio: This year, I'm the busiest that I've ever been. My voice student had a huge influx of new students over the summer and has been steadily growing since. I'm thankful to see my business grow even though economic times aren't the best.
I'm also thankful for my students. They continually challenge me. The old saying says that you learn when you start to teach. This is absolutely true. I'm a better singer than I was before I started teaching. I have a huge bag of tricks and ways to teach my students various concepts. All the time spent at the piano with my students has bettered my keyboard skills to the point that I'm less uncomfortable playing in front of an audience. But what I'm most thankful for is that I really like all of my students. I don't have any crazies. Whether they admit or not, I think they all want to be there for their lesson and are enjoying the process.
My Friends: I have the coolest friends. You know who you are. Some of you I see all the time. Some of you I wish I could see more often but schedules or distance makes that a challenge. Some of you I see on Facebook and that's it. I am thankful that I'm connected to you however I am and I am thankful for the laughs and conversation and the support and stability.
As I sit down to my Tofurkey dinner, I look forward to giving thanks for the huge bounty good stuff in my life.
My Super Cool Kid: I'm continually amazed at her creativity and the stuff she comes up with. I'm also continually overwhelmed by how quickly she absorbs information and is looking for a fresh source of it. Both of these ideas manifest themselves in just about every aspect of her life.
I'm thankful that she's finally settling into "her things". Music is definitely her biggest thing, which I know is unsurprising given that she's been hearing me sing/play the piano/make some kind of music since she was in the womb. I love to watch her learn how to play the piano. I love to watch her learn a new rhythm when we drum. I am a super-proud mama watching her sing and chime at church. I love watching her connect musical concepts to other things -- today, was the rhythm of poetry. In fact, today, she became inspired to set a poem we studied to music. This is a project she wants to start in earnest with me next week.
I'm thankful that she's taking a more active role in finding new resources for information. She's starting to tell me what she wants to learn and how she wants to do it. I still get a say in the process (for now), but I'm thankful that she's giving me lots of direction. This has subsequently made school much easier because it's something that we both look forward to doing most days.
I'm thankful for her friends. While all of us home schooling parents know that lack of socialization for our kids is a myth, it's still nice knowing that she has a great (and expansive) group of friends. I've watched her blossom over the last year into a bit of a social engineer. She has turned into the kid that tries to include everyone. She quickly figures out someone's strengths and plays to that so they feel comfortable. I'm amazed that she can do this at six when many adults fail at this miserably.
My Patient Husband: Between home schooling, teaching voice/music classes, and performances, I pull a 50 - 60 hour weeks most weeks. I am thankful that he's supportive (and helpful) on the home school front and understanding on the work front. I am also thankful that even though he's busy between his job and whatever projects he's into, he still manages to pick up quite a bit of the slack.
My Growing Studio: This year, I'm the busiest that I've ever been. My voice student had a huge influx of new students over the summer and has been steadily growing since. I'm thankful to see my business grow even though economic times aren't the best.
I'm also thankful for my students. They continually challenge me. The old saying says that you learn when you start to teach. This is absolutely true. I'm a better singer than I was before I started teaching. I have a huge bag of tricks and ways to teach my students various concepts. All the time spent at the piano with my students has bettered my keyboard skills to the point that I'm less uncomfortable playing in front of an audience. But what I'm most thankful for is that I really like all of my students. I don't have any crazies. Whether they admit or not, I think they all want to be there for their lesson and are enjoying the process.
My Friends: I have the coolest friends. You know who you are. Some of you I see all the time. Some of you I wish I could see more often but schedules or distance makes that a challenge. Some of you I see on Facebook and that's it. I am thankful that I'm connected to you however I am and I am thankful for the laughs and conversation and the support and stability.
As I sit down to my Tofurkey dinner, I look forward to giving thanks for the huge bounty good stuff in my life.
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
And so it begins...again...
I'm now just a few labels and an archive binder short of having everything together to start school. Our first "real" year of school. I say this because The Peanut would be entering 1st grade this year. Kindergarten isn't mandatory in Massachusetts so whatever we did last year was just gravy. We had a lot of gravy.
Getting ready this year was particularly stressful. Starting a bunch of new curricula for various subjects takes some time to figure out and plan for. Science is basically being put together from scratch with just a solid outline and some starter suggestions for reading and activities given by the book. This is how I like it. Lots of flexibility. That flexibility comes at a cost, though. I can't just open a book and have all the thinking and planning done for me. I have to find time to do it in amongst summer plans, work, running a camp, etc.
