KidzBlog!
01 May 2007
The Kid's All Right
This kid might be a musical genius.
Not cuz of his playing -- he's clearly just banging the piano. But did you see the look he shot when the little girl started laughing? "Othalia's laughing, which I don't like." Cool as the other side of the pillow. When you've got that kind of self-esteem working for you, everything else -- technique, mechanics, pedagogy -- is a side issue.
And for the record, he announces that the piece is, "'Rocky Balboa', by my music teacher at school." Smokin Aces. ¶ 8:50 PM 0 comments
This kid might be a musical genius.
Not cuz of his playing -- he's clearly just banging the piano. But did you see the look he shot when the little girl started laughing? "Othalia's laughing, which I don't like." Cool as the other side of the pillow. When you've got that kind of self-esteem working for you, everything else -- technique, mechanics, pedagogy -- is a side issue.
And for the record, he announces that the piece is, "'Rocky Balboa', by my music teacher at school." Smokin Aces. ¶ 8:50 PM 0 comments
27 March 2007
Shout Out
To all the kids who came to my recital last Sunday afternoon. Folks, if a six-year-old can sit still through 20 minutes of Vaughan Williams, y'all grown-ups gots no excuses for yer piss-poor behavior. ¶ 10:05 PM 0 comments
To all the kids who came to my recital last Sunday afternoon. Folks, if a six-year-old can sit still through 20 minutes of Vaughan Williams, y'all grown-ups gots no excuses for yer piss-poor behavior. ¶ 10:05 PM 0 comments
22 February 2007
Renegades of Their Time and Age
I used to hate working with preteens, tweens, whatever you wanna call them. This totally changed my mind:
¶ 11:25 PM 0 comments
I used to hate working with preteens, tweens, whatever you wanna call them. This totally changed my mind:
¶ 11:25 PM 0 comments
Don't Call It A Comeback!
A little voice told me to try and get this thing going again. The excuse that I'm too busy teaching is lame. But true. But anyway.
It's been a wild year with the babies. Towards the end of School Year 2005-2006 (SY0506) I was so overbooked that I would teach at three schools a day on some days. I took a lot of car services all over the Bronx. I also taught a summer program which turned out to be a hard slog -- weeks of 90+-degree temps, no AC, no trips, no dice. But on the plus side, I had a series of great shows at the end of SY0506, and during the xmas season this year, plus a great black history show last week that is among the best things i've done. Also, I closed on my first apartment last month, paid for almost exclusively by my work with kids. So I really can't complain.
SY0607 finds me back in Woodlawn and Tremont for the 4th year in a row, and also in Bedford Park for year number two. My responsibilities at my afterschool in Morris Heights have been scaled back, which is a relief. And I continue to teach early childhood on Saturdays at Henry Street Settlement on the Lower East Side. (For some reason I feel I can put that school's name in print, but not the PS's. Illogical?)
So I hope you'll check in here from time to time and let me know what you think about what you see and hear. And if you're an artist in NYC and think you'd like to get into this kind of work, get in touch. It rules so hard. ¶ 9:55 PM 0 comments
A little voice told me to try and get this thing going again. The excuse that I'm too busy teaching is lame. But true. But anyway.
It's been a wild year with the babies. Towards the end of School Year 2005-2006 (SY0506) I was so overbooked that I would teach at three schools a day on some days. I took a lot of car services all over the Bronx. I also taught a summer program which turned out to be a hard slog -- weeks of 90+-degree temps, no AC, no trips, no dice. But on the plus side, I had a series of great shows at the end of SY0506, and during the xmas season this year, plus a great black history show last week that is among the best things i've done. Also, I closed on my first apartment last month, paid for almost exclusively by my work with kids. So I really can't complain.
SY0607 finds me back in Woodlawn and Tremont for the 4th year in a row, and also in Bedford Park for year number two. My responsibilities at my afterschool in Morris Heights have been scaled back, which is a relief. And I continue to teach early childhood on Saturdays at Henry Street Settlement on the Lower East Side. (For some reason I feel I can put that school's name in print, but not the PS's. Illogical?)
