| last drops of summer... |
[Aug. 2nd, 2006|05:44 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| |  full | ] |
I am almost done with this math class...then I move out, come back home for a couple of days, then go back and start school all over again! Yikes this summer went by really fast!
Monday Katy came to visit and she stayed the night! I love that girl to pieces! She went to my early childhood class that I was supposed to assist but ended up teaching it without any toys or any kind of musical aid because the teacher/her sub didnt show up! It was interesting and nerve-racking at the same time. It was my first time teaching an entire class! This was a rare circumstance for sure. I am glad katy was there to help me. We went to Applebees and had some yummy food before she had to have yucky food at band camp. And of course we went to Bubble Island to get some bubble tea...our flute tradition thanks to Professor Sherman! Yay
We also went to the botanical gardens on campus. They were so beautiful, especially this time of year! It was nice catching up with Katy. I always have so much fun with her.
Yay for good times with good friends!
This weekend I am going to the Morell family reunion up north in Ubly. It should be great seeing my HUGE family! Our extended family is even coming, so there should be oh about 400 people there...My family is HUGE and they keep growing!My sister is even flying up from Florida to come to this. I cant wait to see her. She already started teaching this week. They start school soo early in Florida! Im just glad that I am not in that 100 degree + weather. Although in the winter time, it would be nice to have a bit more sunshine in Michigan.
thats all for today |
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| (no subject) |
[Jul. 21st, 2006|12:14 am] |
| [ | mood |
| |  complacent | ] |
| [ | music |
| | Up on the roof | ] |
When this old world starts getting me down
and people are just to much for me to face
i climb right up to the top of the stairs
and all my cares just drift into space
on the roof is as peaceful as can be
and there the world below cant bother me
when i come home feeling tired and weak
i go up where the air is fresh and sweet
i get away from the hustling crowd
and all that rat race noise down in the street
on the roof the only place i know
where you just have to wish to make it so
lets go...
up on the roof
at night the starts put on a show for free
and darling you can share it all with me
if the world starts getting you down
there's room enough for two
up on the roof
serenade me to sleep :) |
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| (no subject) |
[Jul. 19th, 2006|08:42 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| |  curious | ] |
| [ | music |
| | Grey Squirrel (ec) song | ] |
right now its math math and more math!
Saw Katy and Brian earlier this week! went to Harrison Roadhouse then we went to bubble Island! I am so glad I got to see them again!
I had some delicious bubble tea. Its quite tastey and I love the tapioca pearls that are in the tea. They are chewy and they give you huge straws so you can swallow the pearls. YUMMMY
Katy and Brian are soo cute together! I am so happy for them! :)
Last weekend I went up to my cottage for most of Sunday. We (my family) went jetskiing and went out to dinner at Whitey's. It was delicious! I love visiting my parents every now and then. They are so good to me
August: Moving out to move back in
finals
classes begin
2 family reunions
and a potential party
busy busy busy
right now math is consuming my entire life
math everyday! its crazy...In a couple of weeks I will be DONE WITH MATH FOREVER!! YAY
this week was my last week of teaching Early childhood music. The next session starts next week. I am going to miss my kids from this session! sooo cute! It is the BEST JOB IN THE ENTIRE WORLD |
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| (no subject) |
[Jul. 11th, 2006|11:30 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| |  devious | ] |
| [ | music |
| | BritNAY | ] |
He bought the ticket! For real this time!! Will is officially visiting in September. We are going to Chicago together and everything...
I am nervous/excited/ all at the same time! I dont know what is going to happen but it will be 1 year since Ive seen him. Its hard to believe that its been that long. I am still a little confused about the situation and I am not quite sure what my ACTUAL feelings are for him (thanks to my experience with stalker boys this year). He is a sweetheart with an accent and I hope things work out for the best. Gotta love those Interlochen boys...Key word :INTERLOCHEN:!
Life is peachy! Just got done teaching my little munchkins with Gretchin! early childhood music is the best thing that ever happened to me!