The Peanut has been watching me from the other side of our makeshift music studio classroom for the past few months. She works on her latest masterpiece while I read, organize, and plan. She reviews the books I'm looking at from afar to see if I've picked the ones with the prettiest covers and most interesting sounding titles. Occasionally, she creeps over and looks over my shoulder. She told me the other day that she's excited to start school again and can't wait to see all the new stuff. I feel better about the pressure-cooker I put myself in this past month to make it happen knowing that she's happy to get started.
Unlike previous years, my schedule is full. Other years, I've been busy, but not quite like this. I am frequently concerned that I bit off too much. Between school, teaching, and managing things for Pakachoag, I've got my hands full. It's a tricky balancing act that I hope I can pull off because I love everything that I'm doing right now and I don't want to give any of it up. I hope I'm not kidding myself into thinking I can have it all, but that is my sincerest hope.
We shall see in just two weeks. We're off to my parents house next week, which I hope is a better visit than last summer's fiasco. When we return, school starts. My new teaching schedule starts. Several other responsibilities that have been on hiatus because of the summer resume. I'm looking forward to the Fall - crazy schedule and all. I miss my one-on-one time with The Peanut. This summer, between camps and whatever project she threw herself into plus my nutty schedule, we haven't had nearly as much time together like we do during the school year. I miss singing with Senior Choir every week. I miss the stability of having most of my students show up in a given week since the summer is all about remembering to write down who's on vacation this week and last minute cancellations due to spontaneous planning. I'm excited to see the Shrewsbury program for Pakachoag grow.
I have no idea what will happen with this year. I can only guarantee one thing: this year will certainly be different. And, for now, I'm ok with that.
Getting ready this year was particularly stressful. Starting a bunch of new curricula for various subjects takes some time to figure out and plan for. Science is basically being put together from scratch with just a solid outline and some starter suggestions for reading and activities given by the book. This is how I like it. Lots of flexibility. That flexibility comes at a cost, though. I can't just open a book and have all the thinking and planning done for me. I have to find time to do it in amongst summer plans, work, running a camp, etc.
The Peanut has been watching me from the other side of our makeshift music studio classroom for the past few months. She works on her latest masterpiece while I read, organize, and plan. She reviews the books I'm looking at from afar to see if I've picked the ones with the prettiest covers and most interesting sounding titles. Occasionally, she creeps over and looks over my shoulder. She told me the other day that she's excited to start school again and can't wait to see all the new stuff. I feel better about the pressure-cooker I put myself in this past month to make it happen knowing that she's happy to get started.
Unlike previous years, my schedule is full. Other years, I've been busy, but not quite like this. I am frequently concerned that I bit off too much. Between school, teaching, and managing things for Pakachoag, I've got my hands full. It's a tricky balancing act that I hope I can pull off because I love everything that I'm doing right now and I don't want to give any of it up. I hope I'm not kidding myself into thinking I can have it all, but that is my sincerest hope.
We shall see in just two weeks. We're off to my parents house next week, which I hope is a better visit than last summer's fiasco. When we return, school starts. My new teaching schedule starts. Several other responsibilities that have been on hiatus because of the summer resume. I'm looking forward to the Fall - crazy schedule and all. I miss my one-on-one time with The Peanut. This summer, between camps and whatever project she threw herself into plus my nutty schedule, we haven't had nearly as much time together like we do during the school year. I miss singing with Senior Choir every week. I miss the stability of having most of my students show up in a given week since the summer is all about remembering to write down who's on vacation this week and last minute cancellations due to spontaneous planning. I'm excited to see the Shrewsbury program for Pakachoag grow.
I have no idea what will happen with this year. I can only guarantee one thing: this year will certainly be different. And, for now, I'm ok with that.
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
Plan...plan...plan
I am a hopeless planner. I envy some of our homeschooling friends who seem to take it one-day-at-a-time. Maybe it's because of my own personal schedule and needing to make sure we fit school in during its designated time, but I need to have a game plan. And that game plan needs to be long term since I don't have tons of time during the academic year to research new options and implement something.
I got lucky this year -- or maybe I'm getting better at understanding what makes The Peanut tick -- because what I picked for school this past year worked for the most part. There were a few things that we did that I felt could have been better, but that was more from my perspective -- The Peanut was happy doing what I picked. So with that said, here's the rundown for this upcoming year.
