Principal Palpatine: One Year Later

It hasn't actually been a year since I first heard that Palpatine wasn't coming back to Empire / New Republic High School. My last meeting with her was July of 2009 - and really, a lot of things she put in motion continue to affect me and the music department. But it felt appropriate to reflect on the anniversary of my last school-end under her reign administration.

While there is still a few wound-licking - I have slowly started to hear her name mentioned less and less, as it should be. Every once in a while someone (and yes, sometimes it's me) brings her name up in hushed tones - the way someone might speak of Voldemort He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named.

The bonds I formed with other staff members in our mutual interest in preservation through her tyranny leadership have begun to relax. No longer co-conspirators in her attempted removal - we have returned to being casual acquaintances who wave at each other as we walk to and from the copy room.

At the beginning of the year I cursed her name as I dealt with swelling numbers in my band classes - which most band teachers would welcome, if not for the fact that many were put there against their will. In truth, I did convert a number of kids into eager bandos - so ultimately I guess her 'interference' did do some good for the health of the music program. There is a part of me that acknowledges that much. At the same time, I still say it would be a strange thing to thank Osama Bin Laden for providing a boost to the general level of patriotism in the American public.

I thought this year would be easier without her. In truth, I've been working much harder. Partially because I no longer have her to blame my woes on. But mostly, I looked at myself in the mirror at the beginning of the year and said "Okay, you don't have an oppressive, micromanaging principal telling you what to do... so what are you going to do?"

I spent the entire year trying to answer that question - and it was hard. But it was also good. I felt like i was forced to be a better teacher, forced to do my own evaluation, reflection and alteration. It seems easier when you have someone else telling you how to improve. It's very easy when, as with Palpatine, you allow yourself to reject your supervisor's opinion of your performance - giving you justification to believe that you are doing nothing wrong. But when you have to make your own diagnosis and prescribe your own cure - well, that's pretty much locking yourself in a room with your own inner demons. But that's the way it's supposed to be done - for anyone with any experience in teaching, anyway.

I came out of this year with a lot of ideas for next year. I need to spend a good part of the Summer formulating them, writing them down, and implementing them into my curriculum. I don't mind doing that: It doesn't feel like work - when you are working for yourself. That's not true... I'm not working for myself - I'm working for my students. I always have. (And I have to say, one of my proudest moments was when I told Palpatine that I worked for them, not her.)

So here I am standing on the tail end of another year. The pain of Palpatine's heavy hand is still a clear memory, but is no longer felt. As with my other trials, personally and professionally, I am ultimately grateful for the lessons I learned, but ultimately more grateful for the end to the trial itself.

The End Is Near.

Once again, I have been remiss in my blogging duties - and once again you must get the potpourri cover-it-all-in-one-post routine. I'll try to make it short.

Two Concerts In The Can

Well, I'm done with my performances. I dreaded both of them... not the performances themselves, but the logistics of them. I hate going off-campus for concerts, but until they build me something that looks like a concert hall, I kind of have to. Both concerts came off without a hitch... well - either that or I just didn't care about the hitches. I kind of have my concert routine down - I need to relax about that stuff more.

Here's the run-down:

Choir - They did about as well as I expected. The girls did okay, the boys sounded like a mob of zombies.

Advanced Choir - They did fine, but listening to the recording, I was very aware that my advanced choir three years ago was much stronger, esp. the boys. Eh, it's a rebuilding year - what are you going to do?

Jazz - They did fine as well - they were also having a rebuilding year. The trumpets are particularly weak. Being a saxophonist, I wasn't as equipped to help them. Something to look at for next year.

Concert Band - Didn't give as strong a performance as I would have liked... mostly due to the accoustics of the hall - they couldn't hear each other. A shame really, I was looking forward to their last number.

Beginning Instruments - All things considered, they gave one of the strongest performances. They played exactly the way they prepared. I was going to work them until the lqast day, but their concert was so good, I gave them a break.

String Orchestra - Kicked ass.... hard. They had the longest performance, the hardest repertoire, and the most solid execution - and they played better in concert than they did in rehearsal... and you music people know how often that happens! To think they used to be my weakest group!

The Drama With Drama

So here's the outcome of the pit orchestra situation: almost everyone is getting paid. The only one who isn't is the pianist, who never faxed me his paperwork, never returned my calls. Everyone else stepped in line. The result: I came out of this looking like freakin' Moses leading Israel through the Red Sea. People were thanking me for stepping up to the plate and getting it done. And no one loves me more than the ASB business manager, who would have had to track down all those people if I hadn't.

Now, Drama Teacher and I haven't talked yet. I kind of feel like he should have been a little more up front with me about how many people he could afford to hire. I heard through the grapevine that he wants to use all NRHS students - no professionals for the next show - I hope he realizes that his product will greatly be affected. It's not just an ability thing - pros know how to think fast on their feet and cover for mistakes quickly. With an all-student pit, it can all fall apart like a house of cards.

Ugh, I have a feeling it's going to get worse before it gets better, if it does get better. I'm starting to wonder how much longer Drama Teacher can keep working here with the way he does business.

Slackers Redeemed

So now is about the time that all the kids who missed concerts start coming to me to do the "make up" assignment. The "make up" usually comes in the form of the kid donating time to me after school - cleaning or filing or something. Today I had five kids working for me. It was like a little army tearing down folders, putting things in storage rooms and cleaning music stands.

I should have more kids skip out on concerts....

Wow.... Just Wow...

Senior class parting gift: A blue T-Shirt with a Superman shield on it... except the letter in the middle is an "M" (for Maestro) instead of an "S".

It was the one of the bests gifts I ever got.