So I hope you'll check in here from time to time and let me know what you think about what you see and hear. And if you're an artist in NYC and think you'd like to get into this kind of work, get in touch. It rules so hard. ¶ 9:55 PM 0 comments
05 January 2006
Ah, sweet mystery of life, et cetera...
Somebody actually complained that I hadn't updated this thing in a while. I was gonna get Maureen Dowd to cover for me while I was on book leave, but I decided instead to just blow it off.
In truth there's not much for me to report. This is the real thankless part of the year for me. I'm trying to establish discipline and get the kids the basics, so later in the year we can do amazing things that I will write about ad nauseum with still photos and video clips and the whole shebang. I did have to physically restrain a kid who was having a tantrum for the first time in my career, but I was a lot bigger than him so there's not much to tell.
But here: just to tide you over, may I offer one of my favorite teaching stories from yesteryear. Actually, from the year before yesteryear. [It gets a little blue towards the end, so if you're a person who's uncomfortable with that sort of thing, or my grandmother, you should click over to homestarrunner.com or something right now.]
Just the sexy people left? Good. So a coupla years ago I'm teaching a 4th grade class. We're talking the basics of reading music. I start by introducing the musical staff and the treble clef, which look like this:
See how the curly part of the treble clef kind of circles around the second line from the bottom? And doesn't that treble clef look like a fancy letter-G? That treble clef is telling us that the second line is the line for the pitch G. This was the point I was trying to make.
After the kids picked up on the clef-G connection, I took my dry-erase marker and continued the curl to make a circle, then drew two concentrically smaller circles inside the largest one, until I had formed a bullseye that was squarely trained on the second line.
"Now, if you were gonna shoot an arrow at this bullseye, what would you try to hit? Yes, Maleek?"
"The spot in the middle."
"Right! Now if this clef is really just a big "G", what do you think we call think we call the line that goes through the middle of that bullseye? Um, Gabriella?"
"That's the G-Spot!"
Oh. So that's where it is. ¶ 8:20 PM 0 comments
Somebody actually complained that I hadn't updated this thing in a while. I was gonna get Maureen Dowd to cover for me while I was on book leave, but I decided instead to just blow it off.
In truth there's not much for me to report. This is the real thankless part of the year for me. I'm trying to establish discipline and get the kids the basics, so later in the year we can do amazing things that I will write about ad nauseum with still photos and video clips and the whole shebang. I did have to physically restrain a kid who was having a tantrum for the first time in my career, but I was a lot bigger than him so there's not much to tell.
But here: just to tide you over, may I offer one of my favorite teaching stories from yesteryear. Actually, from the year before yesteryear. [It gets a little blue towards the end, so if you're a person who's uncomfortable with that sort of thing, or my grandmother, you should click over to homestarrunner.com or something right now.]
Just the sexy people left? Good. So a coupla years ago I'm teaching a 4th grade class. We're talking the basics of reading music. I start by introducing the musical staff and the treble clef, which look like this:
See how the curly part of the treble clef kind of circles around the second line from the bottom? And doesn't that treble clef look like a fancy letter-G? That treble clef is telling us that the second line is the line for the pitch G. This was the point I was trying to make.
After the kids picked up on the clef-G connection, I took my dry-erase marker and continued the curl to make a circle, then drew two concentrically smaller circles inside the largest one, until I had formed a bullseye that was squarely trained on the second line.
"Now, if you were gonna shoot an arrow at this bullseye, what would you try to hit? Yes, Maleek?"
"The spot in the middle."
"Right! Now if this clef is really just a big "G", what do you think we call think we call the line that goes through the middle of that bullseye? Um, Gabriella?"
"That's the G-Spot!"
Oh. So that's where it is. ¶ 8:20 PM 0 comments
04 December 2005
Victory Over Babies
Five days of my week are spent with public school kids between the ages of four and 14. Fully half of the classes are either Kindergarten or Pre-Kindergarten classes. I've had a special affinity for the K's ever since I began teaching and, five years on, I've sharpened my instincts to an almost preternatural keen. Classroom teachers who have two decades of experience over me often remark at my ability to manage their classes' focus and behavior. While it's tempting to leap into an extended explanation of what makes me so amazing, it's really just a result of watching for the fissures in the group concentration and always having something NEXT.