Language Arts
Here's one area where I thought what we did worked, but probably could have been better. We're changing over to the Michael Clay Thompson Series which encompasses grammar, writing, poetry, and word origins. I think this series will be a hit as the grammar and writing portions are handled more in a story book format with lots of free form writing exercises plus a book that starts teaching sentence diagramming.
Along with that, we'll continue our Poem of the Week tradition that we started last year. She really enjoys doing it and ends up with a fun keepsake at the end of the school year. We'll also continue using Spectrum Spelling and Zaner Bloser Handwriting. Oh. And reading. Lots of reading. (This is something that requires no planning on my part if I want it that way. The Peanut is a little bookworm. This year, I do have a few books that I'd like to make sure end up on her reading list, but if they don't happen, I don't care.)
Mathi
We will continue with CSMP Math. While she doesn't love every second of it, I think overall, it's a program that clicks with her. It's well-paced and challenging, uses story books, and utilizes some really cool manipulatives to visually represent what's going on. Unless something dramatic changes, I suspect we'll use this program to its conclusion.
I do supplement this with other activities weekly. CSMP is a very intense program, so we have a weekly "math fun day". Some weeks, we just play a board game. Other weeks, I have a fun activity or a math story book to read and discuss. During this time, my goal is to show her the fun side of math and/or the relevance of it.
History:
I completely scored the jackpot when I selected Story of the World as our curriculum. It allows you to go as deep or shallow as your child needs to go -- so you can just cover the basics or you can spend time on a chapter, reading related books, doing hands-on activities, looking at art, etc, etc. The Activity Book that comes with the text is a fantastic resource and The Peanut likes to go deep on whatever she's studying. I could not do this program without the excellent library and interlibrary loan system our state has, though -- or I'd be broke buying stuff from Amazon!
Science:
This is the one subject that I felt lacked last year. Originally, I had wanted to follow the Classical Education model for sciences -- starting in grade school, rotate through Chemistry, Physics, Life Sciences, and Earth/Space Science doing one a year. In theory, starting with Chem or Physics is better because the other two sciences build on them. We did Chemistry using a blend of two different publishers. She loved what we did, but I was always tweaking it to fit her interest level and I was never completely satisfied with how it came together. For the long term, it doesn't matter. She knows what an atom is (and that what it's made up of), she's been exposed to the Periodic Chart of Elements and knows where to find some of the elements, and she understands what a chemical reaction is. We did some nifty experiments along the way.
So I'm back to writing my own lessons again. I purchased the first two books in the Building Foundations for Scientific Learning series. (I got them used - I love a good bargain!) It doesn't follow one branch exclusively instead offering four tracks with lessons that build on each other across those tracks. There is no set order, instead there are a few different ways to approach the progression. It gives me a framework with objectives plus a list of additional resources -- so I can spend a few days on a concept or a few weeks depending on The Peanut's level of interest. So, like with The Story of the World, I have a ton of flexibility. I've been doing lots of pre-reading and lesson planning based on this series. I think she's going to dig science next year.
Other Stuff:
This past year was our final year for gymnastics. While The Peanut didn't hate it, I don't really think it was her "thing" either. We started swim lessons this past spring and will continue those in the Fall. Our health club and a local recreation department both have a bunch of other classes and activities for kids so I'm sure we'll try some of those out as well. The Peanut is a pretty active kid, so I'm not worried about her being a slug on the couch. I do want to make it easy for her to get some exercise when the weather turns cold and nasty, though.
The Peanut will also continue her piano lessons and spending time with Miss Susan, my friend who just happens to be an amazing art teacher. She'll also be starting with our church's chimer choir in the Fall. She has friends doing it so not only will she be learning something new, she'll be hanging with her friends while doing it. She enjoys both art and music and if I had to pick something as her "thing", I'd say it would be somewhere in this realm.
Socialization:
The Peanut has a better social life than I ever did. Granted, I make an effort to make sure that she does have kids to play with on a regular basis, but it really isn't all that hard. We've fallen in with a great group of home school kids -- we've both made several amazing friends here. I really think this is her tribe -- several of the kids are also only-children so they get each other on a level that kids with siblings don't. We will continue to meet with them at least once a week for play time, science (human body in the Fall), book group, nature walks, and whatever else strikes our fancy along the way.
