jill.musick

You Know you Live in Germany when… #1

Posted on September 13, 2009 by Jill

…you’ve started walking across the street, but realize a car is coming. Instead of going back to the sidewalk, which is only a couple steps away, you run to the pedestrian crosswalk.

These pedestrian crosswalks are safe zones. Cars will come to a screeching halt if you step out into the road in one of these zones.

On Friday, Rachel and I were walking back from Fall Party. She literally ran to the crosswalk instead of going back to the sidewalk. We got a good laugh out of it, and we realized we are absorbing many little aspects of life in Germany.

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Band at Budenfest

Posted on September 13, 2009 by Jill

Two weeks ago, I went to Stadtmusik Kandern (community band) practice for the first time. Yesterday (Saturday) I played my first concert with them! They don’t have a bassoon for me to play, so I have been playing tuba. The other tuba player is a German man named Heinrich. We have fun playing the oom-pah parts in polkas. We play a very wide variety of music (everything from the Beatles to Tango), but somehow the tuba part does not change much.

The concert was part of a festival called Budenfest. It is Kandern’s annual town celebration that runs in conjunction with a horse show with participants from France, Switzerland, and Germany. As a fundraiser, Stadtmusik Kandern had a food booth there. I helped out by dishing out “Pommes” (fries) onto plates of Currywurst and Steak.

The fries cooking in oil

I got to watch the horse show a bit, too.

The jumping event was really fun to watch.

After serving fries all morning, we played a 4:30 concert in the Blumenplatz in downtown Kandern. There were more booths there. Holidays in Germany = Lots of Food. In the middle of the concert, the mayor gave a little speech, mentioned that a couple of the local politicians were there, and announced the free beer. Suddenly, we had a very large crowd for our concert! This was the only concert I have ever played in where the players were given free drinks in the middle of the concert. I had Apfelschorle (carbonated apple juice).

Most concerts will be more formal, but this was a fun, low-key experience.

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Fall Party

Posted on September 13, 2009 by Jill

Friday was BFA’s annual Fall Party. Students and staff dress up to match the theme, and some sign up to do the “catwalk” to show off their costumes. Students prepare skits, songs, and other acts, also.

Only in Germany would Gelbe Sack & Garbage be considered opposites...

There was also a pair that dressed up as “Swine Flu” and “Hand Sanitizer,” but unfortunately I did not get a picture of it.

Fit & Fat - great stuffing job!

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There and Back Again

Posted on September 10, 2009 by Jill

Now that it is Thursday, I have had time to recover from this weekend and update you all on my whirlwind trip home!

Last Friday morning (5am Germany time, 10pm Chicago time) I left my house, went to the Basel airport, flew to Paris, and flew to Chicago. I landed around 12:45pm Chicago time. My brother David picked me up at the airport, and we stopped in Elmhurst to pick up Jeff, one of the ushers for my brother Erich’s wedding. We drove from there to Decatur, arriving just in time for the wedding rehearsal.

After the rehearsal, we had the dinner. We all prayed for Erich and Ellen. After the dinner, the girls went to Ellen’s home and had a girls’ night in, getting Ellen ready for the big day! I was pretty exhausted (it had been a long day, after all!), so I went to bed around 12:30am.

Girls' Night In

On Saturday, I got up around 9:30. After breakfast and some prettying up, we (the bridesmaids and Ellen) went to the church for some pictures and getting dressed up. Ellen was amazingly calm throughout the whole morning! Erich’s face when he saw her was priceless… I wish I could have captured that moment.

Rainey read Ellen a story to keep her calm.

The wedding was beautiful, and I can hardly believe my brother is married now! Erich and Ellen’s families were involved in the wedding – the siblings were bridesmaids and groomsmen, the moms read Scripture, and the dads prayed in the ceremony. It felt like our families were part of a joint agreement to unite Erich and Ellen. My only regret after the weekend was that I will not be in the Chicago area to spend more time with my new family members!

After the wedding, we took a few more pictures and went to the reception. I was blessed to be able to spend some time with a few of my uncles and aunts. I don’t get to see them very often since they live so far away.

Erich and Ellen played a little game at the reception that involved holding up shoes. How well do they know each other?

After Erich and Ellen departed, David and I drove back up home to West Chicago (we got back around 3am). I packed my suitcases and slept for a few hours, then was back up for church. I only made it to the 2nd service (since my dog Buddy had a seizure just before we were going to leave). After the service I went to Chili’s with a bunch of friends from church. It was good to see you guys again! I wish I had been more awake and alert – I hope at least half of what I said made some kind of sense!

After seeing David’s dorm room at Wheaton, we drove to the airport. My aunts and uncle were there to see me off, along with my parents and younger brother. It was a tearful goodbye, especially since I do not know when I will be seeing them next.

To see more pictures from this weekend, go to my facebook album:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2040715&id=187701865&l=b275250995

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Subbing at HBR

Posted on September 1, 2009 by Jill

Yesterday (Monday) was my first night as an RA sub. RAs get every Monday off, so teachers fill in.

After school, I went to HBR (Haus Bad Riedlingen).

HBR Entryway

Kari Eaves and I helped make the chocolate sauce for a certain Birthday Boy’s ice cream cake. Dorm kitchens are fascinating; everything is oversized since we’re cooking for lots of boys!

