The annual return to school and work is underway; a transition that lasts several weeks, ramping up to full employment again. It’s hard to give up the freedom of Summer for the schedule of Fall but I have been really enjoying my reentry this year; I feel very fortunate to have such a fun job, playing music with enthusiastic kids! I have been teaching for 20 years, but I still strive to do it better every class, learning from my mistakes and always seeking new approaches to stimulating a love of music in my students! After attending a Kodály conference in March, I have been very interested in the method and approach of this Hungarian musician and educator who believed in the importance of early music training, using folk music and solfege (do-re-mi) to teach culture and heritage while tuning the ear to pitch and interval. It is context and framework for all of my teaching and I have been incorporating the concepts in my classes. I hope I never stop learning how to be a better teacher!
Looking back on this summer is sweet! Great Maine Taylor time island camping and Acadian hiking, Land Band Parties and Barenbeans at Lake George, A visit to Brooklyn from Barcelona family and then a journey returning to their home through Buckland havens of Sydling St. Nicholas and Borde Neuve, walking through rolling hills and jagged cliffs and swimming in rivers from the Pyrenees and in the Mediterranean sea. Words can hardly express my gratitude for having such incredible family and friends with exceptionally beautiful places to visit, so I present music and video instead!