The 11:00 News: Concert Bloopers & Ramblings

Tonight was the first of two spring concerts--and what a night it was! "They" (whoever "they" are) say that there is a first time for everything. The Bible has a different take and says that there is nothing "new under the sun." I will let you decide where this story fits in....my orchestra kids were up on stage playing away, I was up on stage conducting away when something strange went wrong and I stabbed myself with my baton. Yes, I stabbed myself with my baton. How does that happen one might ask? To begin with, my baton broke a few years ago and I haven't had the heart, time or energy to look into replacing it. It is my trusty old baton left over from my Fredonia days. I have no idea how I managed to do it, but in the middle of a song (while my brain was so busy multitasking) I waved an arm strangely and managed to stab myself with the broken part of my baton. While I was trying to process what had just happened (and continue conducting as if nothing had happened) I looked down and saw that I was bleeding profusely. My brain then thought about the white blouse that I was wearing (all while I was still beating out a 4 pattern)......

My only saving grace was that the students did not notice. In fact, because of where she was sitting, the only person who could've noticed was my principal. Thankfully I made it through the next orchestra song without managing to get blood on my guitar.

After that fiasco, I had to conduct Chamber Orchestra...where I proceeded to give a wrong cue because I was still bleeding. Thankfully my students had enough sense to not totally follow me. At that point I just wanted to walk off of the stage. And in all honesty, I probably could've. Truth of the matter is, once you give the downbeat, all control is out of your hands. I've been working on training the kids to listen to each other not only because it is a basic musicianship skill, but so that in the event of my stupidity, they will be able to carry on.

What a night! Bleeding & conducting at the same time, all while trying to remember who to cue when and not get my blouse dirty....house lights that wouldn't dim...kids who absolutely crack me up...the list could go on for quite awhile. It always amazes me the different personalities of the students--a drama queen who doesn't like being told she can't go get a drink; a boy I throughly enjoy working with, but who needs a personal escort to tell him how to get off of the stage; a girl with a great personality who feels the need to stand up and ask me in the middle of the concert if its ok that she doesn't do the slurs. Ahh well...as frustrating as it all can be, I have to say that I do enjoy the kids I work with and still love what I do. For my 5th graders, this was the third year I have worked with them and it will be sad to see them go. This class has been a special group for a number of reasons.

Anyways, now that it is midnight and I am finally winding down some, I should go to bed. Just for the record--being stabbed with a baton is very painful, I don't recommend it. It's right up there with injuring your index finger while tuning a violin...but I will save that story for a different edition of "Stupid Things I've Done While Working." :-)

Graduation

Yesterday was my brother's graduation and today was mine. I found it fascinating that at both ceremonies the school's chaplain/reverend/religious person were females who tried to encompass all beliefs into their prayers. One of them prayed to the "God of many names," the other one prayed to "the spirit of wisdom that guides us all." I didn't get the feeling she was referring to the Holy Spirit. One of the prayers got so confusing that I was wasn't sure who she was praying to. While I can't be certain, I have a feeling that not too many years ago, those prayers would've (without question) been address to the God of the Bible, not some entity that fits everyone's wants and needs.

Hmmm....

So today I accompanied the band (at the new school where I am teaching) on a field trip. They were combining with another school and I went along to help and play clarinet. Well, it was a wild experience for many reasons. Let's just say that by the time I got home I had a huge headache. The most fascinating part was that today was the first time in six years that I have really played clarinet. Not only could I remember the fingerings, but I had the endurance to play for awhile. It always amazes me that the Lord gives me the ability to play whatever instrument is required of me at a given time. It ended up that I was sitting inbetween our band teacher and a real clarinetist. Well, by the time we were done playing, the real clarinetist had given me an invitation to play in a clarinet choir!! So...we'll see where the Lord takes me with all of this new stuff.

Hmmm....

So the friendly teaching assistant and I have been trying to find a good time to go walking. We were supposed to go yesterday, but then had to reschedule. So today, we spent some time together. Did we go walking? Nope, we went and got ice cream.