At Semester's End

So here we are at half-time.... I'm not sure how I feel. Well, that's not true. I have lots of little "feels" going on. I'm just not sure which one to focus on.

1) This week I went into a counselor's office with a list of kids that "need to be somewhere besides band." They were mostly culled from the 20-something yahoos in the drum section. I didn't really warn anyone I was going to do this... I just kind of did it. I'm waiting to see if any parents flip their lid.

2) Called one of the helper parents today. One of my seniors moms just took over the position of PTA president. I called her on business. Before we hung up, she said "Oh by the way... I think we should sit down and talk before the end of the year. When the Fall rolls around, the football parents on PTA will start belly-aching about marching band again. I just want to get some info from you so that I can stand up to them on your behalf." Oh but I do love having friends in high places.

3) My one competent cellist is leaving the orchestra class. She said she wants to go into art... that she wants to pursue art as a career. I'm not angry at her, but I am sad and a little self-concious. She's obviously not being particularly challenged in my class. The music is well below her ability. I can't help but think "Maybe I should have offered her a solo... maybe I should have given her individual practice time." Ahhhh well.

4) Department chair wants to develop career pathways in the arts department. Essentially it would involve encouraging students to enroll in arts courses at local colleges, and to pursue career-related activities. Yesterday she asked me to think of at least three separate pathways for music. She added that if this went through, we'd have more leverage against Principal Palpatine's marching band initiative. I jumped on board. The funny thing is, as much as I like my department chair, I've come to understand that she has her own vision of the arts department that, while devoid of any marching band element, was also quite different from what I wanted for the music students. (A technology-based concept. Not a bad thing, really, but not conducive to a program grounded in vocal and acoustic instrumental music). This career path thing looks pretty good, though. We're going to go see and example of it at another high school. If it's as slick as their website makes it look, I'm definitiely all for it.

5) Drama teacher came to me today to inform me that he used the arts money Palpatine asked him to forfeit in favor of "supporting the new marching band program" to buy new computers. I laughed myself silly.

6) Senior Alex (Tenor Sax) stayed after his finals yesterday to work on his senior project: the recording of a jazz album. He's been working on the arrangements himself. He's asked a few people to help him, including one of my students from last year, Kyle (my accompanist), and another kid on drums. I wasn't really doing anything, I just sat at my desk while they piped their jam session through the recording equipment. About half-way through the hour, I realized that what I was listening to sounded like an old Blue Note recording.... like some track Dexter Gordon cut at four in the morning. It sounded so... real... so legitimate. It was then I realized that Alex was probably the strongest saxophonist I've yet seen come through the music program. And the thing is.... he got there mostly on his own. Funny how the things students do that make you the most proud are the things you had very little to do with.