Several weeks ago (May 3), BFA had the annual Talent Show (here’s last year’s post). This year, one of my guitar students asked if I could play something with her. We performed “It’s Time” by Imagine Dragons.
We adapted the acoustic version (above) for cello, guitar, and 2 voices. I wish I had a video of us to share!
Tomorrow night, we’ll be going to another Open Mic night at the Art Factory. This dynamic duo will be performing 3 different songs for a slightly smaller crowd.
Yesterday, the music department took a bus full of band, orchestra and choir students to Europa Park, the amusement park just north of Freiburg.
I chaperoned a group of 4 girls and 2 boys, most of whom are in Intermediate Orchestra. It was a fun, adventurous group – they all wanted to ride the biggest roller coasters.
A highlight of the day for me was riding my favorite roller coaster, the Blue Fire, twice! The line was relatively short around lunch time, so we jumped on the opportunity to ride it twice!
The one big coaster I didn’t go on was the Silver Star. Most of our group went, but my brave little 11-year-old cellist was 1 centimeter too short to ride it (see above picture), so I waited with her. At the end of the day, we were all exhausted and happy. The weather was great, the rides were exciting, and the kids were able to spend a fun day with friends.
Last week, Emily and I decided that Dwini needed a bath. She smelled like her litter box and was developing lots of mats. Emily also told me that giving a cat a bath is a worthwhile experience.
It sure was. There were sounds coming from Dwini’s mouth that sounded positively human. Though it may not have been the best experience of her life, she definitely smells better and has softer fur!
On Thursday, May 9, we had a day off school for Ascension Day. Marit and I decided to take advantage of the extra time to have a rehearsal day. You see, we had a concert the following day, and we were feeling like an extra day of rehearsal would be extremely helpful.
Marit’s quartet practiced first thing in the morning. It was a good chance to work out a few issues and get used to the sound in the auditorium. They then performed at the nursing home behind Hieber’s. They made a few mistakes they had never made before, but held it together quite well. They got their jitters out through that performance, and the old folks thoroughly enjoyed hearing Beethoven and Dvořák.
After a lunch consisting of pizza, veggies, and Marit’s homemade cookies, it was time for orchestra to rehearse. We dove into Tchaikovsky, working out a few final technical issues and delving into the images and stories portrayed by each movement of the String Serenade. Then we went over to the nursing home next door and performed. I heard a few residents making comments like, “These are master classical musicians!” and “Top quality!” At the end of the performance, I invited the residents to our concert the following evening.
A couple people videotaped our performance on that Friday, May 10 – the Chamber Music Concert. I don’t have those videos yet, but once I do I’ll post them here on my blog!
Creek walking is once again a normal part of life…
Lilacs bloom, spreading the most wonderful scent….
And tulips make the Secret Garden a colorful place to do my grading.
Last Wednesday was May 1, a holiday in Germany. I invited the kids from Intermediate Orchestra over to my house to watch Beauty and the Beast. Some of the younger ones had never seen it the whole way through, and we’re playing the piece in orchestra! After the movie was over, we had a mini bottle cap battle. I have trained a bunch of enthusiastic not-so-sharp-shooters. Look out, world!
Last week, the students in guitar class wrote their own songs. Here’s a sampling:
Last week, the students of High School Orchestra were putting some intense work into the third movement of Tchaikovsky’s Serenade for Strings, the Elegy.
During lunch one day, I talked with Natalie, one of the English teachers at BFA, about the concept of an elegy. At the time, she was discussing In Memoriam, a poem by Tennyson, in her English class. I asked, “What’s the difference between and elegy and a eulogy?” She said, “A eulogy is specifically in memory of a person who has died. It may honor them or acknowledge the things they did in life. An elegy, on the other hand, is about loss. It can be loss of a person, but it could also be loss of something else, like identity or possessions.”
Tchaikovsky had a good deal of sadness, turmoil and loss in his life. In orchestra the next day, we connected some of the themes of Tchaikovsky’s life, including his possible loss of identity, with the movement. On a reflection sheet, one student commented that the clashing rhythms create an undercurrent of tension in the movement, possibly displaying his emotional battle.
We also connected some of the feelings of loss we experience in our own lives: loss of friends, family, and home when we move. After that discussion, they all played the movement differently – from their hearts. These kids all know loss.
Lately my thoughts have felt scattered. My mind has been in different times and places. I jump from thoughts of the past (life at home, the past 4 years in Germany), to thoughts of the present (Germany, my friends, students, lesson plans, field trips), to thoughts of the future (next year’s teachers at BFA, my life at home in Illinois, jobs, friends, my boyfriend). My thoughts are here, there, everywhere: here in Germany, there in Illinois, there in Minnesota. Prayers turn into plans, meditations turn into movement. It’s hard to sit still and just be.
Be still and know that I am God.
Recently, I found myself frustrated because I had to seriously make myself finish putting away the groceries before allowing myself to hang up my laundry to dry. In the midst of both of those activities, I was also tempted to write a quick email to someone, add a few items to the grocery list, add another idea to a lesson plan, post grades for my class, upload some pictures to my computer, finish filling out a form so I can add more pages to my passport, call a friend about a student, write reference letters for a couple students, and schedule a time in my weekend to do something about the lingering job applications I haven’t finished. Or started, in the case of at least one. And I’m thankful that the car is back from the shop, because that was on my mind last week!
This blog post reminded about my need to focus on one thing at a time.
“There are no habits without the habit of being focused.”
So right now, I’m reminding myself to focus on one thing at a time, to give my full attention to each task at hand. It takes faith. I have to trust God, trust that He knows how all the billion pieces of the puzzle of my life fit together. Transition tries to scatter my life into bits and pieces that don’t fit together, but really, all the pieces do fit together beautifully. If I stop and look at each piece long enough and see the Potter behind it, everything else seems to fall into place. Finding joy in each moment is a discipline – the discipline of focus.
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.
– Hebrews 12:1-2
On Friday, Marit and I took several of our string students to Basel for an epic field trip. I say epic, but it was actually quite laid-back.
First, we went to the shop of a Luthier, or violin-maker. Our students rent from Christian Ganter in Riehen, Switzerland, and he was quite happy to give a small presentation on the history of violin making. He also briefly described the process of making a violin, and worked on a couple instruments that our students had brought in. The students drank in the information. Marit and I even learned some new things, too! For instance, we learned that the horsehair for the bows comes from the tails of male Mongolian horses.
After an intense learning session, we had a relaxing lunch break in Basel, complete with McDonald’s and Starbucks. Then we went to the Basel Musikmuseum, which hosts a fascinating collection of historical instruments.
It was a great day, and our students now know much more about the beautiful instruments they play!
