This first term has been nothing like other periods of teaching. Changes that I have encountered with different schools and communities have brought about some very positive developments, which I will discuss later.
A few weeks ago I shared the picture below in my personal Facebook feed, which brought about several likes and "Haha" responses.
During my last week of teaching for the term my body deemed it had been pushed past its threshold and, as a result, shut down when I woke up Tuesday morning. There were several factors, including...
- The term being eleven weeks long
- Having a four-day weekend in the middle of the term, tricking the body into relaxing early
- Extra travel and events to be involved with, including consecutive trips to Grafton leading up to exhaustion
It's been a long term, and you can probably imagine the disbelief crossing my face having students state "Geez, the term has gone really quick!" The long term and the hard work involved has taken its toll on several teachers and students, but the time to recover is more than welcome with the holidays.
So what has occurred over the last couple of weeks?
Going back to April 8th, where it all started, the Clarence Valley Conservatorium held its Chamber Music Festival. Clarinza were involved (the clarinet ensemble I run on a Friday afternoon), as well as being involved with the jazz ensemble. Since I have no further teaching on a Monday evening, I've decided to give the tenor sax a good run and be involved with the ensemble.
Clarinza is a group I always enjoy giving a challenge, especially if it is something that can be covered in the space of a term. This time it was two lengthy pieces for the festival; Blue Silence by Elena Kats-Chernin, and Petite Symphonie for Winds Part 1 by Charles Gounod. The two works gorgeously contrast one another, but Blue Silence was something different to behold and unlike other pieces performed previously by the ensemble. The preamble to the work brought greater attention to detail of the music by the ensemble members.
"A person with schizophrenia hears voices, which can be very disturbing, there is a yearning for silence. I wrote this work so that my son Alex who suffers from the illness can listen to calmness, meditation. It's called Blue Silence because blue is sometimes associated with healing." - Blue Silence, Elena Kats-Chernin
The stamina and focus of the Clarinza musicians was something to admire. Audience and family members remarked at how well the students kept up their concentration and technical prowess, especially in the Gounod.
The afternoon concert was an opportunity to see Ensemble Q in action, something we encourage a lot of studying musicians to come along and listen to. There's always a concept that only "old people" go along to listen to "classical" or chamber music concerts, but this was an instance where you could observe a good spread of younger, middle-age, and senior audience members. There was so much to appreciate, absorb, and even be further educated about in a program that included music by Schumann, Beethoven, and Mendelssohn. The question has been raised previously in regards to why young people should attend chamber music, let alone "classical", concerts. When I watched Ensemble Q perform nearly 12 months ago, there was a very inspiring response from audience member Sjord.
"It's good for the soul."
This was so true 12 months ago, and it's been the same ever since. It matters not whether you have a great understanding or zero history with the music. Chamber music performances are always an opportunity to listen to, and witness, something that is different, inspiring, relatable, and/or emotionally attachable being demonstrated by multiple musicians on differing parts.
Travelling home after the concert, I could feel my body start to go into a decline. I think everyone has experienced this at some point when a cold or some form of sickness starts to set in. In this case, it was the dreaded feeling of exhaustion. Sleep was the only way to hopefully overcome this and avoid punishment. Monday, it was back to Grafton to teach. Come Tuesday morning, when the early alarm woke me up, I knew that was it.
No voice, aching all over the body, and everything feels incredibly heavy. The body simply shuts down and feels like all of your defences have activated as if you have been on the receiving end of some crushing sickness. It's an awful situation to end up in, but in retrospect it is one that I can appreciate. I've always felt my tolerance has increased over the years in regards to how my teaching load is handled, but for the work put in to so many teaching areas I could feel how my body was determining it was being run into the ground. I can be quite proud of the efforts so many of us have put in in regards to teaching and learning development so far.
I reluctantly had to take Tuesday off, one of my large days of teaching at Bellingen High. The body needed rest, and it meant having to remain in bed for most of the day. I was still able to teach a couple of lessons in the evening, followed by a wedding music rehearsal. Despite sound like a nasally congested frog for the rest of the week, my body felt like it was making a speedy recovery.
Once the teaching week concluded it would be time for holidays. Right?
Clarence Valley Orchestra Tour
Straight into the next event! I must say that I did thoroughly enjoy this event, travelling and performing with the orchestra at Inverell and Tenterfield. Not only was it the opportunity for the show to be taken on the road but also the chance to socialise with members of the orchestra and choir that we would normally see in passing, or rehearse with.
The bus trips made for great conversation, and quiet reflection where appropriate. Morning tea at Glen Innes with coffee and large scones, and then arrival at Inverell where we met the people billeting us (with many thanks to the Rotary Lions!) The CVO gave their first concert in the afternoon, and then we had a large gathering for dinner. Many more people were met as some interesting topics of conversation came up at dinner including education in Inverell and people's perspectives on Australian education, bus transportation, families, soil and its chemical variance, and robotics. On the surface these topics of conversation don't seem to be the most riveting, but there was some great entertainment and information shared by many people in relation to these areas.
Tenterfield was our second port of call. We explored the Sir Henry Parkes Museum and enjoyed morning tea while looking at historical photos, items and models of the town, and the assorted historical caricatures. I decided to go for a stroll and exploration along the main street, even though the purpose was to find some lunch and a coffee. There's a lot of history about Tenterfield, and I would love to visit the town again to explore it further.