Math quiz tomorrow...yuck
procrastinating again
luckily my teacher is HOT
more fun for me
anyone want to come to my cottage with me? boating, blueberry picking, beach...thats the plan
let me know and we will go |
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| updates, venting, passions... |
[Jul. 10th, 2006|08:49 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| |  pensive | ] |
| [ | music |
| | Dorian!! | ] |
Wow this summer has gone by soo fast!
I've been taking summer classes. I just finished the first semester of classes June 30th and I just started my new class July 5.
Life is good in East Lansing...
Right now I am procrastinating because I just dont want to do my math homework. yuck!
4th of July was nice, but there's nothing like having a significant other to spice it up a bit. So in other words...Im still looking! Although recently, William might be coming to Michigan in September..for real this time! He is so sweet to me. I just dont think things will work out because of the distance but he is still a really good friend of mine. I couldnt believe that earlier this summer he sent me a package. He sent me a box of chocolates, a LONG handwritten letter and a rock from Mount Whitney (he climed it!). What a sweetheart. I cant believe that its been a year since I was a counselor at Interlochen! I have so many wonderful memories there...and believe me..if you know me REALLY well, you should know that I ALWAYS talk about Interlochen. Once I start I just cant stop. Even now i am trying to stop myself..its not working..not exactly!
I guess the reason why I love that camp so much is because I met some of the most amazing people that I have ever known. It was there where I made music and TRULY found my "calling" to be a music teacher. I just cant get enough of it! My ultimate among ultimate goals is to be able to teach there in the summer...THAT WOULD BE AMAZING!!!
I love the mixers, melody freeze, harmony junction, KRESGE!, The bowl, my yellow socks! (I still have them and I secretly wear them on special occasions). The trip to the beach!!, Star gazing, badge switching, counselors, Maui wowi(s), Pinecrest!, Lochhaven (the boys had the best view on the water and we were always jealous), Swimmers itch, my nalgene bottle, sunsets, being serenaded by the boys, talent shows, capers, morning scramble (Liz and teaching her heal clicks), our chipmunk Mr. Sneaky?, concerts, oh and did I mention STEVEN DAVIS!, Jerry Blackstone and the notorious name tags for choir kids, Laughing a bit too much, pizza night, the bus ride to the beach, final concert...unforgettable!, first time I knew I wanted to learn how to sing and be apart of a choir. final goodbyes, the tears, the train letters, my interlochen sweatshirt, ....I cried all the way home
Best 2 weeks of my life!
That was when I was a camper..
I knew I had to come back for more and thats why I became a counselor
last summer: training week, secondary jobs, cabin #25, MY GIRLS!!, meeting the parents, setting the cabin up, capers, name tags, working the front desk, working at Pinecrest, the overflowing bathroom, nights out, days off, coffee, Jewel concert, doing stuff for the girls, chinese night, pizza night, mixers, The counselor dance, Carmina Burana, Les Preludes, Opening ceremony, 6:15 a.m. everyday of the week!, Kiaking, my lovely letters, Meeting Will, Platte Point, Counselor outting, Counselor appreciation day, taking care of my girls, listening to disney songs in the morning, occasional naps in headquarters, writting my name everywhere, camp pictures, Roving and my power rover!!, divisional roving, sunsets, the firedrill/tornado drills, toilet paper crises, overflowing toilets, concerned parents, trips to the hospital (for campers), meeting so many new people, being kissed in the rain, books/train letters, secret sisters, watching the kids perform
the best part...watching my girls smile and have a great time! Love it
I should go back
anyways...that was fun going down memory lane
now for today's update:
I finally met Edwin Gordon! He is absolutely one of the most legendary people I have ever met. He is one of my many hero's! I have his signature and a recording of him singing! He is a fascinating, adorable, old man! One of the most important people in music education history! I cant wait to teach young children! I have so many ideas since I've taken the music learning theory certification for general music. Although, I am a bit concerned about my ear training skills...thanks to my previous music teachers ehem! I love them dearly, but all i was taught to do was to READ music. Until college, I never learned to use my ears and to become an independent musician. Some teachers do not understand the importance of helping children to become independent musicians. Music should be taught like a language. When a baby is first born, how do they learn to speak? By listening, right? So the same thing should be taught with music. babies need to listen to music to develop a readiness to sing, or some type of musical vocabulary. Once a child learns to speak, he/she will start to develop a vocabulary. The same holds true for music. A child should develop a large musical vocabulary by listening and singing in different modes, meters, and tonalities. Once a child has developed a large vocabulary then they develop a readiness to read, then write. Once again...the same principles for music. Unfortunately, most teachers DO NOT understand that you shouldnt teach kids to read music unless they have a stable musical vocabulary and have a READINESS to read, otherwise the children are reading notation and they are not gaining meaning from the music. Therefore they are just relying on the music and not being independent musicians.
