jill.musick

On Tuesday after school, I took my violin student Joya to the EisCafe (ice cream cafe in Kandern) as her reward for achieving the 45 Day Practice Challenge. We sat down and started browsing the menu of tempting options for any sweet tooth. She narrowed it down to 2: a fruit-filled concoction piled on half a cantaloupe, or the Spaghetti-Eis (strawberry sauce on noodle-like vanilla ice cream). Her decision: “I’ll have the fruit one in honor of Miss Mari Ellen, because when she took me here I had a fruit one.”

Mari Ellen Reeser, counselor and friend to students and staff at BFA, passed away on Easter Sunday as a result of a blood clot following a hip replacement surgery. She had been a favorite babysitter for Joya and her 6 siblings. Joya, who has experienced her own share of grief and hardship, was honoring the life of a beloved friend in the way she knew best: making small choices in her memory.

Mari Ellen left a legacy of lives like Joya’s, touched by her kindness, warmth, and ever-readiness to listen. Her life was a close walk with Jesus, and you couldn’t meet Mari Ellen without meeting her Savior.

Tuesday morning, we announced the news to the students. They had just gotten back from Spring Break, so it was hard news for some. Mari Ellen was a reliable confidant for several students who came to her for advice, to process hard events, or just to talk. Tuesday evening was her memorial service; it was a combination of grief over our loss of this amazing woman, with a celebration of her life on earth and of the life she has now, face to face with Jesus. Michele Phoenix wrote an honoring tribute to her. This Saturday, the music staff of BFA will be performing our staff recital in her honor.

Though we try to honor her memory in many ways, the biggest way to honor her is to continue sharing her love of Jesus with everyone around us. Just as she walked with Jesus, I hope to also walk closely with Him.

Emily and I followed part of the Westweg last week as we hiked to Titisee. We always see the red diamond markers on trails around Kandern, but we hadn’t realized until recently that it’s actually part of a long trail from Pforzheim to Basel until we started planning the trip! After Titisee we took a train to Füssen and visited the famous fairy tale castle Neuschwanstein.

Day 1: Marzell – Belchen – hut

See map here - We experienced every kind of weather on this first day – sun, clouds, fog, rain, even hail! We walked through a bit of snow, too. At the middle of the day was the top of a small mountain, Belchen. We stayed overnight at a hut, which you can see on the map if you zoom in a ways.

Day 2: hut – Feldberg – Titisee

See map here – We were hiking on ski paths on Feldberg. Our hardest moment might have come this day – after trudging uphill in the snow and rain for what felt like hours, a cross country skier glided by us. He was going uphill. The best moment of the day was either the warm meal at a guesthouse near the Feldbergerhof, or arriving at a campsite on the Titisee before nightfall.

Day 3: Titisee – Train to Füssen

We walked into town, an easy 2 kilometers compared to our 16-18km walks the previous days! We took all the regional trains (i.e. the slower ones) because it was cheaper, but for us it was just nice to have a warm, dry place to sit while the rain poured outside. Oh, and it was also nice to have plumbing available! We stayed at Haus Rösel in Füssen.

Day 4 (Good Friday): Füssen – bus to Schwangau – hike to Füssen

See map here – Emily and I explored Schwangau and the area around the famous castles Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau. Then we hiked back to Füssen instead of taking the bus. On our way back we found a walk-through church with stages of the Passion on different parts of the hill. At the top of the hill was Calvary, with 3 crosses, visible for miles. It was meant for reflection and contemplation, and it was an appropriate place to find by ‘chance’ on Good Friday.

Once back in Füssen, we explored a bit more, then picked up Katrina and her friend Amanda from the train station. Before dinner, we had this little treat in town:

Day 5: Füssen – bus to Neuschwanstein – bus to Füssen – train to Basel – Home

We actually toured the castle on this day, and the air was a bit less foggy so we were able to see Neuschwanstein from the Marienbrücke (bridge) without a haze obstructing our view. We had a bit of an adventure taking trains back home (missed a connection due to a delayed train), but we made it back in time to get sleep before Easter Sunday.

To see pictures from the trip, go here.

Last Sunday afternoon I took the HS Orchestra kids to Basel to see a free concert. Then Monday evening (a week ago today), a group of staff members went to the exact same concert hall to watch a performance of the Brahms Requiem. There was quality music, as well as some odd finds on the street!

