Wait, can you hear that? It is the sound of me shivering. Like EWL I am grateful for the rain we had this week. Everything is green again. except for the trees around here that have suddenly decided to begin changing color. But it has been really really chilly this week,too. Brr.
I am somewhat grateful, for the cool, rainy weather, though, because my son Matt started freshman football practice this week. I had pictured 100 degrees and humid, but he and the freshmen on the team have had it easy. Well, weather wise. The drills have been pretty intense. Matt loves it, though.
A couple of days this week I had to go to the high school for meetings and I was kind of amazed that a full three weeks before school starts, there were kids everywhere. I walked past the band room (windows open) and the flutes and trombones appeared engaged in a music tug of war. In a hallway, I heard the boom, boom, boom of the base drums which rattled the aforementioned windows.
There were kids playing volleyball in the gym, kids playing tennis on tennis court, cheerleaders hurling themselves into the air and the dance team working on some saucy moves. Homework and lectures are to come but I saw a bunch of kids who seemed happy to be back at school, which is great.
At the parents' meeting, I was very happy to hear the athletic director tell the parents to keep reminding their kids that they are student athletes not athlete students, which is a message my husband and I deliver a lot at home. Actually, Matt says, says he is looking forward to classes. (Nearly finished with the reading assignments).
I am really looking forward to football season. Go Hornets! I love football anyway (Big K.C. Chiefs fan, love the Redskins, too and around our house lots of college football on the tube in the fall) but there is something about high school football.
Takes me back to my marching band days. It was so much fun playing in the stands and taking the field at halftime.
I went to a few games last year when Matt was still in middle school (I was allowed to drop him off with friends and then I had to find fellow geezer to sit with).
Matt's games will be on Thursdays, but the varsity games on Fridays are fun because of the band. The band at Matt's school is really good and I enjoyed the halftime shows as much as the football. I will pass along some halftime photos once the season starts. I have some friends whose kids are in band and they are rabid, rabid band boosters.
Well, back to my day job. I am finishing up October Teaching Music pages today. Lots of good stuff in the news this issue. A date book with important music education events over the next year, the complete text of MENC's Centennial Declaration, a story about a study that links quality music education and test scores, and a new MENC/Rowman & Littlefield Education book by music teacher Susan Haugland called Crowd Control: Classroom Management and Effective Teaching for Chorus, Band, and Orchestra
I had a great interview with Susan, who is very witty and the book reflects that.
Oh, and by the way (not confusing you, am I?) you can also see the online version of the September right here Music Educators Journal news .
If your school year has begun, hope things are going well. If not, good luck on the preparations.
Til Next Thursday,
RF
