TMEA

Last week, for the first time since 2002, I was able to attend the TMEA convention in San Antonio. It was fantastic!

There are several things about TMEA that make it wonderful. There are workshops given by some of the most amazing teachers on the planet, and there's so much to learn from them. There are also concerts nearly around the clock of fantastic choirs of all ages (bands and orchestras too, but I don't care about those so much). The exhibit halls bigger than football fields with all kinds of instruments, music, music toys, food (for fundraisers), and all kinds of things that you would and would not expect. But the absolute best part of TMEA is running into people you know.

I saw my choir director from college, the professor I worked for my junior year for my scholarship, the choir director I student taught for, my voice teacher and Music Ed professor, the elementary music coordinator for the district I hope to teach for again (good networking!!), and some friends. I saw my voice student from 2001-2002. She was a high school senior that year. She's now an elementary music teacher in the district where I taught. (Oh, I feel so old!)

I also saw Susan, and spent most of Friday wtih her. Susan was my children's choir director when I was a kid. She also taught a recorder class when I was in elementary school over one summer. I think that probably had something to do with me playing clarinet in middle school and high school. She and I were in a big production at church when I was a 6th grader, and we had a duet. (She played Mary in that show for a few years in a row, and I'd always see her with a pillow in her clothes, pretending to be pregnant for the show. I was really confused by that, and thought she had more kids than she actually does.) After I went off to college and came back, she and I along with another friend formed a little trio and sang for church somewhat regularly. We did "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" for our seniors group. We also did a number in a Christmas pageant where we were in 40's get-up all the way down to stockings with the seam up the back. I taught children's choir along side her for a couple years too. She's been a special person in my life for a long time. It was great to be able to go to workshops and concerts with her. What a blessing!

The song in my head is "Magic Man" by Heart.