After all that, last week was a rather low-key week of class. Students were tired and ready for Spring Break. Several departed for Spring Break ministry trips to various countries around the world. Finally, Spring Break has come.

In effort to rest and rejuvenate, Emily and I are going hiking! We’re leaving tomorrow morning from the nearby town of Marzell and hiking to the Titisee (a well-known lake on the Westweg trail that goes through the Black Forest). From there we’ll catch a train to Füssen and meet up with another BFA teacher and see the famous Neuschwanstein castle together. Pray for safety and good weather and a chance to re-connect on a deeper level with our Creator.

Friday March 23rd was BFA’s annual Talent Show. Music Festival wasn’t enough for us. Suzanne and Marit spear-headed this project. There just are no words to describe…. you have to watch!

Just to further the musical excitement of Music Festival Week, we invited Angela Sheik to come to BFA on Friday. Throughout the day she spoke to our music classes and gave them a chance to play with her theremin and looping pedals. She also did this piece at the talent show while the judges were deciding a winner!

On Monday the 19th, our plane landed in Zurich. We had just returned from Vienna, but the intense music time was not over.

March 19-22 was Music Festival week at BFA. For a reminder of what happens, see my posts from 2011 or 2010.

This year, our string judge was Florian Mall, a professional cellist and teacher from Basel. He worked well with students of all ages. I was really excited for our cello students to have an opportunity to gain some experience with a real cellist (as opposed to the novice cellists that Marit and I are).

He surpassed our expectations and wowed us by sight-reading violin music – in the correct octave!

On Thursday night, the most excellent performers from all instruments performed in the Honors Recital. The complete list is below, should you want to watch the whole concert in order.

We’re proud of our students! They have worked really hard this year!

Spring break has started, so I finally have a bit of time to sit and blog. There have been several major events in the last few weeks, so I’ll rewind to March 14.

Marit Swanson and I chaperoned the 6 students from BFA who were chosen to sing in the honor choir. We flew out of Zurich on that Wednesday after school. My head felt like it was going to explode because of congestion. After an unpleasant flight, we arrived safely in Vienna and crashed at our hotel.

Thursday morning, rehearsals started at the International Christian School of Vienna.

Choir rehearsal at ICSV

The students were challenged and motivated to continue growing musically. They learned as much from rehearsals as Marit and I did from watching!

As chaperone, I had a bit of free time during rehearsals. Marit and I went to a coffee shop and did some work and reading.

Marit with a warm drink and a book

Along with rehearsals, there was a day for sight-seeing in downtown Vienna.

On the sight-seeing day, we took two of our girls downtown early for a bit of shopping at the Naschmarkt.

Since Suzanne (music dept head and choir director) couldn't come on the trip, we took a kitten named Suzy. Suzy met a big cat!

St. Stephan's Cathedral in downtown Vienna

St. Stephan's Cathedral

Musikverein, home of the Vienna Philharmonic

One of the students became sick with a stomach bug, so Marit and I missed a few rehearsals to take care of him. He was unable to perform in the first concert, which took place at a church just outside Vienna

Getting ready to watch the first performance with sick student and Marit

The happy group after the concert

Giddy and goofy

On the tram back to downtown Vienna, the whole choir continued in a state of giddiness. It was rather amusing.

The second performance was at the Mexican Cathedral, a beautiful castle-like structure in downtown Vienna.

Beautiful cathedral

Posing before the final concert

Close-up shot.

With the proud chaperones!

Inside the cathedral

Dr. Pearl Shangkuan leading the choir

It was an enjoyable trip, despite the sickness. The kids sang very well, learned a lot, and established friendships with students from other schools. Hopefully there will be strings next year in addition to choir!

Today I ran the 2nd marathon of my life. This time it was not a race or an official course; I simply had a personal goal of running a marathon that would take me through 3 countries. I started at home and ran into Basel, Switzerland, up into Saint-Louis, France, and back into Basel to explore the city a bit and end up near the Badischer Bahnhof (train station).

Emily was kind enough to ride her bike with me most of the way. She filled the role of the “race sherpa,” providing me with food, water, and moral support throughout the run. She also took pictures, so thanks to Emily, you get to see a few glimpses of my run!

