Choir Directors Convention

I am back from the convention. It was great. I have massive piles of new music to add to my single-copy library (from which I choose most of the songs my choirs sing), and many new ideas to take to the classroom once school starts. I have two hand-outs I want to keep in the front of my folder to remember those things I was taught this week. If I don't do that, it will never end up making a difference in my teaching. When I get into those moments when choir rehearsal is becoming a drag, I need those quick energizer activities at my fingertips. When a kid is baiting me to argue and get upset, I need that list of quick one-liners to diffuse the situation. The key will be remember that they are there, and remembering to USE them!!

It was great getting to hang out with the other choir directors in the district. We have so many wonderfully talented people right here in our very small sphere, and we really do support each other very well. This year I didn't hang out in the hotel bar with the directors from a nearby district like I have in the past. I know they were there. I've seen evidence on facebook already. I just didn't end up going over there this year because I stayed in a hotel that was closer to the convention center, and for some reason I didn't end up there... Curious...

I also got to hang out with my voice teacher and academic advisor from college. She was also my Music Ed prof, and mentor. She and her husband are always at these conventions. Seeing her and getting to eat lunch with her was a very rare treat. She had some wonderful insights on grad school that have given me the nudge I needed to know where to apply. I was torn between two schools in my area, and I am no longer in doubt. Now the question is when to start... More on that later.

The day after my lunch with her, I ran into my old choir director from college. He was only there one day, and seeing him is another rare treat. He came to my tiny-choir school in March to work with my students before contest. That was such a blessing. It was my new favorite day of my career so far... Anyway, he's up for doing that again this year, which is downright AWESOME!! I'm definitely looking forward to that!

The ladies I roomed with wanted to go see "Horrible Bosses" on Thursday night. It was so funny. The language was horrible as the bosses, but it was FUNNY. If you can tolerate the f bomb repeatedly, I recommend that movie. No spoilers here. I'll move on.

I got some business taken care of at the exhibits. T-shirt art ordered, trip date booked with festival company (going back to the waterpark!!)... Boring stuff like that. I scored some free pizza kits from a fundraising company that sells them. The man kept talking to me and I kept listening and then he offered me free stuff. Works for me!

I brought home some gifts for my girls. I got Big Girl a piano necklace since she plays piano, and I got Little Girl these funny treble clef glasses because as soon as I spotted them, I knew that she would LOVE them! Maybe she'll let me borrow them for special days at school when I may need to be super silly.

OK, so the thing about when to start grad school... I have thought I would go back to school since about a few years after I graduated from college. My priority was starting my family. As long as I was a stay-at-home mommy, grad school didn't seem like a relevant concept. Since starting back to teaching two years ago, it's something I've thought about more and more. Hubby and I agree that it needs to be a financial priority for our family in the upcoming years. I have looked into it and found a masters program that offers classes in the summers for working teachers, and that is what I will do.

The question is whether I start in 2012 or 2013. The reason to delay is an opportunity to travel to Europe. The best man in our wedding is a major in the Air Force and his family is stationed in Germany. They live close to France and Spain, so our trip would be more than just to Germany (we've been there before, but it was with a large group and we didn't have much control over our schedule or which attractions we visited). An opportunity like that doesn't come along all the time. He has been stationed in Europe before, and we were not in a position to take advantage of the offer. I think it was when our kids were little, and finances were tighter. Anyway, that's the question of when. Everyone I've talked to has encouraged me to go to Europe over starting school if we get the opportunity to go.

So I have some action items on my agenda for the short-term: 1. get passport renewed, 2. get convention handouts laminated and in my folder, 3. make sure to take the rhythm cards to tiny-choir school, and stuff like that. I have medium-range goals: 1. plan trip to Europe, 2. take GRE and start application process for grad school, 3. sight-reading every day with students, EVERY DAY no matter what, even if it's just 2 measures...

Those things may not seem like they are related, but they don't have to be. This is my stream of consciousness. You're welcome to get out of the water...

The song in my head came on the radio on the way home today. "Barracuda," by Heart. It doesn't get much cooler than that.