As EWL wrote in her blog yesterday, Tuesday WAS gloomy (so is today!), but we DID need the rain! But when the rains come this late in summer, and it's this dark and murky, I can't help but think that fall is just around the corner. Of course! It's only a month away, officially, and school is starting, the crickets are chirping, the daylight is noticeably shorter, and even the leaves are changing colors to yellows and rusts....the gloom and drizzle just add to the atmosphere. It'll be Halloween before you know it!*** (and sure, the stores won't let you forget as they've already got the Halloween candy out!! I'm sure we'll see Thanksgiving and Christmas goods in the stores come October 1, if not sooner! Talk about RUSHING the last quarter of the year - or, as you teachers see it, your first semester!). Anyway, I look forward to the short season of blue skies and less humidity that we will hopefully soon have in DC as the autumnal equinox draws near.....
(***well, since we're talking gloomy, dark, rain and Halloween - watch this blog come October for what I'm sure will be thrills and chills as the Executive and Government departments of MENC put on the annual MENC Halloween Social (Potluck meal, costumes, pumpkin carving contest, candy jar counting contest, and other assorted demented activities!) And yes, we do get work done on that day, we just look a little strange while we do it. Staff take this opportunity SERIOUSLY to dress up (or down, as the case may be) to allow their alter egos to shine through. We've had BIRDMAN, SLASHER in the white mask or whatever his name is, Snow White and the Evil Witch, Mike Wikowski (Eyeball guy) from Monsters Inc., an Angel floating on a cloud (cloud included in costume), a replica of the Statue of Liberty (green face paint to boot), any number of witches, ghouls, biker chicks, punk rockers, Harry Potter characters, and even a gal dressed to the nines as Mozart! (we even had someone dressed as a "Cereal " Killer (festooned w/ ripped boxes of cereal all over her tunic!). Stay tuned for some great photo ops and tales!)
A music teacher came to visit yesterday, she's a part timer in a private school, looking to go full time in the public schools. She browsed through the MENC books in the lobby, and we talked about info she could use/need, as she pursued the transition and continued to teach at her private school. It was nice to have a face to face "request" meeting for a change, as most of the requests for help and info I receive come via the phone or email. As much as MENC is about music teachers, the one thing noticeably absent physically in these offices are the TEACHERS!! (although I take that back! Many of the staff here either were former music teachers, or musicians....and many still are practicing musicians, some at the professional level!) I still think it'd be VERY COOL if we could employ on staff, in rotating semester shifts, (or full years, if they were retired), former music teachers to take the info/help calls from music teachers "out there", and to provide on - call help and feedback and resource referral. We could have satellite offices to cover the different time zones of the country, so teachers in Hawaii would have the same access as teachers from New York!). How's THAT for dreaming? Well, maybe one day. In the meantime, we do have the MENC MENTORS on the on-line discussion forums - have a look! (also, many states have mentor programs for music teachers, write info@menc.org for more info!)
I could bore you with more details re: the survey results I'm working on, or regale you with tales of the requests coming in, or other longer term projects on the horizon, but will spare you and leave you with a few jazz related resources.
JAZZ 101 courtesy of DOWNBEAT magazine
JAZZ For Young People
JAZZ for Young People: What is New Orleans Jazz? (I saw this on PBS over the weekend, awesome!)
JAZZ at Lincoln Center
MARIAN MCPARTLAND, one of the first jazz musicians I grew to love, is being inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame this year. To quote the PBS site for McPartland's 25 year old radio show, "Piano Jazz": "She is deeply committed to music education in the country's public schools and was inducted in the International Association of Jazz Education Hall of Fame in 1986". "For more than 25 years, jazz pianist Marian McPartland and her guests have teamed up for an hour of weekly jazz sessions. Whether it's solos, collaboration, reminiscences, or straight talk about influences and style, no two Piano Jazz sessions are ever the same. " This is truly a good show!
GOOD LUCK with the new school year, all you returning teachers! Let us know if we can be of assistance! SEE YOU NEXT WEEK! SR