Carrie with the enormous cooking utensils

Kari with the enormous cooking utensils

Greg Storrs (dorm dad and friend from PFO) came back with the food. We served it to the hungry boys, who gobbled it all down. Then, as part of the birthday tradition, everyone sang Happy Birthday in a really slow drone, then grabbed the birthday boy and “creeked” him (aka he was carried into the creek and there was a splash, but I’m not sure what exactly happened).

Then the boys did gratis (chores). During study hours, Kari and I helped Danielle (dorm mom) do a couple loads of laundry. I also got to help a few boys with their homework. I was really happy to have little brother time (I miss my real little brother!), and I was especially happy when my “little brothers” fed me Pringles!

I will be subbing at HBR every other Monday. It is a good opportunity to get more personal interaction with the students. They don’t see me as a teacher there; I’m in more of a big sister role. I am excited to be a big sister here!

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Pieces

Posted on August 31, 2009 by Jill

Yesterday in church, the pastor preached on Psalm 42-43. We long for God when we recognize our great need. We thirst and cry out to Him to relieve us from our darkness, pain, and suffering. Sometimes it feels as though we are crying out to God and He doesn’t hear us, especially when we have people around us taunting us and asking us where God is. God is ALWAYS here with us, even when we do not see Him. The pastor gave an example that arose from a Dietrich Bonhoeffer quote. Bonhoeffer said that life is not lived in one dimension; when we look back, we will see that it is multidimensional, like polyphony. In music, polyphony involves melody and harmony. One part by itself may not seem interesting or worthwhile, but all the parts together sound beautiful. This Psalm is an expression of one of the harmony parts. Pain and loneliness do not seem to make much sense, but they fit into the overall picture of life. God is the master composer and conductor. He has written the pieces of our lives, and day by day He creates a new, masterful interpretation. Though we look at the piece of music and think, “Oh, what an awful piece of music,” God hears the whole symphony in His head.

In my first-period study hall class, I have the opportunity to do a devotional each morning. Last Thursday, I read Ephesians 1:1-14 and discussed the mystery of God. His plan to adopt us has been mapped out for all eternity. His plan of salvation is too big for us to comprehend, but we catch glimpses, pieces, through our lives. It is like climbing one of the hills around Kandern. From inside the town, you can only see the walls of a few buildings. You climb a little higher, and you can see the rooftops and a few more buildings. As you climb higher, you can eventually see the entire town of Kandern.

In the same way, I can see little pieces of God’s plan. He has brought me to BFA and prepared me in lots of little ways. I can recognize some of them, but one day I’ll be able to turn around and enjoy the view from the hill. I’ll be able to see how my BFA story fits into God’s mystery, His plan of salvation across the ages. Right now, I’m in a bit of a dark valley. There are a lot of challenges facing the orchestra at BFA, and I do not know how they will turn out. I take comfort in the fact that God knows. He has written this complex symphony, and even if my part turns out to be the thud of a bass drum, I will one day be able to look back and enjoy the entire masterwork.

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First Day of School

Posted on August 25, 2009 by Jill

Today we had our first day of school.

This morning we had opening ceremonies. The seniors marched in carrying flags representing their home countries, faculty and students spoke and prepared us for the year ahead.

Seniors with flags preparing to enter

During lunch, the other instrumental music teacher (Katie Roberts) and I went to the nursing home next to BFA and set up times for us to bring students over to perform. Amazingly enough, we did this all in German!

In the afternoon, the students went to each class for 7 minutes to find the room and meet the teacher. I now have 3 students in orchestra, but there are many more who would like to get in if the scheduling can be worked out. I am excited that the students are finally here!

Tomorrow will be our first full day of school.

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Auditions

Posted on August 24, 2009 by Jill

Today (Monday) I listened to a few new students. All the new students had orientation today, so they came up and talked to me about lessons! We talked to the students, had them play scales, and listened to their solo pieces. I was really excited to finally meet a few students! They are the reason I’m here, and I can’t wait to work with them!

I also found out that I will be in charge of 1st period study hall. My weekly schedule will be as follows:

1st Period study hall
3rd Period Orchestra
5th Period Music Department Meeting (Tuesdays only)
7th Period German 2 (I’m taking this class, not teaching it!)
TBA All Private Lessons

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Musick Notes 007

Posted on August 24, 2009 by Jill

Newsletter 007

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Campout

Posted on August 24, 2009 by Jill

On Friday night, I went to the 2nd Annual Single Female Teachers’ Campout. We hiked to Wolfschlucht (the Wolf’s Den), made a fire, roasted marshmallows and Peeps, and slept under a canopy of trees.

Campfire!

Half the crew

Those logs made great benches

That's where we slept.

It was very beautiful there!

The Wolf's Den

Rocks at sunrise

If all my blog posts are about hiking adventures, it’s because you would probably not be interested in reading about how I went through a cabinet full of music and took inventory of everything in my office. You would be bored to tears if I told you about how I have been writing lesson plans and a course guide and syllabi. Those things just don’t make great pictures.

What does make a great picture, however, is hiking up to the two faraway dorms, Sonne and Blauen, in the town of Marzell. I did that on Saturday after sleeping on the ground Friday night. It took almost 2 hours to hike uphill to the dorms, so I was pretty exhausted by the time I got back!