In addition to that, Wombat and I restarted our game and potluck Saturdays which brings in a variety of kids from all her social circles. This only happens once every month or so, but it's a great day for her as well as all the adults who come over. She also has her church friends, plus several of our friends from college have kids her age... In other words, she has no lack of social opportunities. Some weeks, I have to schedule a day to just chill out at home because she's so busy!
We have an exciting year planned next year. I'm thankful for the summer to give us a breather before diving into it -- I also need the time to finish my planning!
I got lucky this year -- or maybe I'm getting better at understanding what makes The Peanut tick -- because what I picked for school this past year worked for the most part. There were a few things that we did that I felt could have been better, but that was more from my perspective -- The Peanut was happy doing what I picked. So with that said, here's the rundown for this upcoming year.
Language Arts
Here's one area where I thought what we did worked, but probably could have been better. We're changing over to the Michael Clay Thompson Series which encompasses grammar, writing, poetry, and word origins. I think this series will be a hit as the grammar and writing portions are handled more in a story book format with lots of free form writing exercises plus a book that starts teaching sentence diagramming.
Along with that, we'll continue our Poem of the Week tradition that we started last year. She really enjoys doing it and ends up with a fun keepsake at the end of the school year. We'll also continue using Spectrum Spelling and Zaner Bloser Handwriting. Oh. And reading. Lots of reading. (This is something that requires no planning on my part if I want it that way. The Peanut is a little bookworm. This year, I do have a few books that I'd like to make sure end up on her reading list, but if they don't happen, I don't care.)
Mathi
We will continue with CSMP Math. While she doesn't love every second of it, I think overall, it's a program that clicks with her. It's well-paced and challenging, uses story books, and utilizes some really cool manipulatives to visually represent what's going on. Unless something dramatic changes, I suspect we'll use this program to its conclusion.
I do supplement this with other activities weekly. CSMP is a very intense program, so we have a weekly "math fun day". Some weeks, we just play a board game. Other weeks, I have a fun activity or a math story book to read and discuss. During this time, my goal is to show her the fun side of math and/or the relevance of it.
History:
I completely scored the jackpot when I selected Story of the World as our curriculum. It allows you to go as deep or shallow as your child needs to go -- so you can just cover the basics or you can spend time on a chapter, reading related books, doing hands-on activities, looking at art, etc, etc. The Activity Book that comes with the text is a fantastic resource and The Peanut likes to go deep on whatever she's studying. I could not do this program without the excellent library and interlibrary loan system our state has, though -- or I'd be broke buying stuff from Amazon!
Science:
This is the one subject that I felt lacked last year. Originally, I had wanted to follow the Classical Education model for sciences -- starting in grade school, rotate through Chemistry, Physics, Life Sciences, and Earth/Space Science doing one a year. In theory, starting with Chem or Physics is better because the other two sciences build on them. We did Chemistry using a blend of two different publishers. She loved what we did, but I was always tweaking it to fit her interest level and I was never completely satisfied with how it came together. For the long term, it doesn't matter. She knows what an atom is (and that what it's made up of), she's been exposed to the Periodic Chart of Elements and knows where to find some of the elements, and she understands what a chemical reaction is. We did some nifty experiments along the way.
So I'm back to writing my own lessons again. I purchased the first two books in the Building Foundations for Scientific Learning series. (I got them used - I love a good bargain!) It doesn't follow one branch exclusively instead offering four tracks with lessons that build on each other across those tracks. There is no set order, instead there are a few different ways to approach the progression. It gives me a framework with objectives plus a list of additional resources -- so I can spend a few days on a concept or a few weeks depending on The Peanut's level of interest. So, like with The Story of the World, I have a ton of flexibility. I've been doing lots of pre-reading and lesson planning based on this series. I think she's going to dig science next year.
Other Stuff:
This past year was our final year for gymnastics. While The Peanut didn't hate it, I don't really think it was her "thing" either. We started swim lessons this past spring and will continue those in the Fall. Our health club and a local recreation department both have a bunch of other classes and activities for kids so I'm sure we'll try some of those out as well. The Peanut is a pretty active kid, so I'm not worried about her being a slug on the couch. I do want to make it easy for her to get some exercise when the weather turns cold and nasty, though.
The Peanut will also continue her piano lessons and spending time with Miss Susan, my friend who just happens to be an amazing art teacher. She'll also be starting with our church's chimer choir in the Fall. She has friends doing it so not only will she be learning something new, she'll be hanging with her friends while doing it. She enjoys both art and music and if I had to pick something as her "thing", I'd say it would be somewhere in this realm.
