Today is December 31st, 2023 – my 40th birthday. As I wrote at the end of my previous post, I have big dreams for this decade. At Christmas, my father-in-law told me that your forties were when you really bite down on your goals, you get aggressive with taking what you’re doing to the next steps and that’s very much how I feel. I’m ready … Continue reading Four Zero (Looking Ahead)
Hey team. I’ve been thinking about ways to help my fellow teachers in these uncertain times, especially considering that we won’t be playing very much to help stem transmission of COVID-19. So, I thought I’d share some of the materials/assignments that I’ve got for when we’re not playing. 1959 – The Year That Changed Jazz Four big jazz albums were released in 1959: Kind of … Continue reading Music Ed Monday – Assignments for Days Without Playing
Back in Summer of 2015, I was asked by the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra if I could do an arrangement of a pop song for a divisional choir and the orchestra. Every other year, the River East Transcona School Division hires out the orchestra to play with their choir. This was an enormous opportunity, so of course I said yes, then got it done on time … Continue reading Music Ed Monday – The Quest for Beer at the Orchestra
(This is part one of a two-part post. The first part will introduce the topic, while the second will address some of the skills associated with what it looks like in a classroom, at least at a rudimentary level). The CBC (our public broadcaster, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) ran a program this past year on its current events show about mindfulness in the classroom. It … Continue reading Music Ed Monday – Fine-Thanks-And-You (Part 1)
In Part One of this mini-series, I reviewed how the character of Jean-Luc Picard was influential to me in my adolescence. But, when I was a lot younger, I had Optimus Prime. Optimus Prime (from Generation One) was strong without being brutish. He would fight, but only when necessary. He would take responsibility of his actions and always, always protect the humans. That was a … Continue reading Music Ed Monday – Transform and Make It So (Part 2)
While at Grade 10 Band Camp, the chaperones (all of whom were educators) were discussing the trials of teaching and one of them said something that I haven’t forgotten: What really troubles me isn’t when they don’t get the material, but when they resist it. If they’re trying, then they’ll get it eventually, but when they resist it, they will always miss the beauty. That’s what is really … Continue reading Music Ed Monday – When They Miss the Beauty
So, I’m reading a book that’s blowing my mind. It’s called The Curse of the Good Girl and it’s by Rachel Simmons. I’ve had it on my book shelf for about three years – I bought it in the same shopping trip as The Purity Myth, which also blew my mind. Clearly, this was a good day at the bookstore. The Curse of the Good … Continue reading Music Ed Monday – The Double Bind of Truth-Telling
Strolling along the edge of the sea, a man catches sight of a young woman who appears to be engaged in a ritual dance. She stoops down, then straightens to her full height, casting her arm out in an arc. Drawing closer, he sees that the beach around her is littered with starfish, and she is throwing them one by one into the sea. He … Continue reading Music Ed Monday – The Starfish Story
Once upon a time, console platformers (Super Mario Bros., Sonic the Hedgehog, Wonder Boy, etc.) gave the player three lives to beat the level. In the case of Super Mario Bros., you got three lives to beat the whole game. You may be thinking “but you’ve got 1ups!” and yes, that’s true, but allow me to pull you into a stressful part of your past… You (as … Continue reading VGM Ed Mondnesday – “Dying Over and Over Repeatedly” or “Why Super Meat Boy Makes Students Into More Successful Human Beings”
I stopped complaining about how busy I was a long time ago because I realized that I wasn’t really as busy as most people, especially parents… and especially moms. I have no kids to drive to soccer practice, I have no lunches to make, I have very little laundry to do (comparatively), I enjoy my job, I have an easy commute… Organizationally, my life is … Continue reading Music Ed Monday – The Space Between