So the thesis of my teaching career has been: the younger they are, the better I am. Of course, this can only be proven down to age four in a public school setting, but I assumed it would hold up with toddlers as well. Nope.
I have two classes with children under four on Saturday mornings. The three- and four-year-olds' class is not so bad; it's the 18-month to three class that is proving a stretch.
There's a pretty standard shape that most toddler music classes take: the kids come in, everybody sings a "hello" song, then there's an active song/dance thing, then a story and/or puppet show, some kind of quiet exploratory game or activity, another active/"up" song, a chill-out song with bubbles or maybe a parachute, and a goodbye.
If one of these chapters doesn't work, I just have to junk it. I can't really finesse it the way I would with a kindergarten class. Similarly, if one thing takes more time than I anticipate, I could be stuck with amped-up two-year-olds and no time to chill them out. The parents are in the session as well, adding to the pressure.
Establishing a common vibe is very tough with toddlers as well. My class this morning was a case in point. I had only three kids today, Alex (2), Max (20 mos.) and Brittany (19 mos.). Max and Brittany are married. I know this because they are always either making out or beating the tar out of each other. Today was particularly amorous/contentious, and I think Alex felt left out. He mostly kept his face buried in his mother's thigh while the other two took turns grabbing musical instruments to hit each other with. I tried to draw Alex out as much as I could, but the other two simply demanded the lion's share of my focus. The class went well, but I never hit the groove that I so often find with older kids.
Working with the little ones offers other compensations, though. They are almost always bursting with fun and curiousity, and they're like human Prozac when they curl up in your lap at story time.
¶ 12:13 AM 0 comments
Five days of my week are spent with public school kids between the ages of four and 14. Fully half of the classes are either Kindergarten or Pre-Kindergarten classes. I've had a special affinity for the K's ever since I began teaching and, five years on, I've sharpened my instincts to an almost preternatural keen. Classroom teachers who have two decades of experience over me often remark at my ability to manage their classes' focus and behavior. While it's tempting to leap into an extended explanation of what makes me so amazing, it's really just a result of watching for the fissures in the group concentration and always having something NEXT.
So the thesis of my teaching career has been: the younger they are, the better I am. Of course, this can only be proven down to age four in a public school setting, but I assumed it would hold up with toddlers as well. Nope.
I have two classes with children under four on Saturday mornings. The three- and four-year-olds' class is not so bad; it's the 18-month to three class that is proving a stretch.
There's a pretty standard shape that most toddler music classes take: the kids come in, everybody sings a "hello" song, then there's an active song/dance thing, then a story and/or puppet show, some kind of quiet exploratory game or activity, another active/"up" song, a chill-out song with bubbles or maybe a parachute, and a goodbye.
If one of these chapters doesn't work, I just have to junk it. I can't really finesse it the way I would with a kindergarten class. Similarly, if one thing takes more time than I anticipate, I could be stuck with amped-up two-year-olds and no time to chill them out. The parents are in the session as well, adding to the pressure.
Establishing a common vibe is very tough with toddlers as well. My class this morning was a case in point. I had only three kids today, Alex (2), Max (20 mos.) and Brittany (19 mos.). Max and Brittany are married. I know this because they are always either making out or beating the tar out of each other. Today was particularly amorous/contentious, and I think Alex felt left out. He mostly kept his face buried in his mother's thigh while the other two took turns grabbing musical instruments to hit each other with. I tried to draw Alex out as much as I could, but the other two simply demanded the lion's share of my focus. The class went well, but I never hit the groove that I so often find with older kids.
Working with the little ones offers other compensations, though. They are almost always bursting with fun and curiousity, and they're like human Prozac when they curl up in your lap at story time.
¶ 12:13 AM 0 comments
11 November 2005
My Week
I started my last new school yesterday, bringing to a conclusion the most exhausting portion of the school year. My schedule is set and everyone's met me, so I can relax a little. My week:
Monday - Recorder classes with 130 5th and 6th Graders at a K-6 school in Bedford Park, the Bronx, near Lehman College. I'm also squeezing in general music classes with 50 Kindergarteners at a K-8 school in Woodlawn, the Bronx, through December.