Socialization:
The Peanut has a better social life than I ever did. Granted, I make an effort to make sure that she does have kids to play with on a regular basis, but it really isn't all that hard. We've fallen in with a great group of home school kids -- we've both made several amazing friends here. I really think this is her tribe -- several of the kids are also only-children so they get each other on a level that kids with siblings don't. We will continue to meet with them at least once a week for play time, science (human body in the Fall), book group, nature walks, and whatever else strikes our fancy along the way.
In addition to that, Wombat and I restarted our game and potluck Saturdays which brings in a variety of kids from all her social circles. This only happens once every month or so, but it's a great day for her as well as all the adults who come over. She also has her church friends, plus several of our friends from college have kids her age... In other words, she has no lack of social opportunities. Some weeks, I have to schedule a day to just chill out at home because she's so busy!
We have an exciting year planned next year. I'm thankful for the summer to give us a breather before diving into it -- I also need the time to finish my planning!
Sunday, July 1, 2012
Voice Teacher: The General Practioner
Nobody told me when I started teaching voice that there's a lot more to it than just teaching someone how to sing. I am at times a personal trainer. Other times, a psychologist. A cheerleader. And often times, someone to talk to. For some of my lessons, the actual voice instruction is a secondary thing.
Since the voice is part of one's body, what's happening with the body and mind completely affect your singing. A clarinet player has the option in the middle of the concert to disassemble their instrument, clean it out, change the reed, etc, if it's not working up to snuff. A singer can't do that. Allergies making you croaky? Sing through it. Drink too much last night? Shame on you -- sing through it! Out of shape and can't control your breath? Start working out -- and in the meantime, we'll have to figure out how you can learn to sing through it (without hurting yourself)! Having a bad day? Sorry to hear that - sing through it! Oh, and, ladies, your voice teacher can tell when you're starting your period. Sometimes before you know it.
I often marvel at the conversations that come up during a voice lesson. Many of my students vent about their terrible day -- it's the only way they can get themselves focused to actually sing something. Some of my students dig up some deep, long-forgotten pain that explains why they can't let go and just sing. Others tell me of problems in their relationships, work environments, or other areas of their lives. I have also come to the conclusion that some of the best singers I work with (either in the studio or side-by-side on stage) are the most insecure people I have ever met. In the studio, this means picking up on that insecurity (if it's not overtly obvious) and teaching them to fluff their egos a little before tackling their next song. On stage, it's learning how to give an encouraging word without sounding like you're fake or talking down to your colleague.
With all this said, my students (most of them anyways) are not nut jobs in need of therapy. I actually do have a few that just show up and sing and work on their mechanics with me. The flip side to not putting some of that inner emotion/pain/angst out there is that often times, the students who don't want to share much get the least out of their lesson. Their separation of their emotion from their music can actually hinder them as they are only doing 50% of what goes into making a song good. Which would you rather listen to: a pretty song that's sung with no guts or a song that puts it all out there even if it's not technically spot-on? (If you get both the guts and the perfect technic, then you've got yourself a first class singer).
Part of what I end up teaching is balance. You can't break down into a pull of mush halfway through a song if you're performing it on stage. (In fact, I'd rather not see that during a lesson either). But you need to put some meaning and emotion into what you're singing if it's going to go somewhere. I truly enjoy the challenges my teaching gives me. My own teacher encouraged me to just get out there and start teaching telling me that I would learn more as a performer doing that than she could ever teach me. She was absolutely right. I just wish she told me that the voice-training part was only a small part of of the job.
Since the voice is part of one's body, what's happening with the body and mind completely affect your singing. A clarinet player has the option in the middle of the concert to disassemble their instrument, clean it out, change the reed, etc, if it's not working up to snuff. A singer can't do that. Allergies making you croaky? Sing through it. Drink too much last night? Shame on you -- sing through it! Out of shape and can't control your breath? Start working out -- and in the meantime, we'll have to figure out how you can learn to sing through it (without hurting yourself)! Having a bad day? Sorry to hear that - sing through it! Oh, and, ladies, your voice teacher can tell when you're starting your period. Sometimes before you know it.