The CVO gave their second concert, and it was as well received as the first concert in Inverell. Both audiences were very appreciative and responsive in so many ways, whether it was clapping and singing along or even shedding a tear to some of the memorable war tunes.
The bus made its return to Grafton in the evening, and from there everyone departed for home. Is that all and time for a break?
Weddings Galore!
As I alluded to earlier I had a rehearsal for one wedding but also had to prepare for a second wedding, which happened to be for my cousin, Bianca.
The first wedding gig with Mei Wei Lim and Lawrence Pastro was a lot of fun. A great assortment of popular, jazz, and musical numbers picked out by Katie for the reception as we provided entertainment in the corner with keys, kit, and saxophones (soprano and alto). The atmosphere was jovial and relaxed, and everyone had a great time. The catering at the Sawtell Surf Club was amazing as well, especially being entitled to some of their provided food after our stint. I think the three of us could have kept on playing for the entire evening to the point where we would be the last to leave.
The second wedding allowed for me to assemble an ensemble together, which I decided would be two soprano clarinets and one bass clarinet. The initial plan was to compose music for both the signing of the register and the exit of the bride and groom. This happened for the latter, but I decided to give a slight rearrangement to some of the 17th Century Hungarian Dances by Ferenc Farkas for trio, instead of quartet, for the signing of the register.
The original work composed was Gioiosa Uscita, or "Joyous Exit". I wanted to compose a piece that would give a sense of momentum through irregularity, something you probably wouldn't expect to hear at such an occasion. The piece is in 10/8 with a constant four pulse of two dotted crotchet beats followed by two crotchet beats in rondo form. The first clarinet always returns to the tune, while the second clarinet part and bass clarinet parts feature in the B and C themes respectively. You can hear a recording of the trio, playing at the wedding, in the link above.
And when I'm not touring or playing at weddings...
Keeping my kids entertained, fed, out of trouble, supervised, and the list goes on. Strategically placing myself to keep an eye on them and do work at the same time is not an easy task. They're all growing up so fast!
After reading Finnish Lessons 2.0, by Sahlberg, I'm already planning to further develop my programs. I may discuss this further some time in the future.
The bus trips made for great conversation, and quiet reflection where appropriate. Morning tea at Glen Innes with coffee and large scones, and then arrival at Inverell where we met the people billeting us (with many thanks to the Rotary Lions!) The CVO gave their first concert in the afternoon, and then we had a large gathering for dinner. Many more people were met as some interesting topics of conversation came up at dinner including education in Inverell and people's perspectives on Australian education, bus transportation, families, soil and its chemical variance, and robotics. On the surface these topics of conversation don't seem to be the most riveting, but there was some great entertainment and information shared by many people in relation to these areas.
Tenterfield was our second port of call. We explored the Sir Henry Parkes Museum and enjoyed morning tea while looking at historical photos, items and models of the town, and the assorted historical caricatures. I decided to go for a stroll and exploration along the main street, even though the purpose was to find some lunch and a coffee. There's a lot of history about Tenterfield, and I would love to visit the town again to explore it further.
The CVO gave their second concert, and it was as well received as the first concert in Inverell. Both audiences were very appreciative and responsive in so many ways, whether it was clapping and singing along or even shedding a tear to some of the memorable war tunes.
The bus made its return to Grafton in the evening, and from there everyone departed for home. Is that all and time for a break?
Weddings Galore!
As I alluded to earlier I had a rehearsal for one wedding but also had to prepare for a second wedding, which happened to be for my cousin, Bianca.
The first wedding gig with Mei Wei Lim and Lawrence Pastro was a lot of fun. A great assortment of popular, jazz, and musical numbers picked out by Katie for the reception as we provided entertainment in the corner with keys, kit, and saxophones (soprano and alto). The atmosphere was jovial and relaxed, and everyone had a great time. The catering at the Sawtell Surf Club was amazing as well, especially being entitled to some of their provided food after our stint. I think the three of us could have kept on playing for the entire evening to the point where we would be the last to leave.
The second wedding allowed for me to assemble an ensemble together, which I decided would be two soprano clarinets and one bass clarinet. The initial plan was to compose music for both the signing of the register and the exit of the bride and groom. This happened for the latter, but I decided to give a slight rearrangement to some of the 17th Century Hungarian Dances by Ferenc Farkas for trio, instead of quartet, for the signing of the register.
The original work composed was Gioiosa Uscita, or "Joyous Exit". I wanted to compose a piece that would give a sense of momentum through irregularity, something you probably wouldn't expect to hear at such an occasion. The piece is in 10/8 with a constant four pulse of two dotted crotchet beats followed by two crotchet beats in rondo form. The first clarinet always returns to the tune, while the second clarinet part and bass clarinet parts feature in the B and C themes respectively. You can hear a recording of the trio, playing at the wedding, in the link above.
And when I'm not touring or playing at weddings...
Keeping my kids entertained, fed, out of trouble, supervised, and the list goes on. Strategically placing myself to keep an eye on them and do work at the same time is not an easy task. They're all growing up so fast!
After reading Finnish Lessons 2.0, by Sahlberg, I'm already planning to further develop my programs. I may discuss this further some time in the future.