Tuesday - More recorder, this time with 110 3rd and 4th graders and a class of nine Special Ed 5th graders, at a K-8 school in the East Tremont section of the Bronx. Eventually, this will be followed by a 7th and 8th grade chorus at the same school. I also teach general music at an afterschool program in Morris Heights, the Bronx, which serves about 40 2nd graders and will eventually grow to 60.
Wednesday - I return to my Bedford Park school to teach general music to 200 Kindergarteners.
Thursday - I sneak in general music classes with 50 first graders at my Woodlawn school (once again, only through December), and then return to my East Tremont school for recorder and chorus.
Friday - I escape the Bronx for one day during the school week, and teach general music classes to 120 Pre-K'ers and Kindergarteners at a K-5 school in Lefferts Gardens, in Brooklyn.
Saturday - I lead five classes at an arts center on the Lower East Side: a sort of "Mommy & Me" music class for toddlers; a songs, stories and games class for three- and four-year-olds; a "music theory" class for ages five and six; and two choruses for ages four and five and six through eight, respectively. Right now I see about 20 kids in all these classes put together.
People gasp when I lay this out for them. Actually, it's no different numbers-wise than the workload of a Dept. of Ed music teacher working for a single school. What makes it arduous is the relentless commuting and lack of benefits.
¶ 9:58 AM 1 comments
I started my last new school yesterday, bringing to a conclusion the most exhausting portion of the school year. My schedule is set and everyone's met me, so I can relax a little. My week:
Monday - Recorder classes with 130 5th and 6th Graders at a K-6 school in Bedford Park, the Bronx, near Lehman College. I'm also squeezing in general music classes with 50 Kindergarteners at a K-8 school in Woodlawn, the Bronx, through December.
Tuesday - More recorder, this time with 110 3rd and 4th graders and a class of nine Special Ed 5th graders, at a K-8 school in the East Tremont section of the Bronx. Eventually, this will be followed by a 7th and 8th grade chorus at the same school. I also teach general music at an afterschool program in Morris Heights, the Bronx, which serves about 40 2nd graders and will eventually grow to 60.
Wednesday - I return to my Bedford Park school to teach general music to 200 Kindergarteners.
Thursday - I sneak in general music classes with 50 first graders at my Woodlawn school (once again, only through December), and then return to my East Tremont school for recorder and chorus.
Friday - I escape the Bronx for one day during the school week, and teach general music classes to 120 Pre-K'ers and Kindergarteners at a K-5 school in Lefferts Gardens, in Brooklyn.
Saturday - I lead five classes at an arts center on the Lower East Side: a sort of "Mommy & Me" music class for toddlers; a songs, stories and games class for three- and four-year-olds; a "music theory" class for ages five and six; and two choruses for ages four and five and six through eight, respectively. Right now I see about 20 kids in all these classes put together.
People gasp when I lay this out for them. Actually, it's no different numbers-wise than the workload of a Dept. of Ed music teacher working for a single school. What makes it arduous is the relentless commuting and lack of benefits.
¶ 9:58 AM 1 comments
08 November 2005
If you're good, I will give you a sticker.
Welcome to my blog about teaching music to NYC kids. I realized eariler this week that I am currently seeing about 700 kids each week at my various schools (five different public schools during the week, and a nonprofit community center on Saturdays), and I figured this was a good way to keep the experience from completely slipping through my fingers. In that respect, this blog is 100% self-serving: it's a way to record what I did with my day, and a memory tool to prevent me from mixing up the Conors with the Colins, the Edwards with the Edwins, etc. If I drop a few humorous and touching tales over the ensuing weeks and months, that's gravy. ¶ 1:00 AM 1 comments
Welcome to my blog about teaching music to NYC kids. I realized eariler this week that I am currently seeing about 700 kids each week at my various schools (five different public schools during the week, and a nonprofit community center on Saturdays), and I figured this was a good way to keep the experience from completely slipping through my fingers. In that respect, this blog is 100% self-serving: it's a way to record what I did with my day, and a memory tool to prevent me from mixing up the Conors with the Colins, the Edwards with the Edwins, etc. If I drop a few humorous and touching tales over the ensuing weeks and months, that's gravy. ¶ 1:00 AM 1 comments