I often marvel at the conversations that come up during a voice lesson. Many of my students vent about their terrible day -- it's the only way they can get themselves focused to actually sing something. Some of my students dig up some deep, long-forgotten pain that explains why they can't let go and just sing. Others tell me of problems in their relationships, work environments, or other areas of their lives. I have also come to the conclusion that some of the best singers I work with (either in the studio or side-by-side on stage) are the most insecure people I have ever met. In the studio, this means picking up on that insecurity (if it's not overtly obvious) and teaching them to fluff their egos a little before tackling their next song. On stage, it's learning how to give an encouraging word without sounding like you're fake or talking down to your colleague.
With all this said, my students (most of them anyways) are not nut jobs in need of therapy. I actually do have a few that just show up and sing and work on their mechanics with me. The flip side to not putting some of that inner emotion/pain/angst out there is that often times, the students who don't want to share much get the least out of their lesson. Their separation of their emotion from their music can actually hinder them as they are only doing 50% of what goes into making a song good. Which would you rather listen to: a pretty song that's sung with no guts or a song that puts it all out there even if it's not technically spot-on? (If you get both the guts and the perfect technic, then you've got yourself a first class singer).
Part of what I end up teaching is balance. You can't break down into a pull of mush halfway through a song if you're performing it on stage. (In fact, I'd rather not see that during a lesson either). But you need to put some meaning and emotion into what you're singing if it's going to go somewhere. I truly enjoy the challenges my teaching gives me. My own teacher encouraged me to just get out there and start teaching telling me that I would learn more as a performer doing that than she could ever teach me. She was absolutely right. I just wish she told me that the voice-training part was only a small part of of the job.
Saturday, June 16, 2012
Why I Homeschool
Last night, my friend and I had a Girl's Night Out. She's a music educator in a public school so we always have an entertaining time talking about the pros and cons of teaching music in a school versus teaching private lessons. (We usually manage to confirm for each other that we've made the right choice for ourselves). She also has an infant who just turned one so she's enjoying the daily "what's new" with my baby phase. As educators, we both love this time -- watching the lightbulb go off for a kid is pretty darn cool. When it's your own kid, it's over-the-moon. I miss those days with The Peanut. She certainly has the lightbulb go off regularly, but it's not quite a constant thing that it was when she was an infant-turning-into-a-toddler.
All this makes today extra exciting. We attended Touch Tomorrow at WPI, a festival all about NASA, space, and robotics. It took over a good bit of the campus with hands-on displays, scientists and engineers who worked on various robotics teams including the Mars Rover, astronauts, simulations, student displays, mini experiments, etc, etc, etc. The Peanut loves this stuff. We did a unit on robotics and several space-related units during our first year of homeschooling (when I was winging science). This got her going and now this stuff is high on her list of favorite topics, so today was set up as a win before we even left the house this morning.
As we wandered around campus, I watched her turn on her "sponge mode", just taking it all in. As we walked through the campus quad, we saw models of the Mars Rover, did a few hands-on experiments (some of which we've done together, but these were cooler because they were directed by college students, not mom), and looked at a bunch of simulations. The lightbulbs started flashing, though, when we got to the campus center. On the second floor were several robots that were built for competition. She was so excited to find the room they were in only to be disappointed because they didn't look like robots. Despite having studied the Mars Rover (and looking at models of it mere moments ago on the quad), it didn't occur to her that robots come in all different forms and sizes. Her disappointment soon turned to fascination, though, as we went and talked to a woman on one of the teams who explained what their particular robot did. First lightbulb.
Back downstairs, we then saw a Lego robotics team with several of their creations. Second lightbulb. (Did I mention that The Peanut LOVES Legos?) This sparked a conversation about going home and building robots of our own and what we would need to do so. Third lightbulb. Wombat and I had planned all along to at least expose her to programming concepts at some point and we had discussed using Lego Mindstorms to do it. We did not expect to do it this year. This has changed. Wombat now has two projects to work on with The Peanut this year -- teach her how to play chess (also by her request) and now, build Lego robots. He wanted to find at least one way to become more regularly involved in her schooling. Now he has two. The day had several more lightbulbs, but none quite as vibrant as those first few over the robots. This will also work well with our little homeschool group as there are a couple of other kids around her age who share similar interests.
I have many reasons why I homeschool. If I had to pick only one reason to do it, though, I would pick those lightbulbs. To be a part of her discoveries is magical and I wouldn't miss them for the world.
On a side note, as I sit and write this, I can hear the conversation between Wombat and the Peanut as he's getting her ready for the bed. It's all about how the camera on one of the robots we saw today sees and recognizes things. She's firing questions at him fast and furiously.
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