On Thursday night, Emily and I, along with Marit’s roommates Natalie and Jenna, snuck into Marit’s office and filled it with balloons!

Friday morning, Marit came to the orchestra room at the end of orchestra for a rehearsal with one of my violinists. The orchestra played a lovely rendition of “Happy Birthday” as a surprise! Marit was definitely not expecting it!

After school, a group of us went to her house to enjoy the dinner her roommates had prepared. Marit showed us her favorite spot to watch the sunset. It was a gorgeous display!

We brought carrots to feed the sheep living in the Christmas tree farm.

The sheep didn't trust me.

Emily was the only one able to get the sheep to eat from her hand.

Ready for the sunset!

It was a relaxing evening with friends – sunset, dinner, and movie. We’re glad Marit is here!

When people ask me what a typical day is like at BFA, it’s hard for me to answer. The short answer: I don’t have any typical days. Every day is a little different. But to give you a snapshot, here’s a description of last Wednesday:

6:30 – Wake up and pray for the day. Realize it will be a long one.

7:00 – Breakfast, get ready for school.

8:00am – Staff meeting in school library. We filled out student character evaluations for NHS (National Honor Society).

1st period (8:50) – High School Orchestra. We practiced a piece for Sunday’s Music Recital, then worked on our class composition.

2nd period – Marit, Suzanne and I moved hand bells, tables, pads, and hand drums over to the middle school in Sitzenkirch since Marit started Hand Bells and Hand Drums this week with the kids there!

3rd period – Guitar class. We’re learning Danny Boy and how to do finger picking.

4th period – My only free period of the day. I frantically wrote emails and tried to start some planning for next week and for music festival.

lunch – I ate in the staff room downstairs with a bunch of other fun teachers and staff members. Lunchtime conversation may have involved random historical events and the odd similarities with our students. I may have asked if anyone will be free to sub for me while I’m in Vienna; no one could. I’m still looking . . .

5th period – Violin lesson with a high school student 6th period – Played with Lauren Holland (pianist). We sight-read some Kreisler and worked on Lark Ascending.

7th period – Violin lesson with a 4th grader

4:00 – Nursing Home visit. The Intermediate Orchestra played a few pieces, and several students from the group played solos in preparation for Music Festival.

Intermediate Orchestra

Old folks watching the Intermediate Orchestra

Solo

Duet: The Happy Farmer

4:45 – Violin lesson with the student pictured directly above

5:30 – collapse on my bed at home for a few minutes.

5:45 – First small group girls arrive. A crazy evening commences.

The girls came early so we could eat dinner together. Teenage girls entertain themselves while cooking; it's amazing we actually ended up with food!

Cooking tools - or weapons! When not brandishing knives, these girls were preparing chili.

"Take a picture of me! I'm actually cooking!" "You're just stirring." "Yeah, I'm cooking!"

While the chili was simmering and the corn bread baking, we finished the Disney version of Robin Hood (we had started it a looong time ago). Then we feasted on our creation, and planned out our future discussion topics for small group. Then with full bellies and another hour left of small group, Emily suggested we take a walk.

Ready to go. They borrowed some of our coats.

This girl suggested planking...

... so we all planked on the little bridge over the creek!

Then we walked around to various staff members' houses and serenaded them with an endless rendition of "Row, Row, Row your Boat" in canon.

9:00 – Small group girls leave. Attempt to get something else done; fail miserably. Crawl into bed.

Retreat was a blast this year. The entire high school piled into 5 buses and rolled down to Lenk, Switzerland last Friday and returned Sunday afternoon. The weekend was full of sunshine, Swiss Alps, good conversation, and some unusual but fun activities. The pictures tell quite a bit of the story, so here’s the retreat in pictures:

Our chalet

My room for the weekend - shared with Emily and about 20 Junior girls

View from the window

There were all kinds of activities inside and outside....

...like playing on the playground....

...piling on top of each other in the snow....

...getting a haircut and learning how to cut hair....

....playing dodgeball....

...and climbing the poles in the gym (that's me up at the top).

Along with copious amounts of free time, we also had a structured program which included skits (everyone participated and created a skit), music, a message, and then small group time to discuss the message.

Our skit: a boy has an unlucky bus ride.

The speaker addresses our students

We have the best small group ever!!! (even if they did attack me with snow and steal my awesome flip flops. I blame Emily.)