Got through finals okay. I know a lot of music teaches put effort into having a "real" final. I don't. Mostly cleaning, turning in instruments, gathering and organizing music folders and cleaning out lockers. The problem is, most of that doesn't take up a two-hour final block... so I have to find ways of keeping the younger classes from beating on each other in boredom. I resorted to throwing on a movie.
The middle-school boys are the most problematic. Sometimes I throw them sticks and practice pads and let them beat out their energy. This year, a group of them just went into a practice room and sat there with the lights off. (1) I think as long as there wasn't any raping, burning or pillaging involved, I got lucky.
My AP Theory class was kind of fun. there were only a handful on non-senior students there on final day. They had a composition project due in lieu of a written final, so after they turned that in, it was just hanging out and talking. One of them asked me what kind of music I listened to in high school. I said "We'll why don't I show you."
In my office is a big trunk that sits in the corner and accumulates various stacks of stuff on top of it. Inside is just about every cassette tape I ever bought. I dragged it out and we spent the next hour rummaging through it. It was pretty fun. (2)
The only class I hold a "final" in is choir. Each kid has to get up in front of the class and sing a solo song. I started doing that two years ago because I noticed how many people (mostly girls) were signing up for the class for an "easy A." Now, I admit, I'm not the hardest grader... not by a long shot. And to be honest, I am an easy A. But I at least expect the students in the class to care a little bit about singing and performing well. Sometimes I get these groups of girls who want to sit in the back, do their make-up and talk every day. The final is just one of the ways I hold them individually accountable.
This years choir class had 52 kids. We had a record number of kids (five or six) who didn't prepare a song. Not surprisingly, all of them were among the unmotivated faction. I called their name... they just looked at me. One of them complained later that the final was unfair. I told her "You knew from the beginning of the year that this was coming. If its so unfair, I'm wondering why you chose to stay."
The funny about these girls is that they've all become chummy with my accompanist, a guy who has been working at this school since... well since I was in high school. he's a good guy, and he's a hell of a piano player... but sometimes he makes attempts to rescue students that I am specifically trying to breath a little fire on. (3)
Anyway, it's all done and over with. The rooms are clean (even my office). Everything is organized. I even bought a new vacuum cleaner and broke it in on the choir room. (4) I know it's not my job to do that... but I've always done a lot of the cleaning of the music rooms myself. Two big rehearsal rooms, my office, plus eight practice rooms and four storage rooms. ... That's a lot of space to manage. But cleaning can be therapeutic... it's very zen. An ordering of the physical space equals an ordering of the mind. Also, it just seems to me that when you love something, you take care of it yourself.
Call me a workaholic if you want... I call it creating peace in my world.
1. No... I don't want to know.....
2. ....up until the point where they found the Michael Bolton tape hiding at the bottom. They gave me all sorts of crap for that.
3. He's like a grandfather. He can afford to be nice to the kids because ultimately he's not responsible for
dealing with their behavior.
4. The old one died in February.
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