I am so frustrated with some of our elementary music programs. The only thing that the kids do is learn to sing and read notation. If they knew what to listen for in the music they would be more likely to understand the music that they are making, and they could make music on their own. We do not teach a child to read before they know how to speak. So why do most teachers do the same thing in music? It makes absolutely NO sense! This especially holds true for instrumentalists. We are great "button pushers", but can we ACTUALLY sing whats written on the page, and fully understand the tonal, rhythmic, and harmonic structure of the songs we are playing...most of the time NO. This is why most kids drop out of band, orchestra, and choir. They are not given the tools to make music outside the classroom. They think classroom music is pointless because it is all "classical" and is written by dead white guys that they have never even heard of. Well, guess what, news flash! Music doesnt have to be about dead white guys, it can be about what YOU like to play. If your music teachers were smart, they would've given you the proper tools to help you write your own music, or the tools to understand your favorite music. They would've help you to heighten your awareness of the things that are happening in the music and what things are important to listen for.
Music is such an intregal part of our culture, which is a reason why children should understand music. Most people listen to music at least a couple hours everyday or more. We listen to music on TV, movies, ipods, computers, radio, or if you are like me you wake up to hearing music from your alarm clock! Why shouldnt we teach students to understand music?
i am so tired of watching kids being yelled at by their music directors for rushing or slowing down or not playing the right notes. Yes, its true, a piece of the problem is the students but the majority of the problem is the teacher not teaching properly. Yelling is not necessarily teaching, either is spoon feeding. Fixing The problem is simple...If you can sing in tune, you can play in tune, if you can understand where your body is in space and how to feel free flowing movement you wont rush your slow down! Why do teachers even bother yelling...its harmful to the students and the teacher! Why? Why? Why?
IF the kids had the proper tools...they could hear what they were doing wrong and they would be able to fix it on their own. Dont get me wrong...we all need a little guidance, but spoon feeding is not necessary. Stop relying on the music on the page and start listening to the music in your heart!
Each person has the potential to learn music. For the longest time I always thought that i could never learn how to sing! Ever! never in a million years did I ever imagine that One day I would be singing in Michigan State's State Singers, (a choir for music majors). I think that the majority of people believe that they cant sing is because they havnt had the right training in their elementary music programs. They think that they are "tone deaf". Guess what?...there is NO SUCH THING!!! Trust me there isnt! If you dont believe me..go and ask all the MSU school of music professors. So if you are one of those people who thinks that they are unable to sing, or if you dont think you can sing very well....there IS hope for you!
I am so sorry if it seems like I am angry or that I am forcing these ideas upon you. Thats not my intent. I was purely writing things that were floating in my head. Things that have been "merinating" for the past couple weeks. Things that I think are very important. I am not saying that all music teachers are bad or that all my music teachers were bad teachers. I just think that teachers should re-evaluate their teaching so that they can undestand how students are learning music and what kind of meaning they are taking from the music. I could be wrong about all the things that I have written, but I feel that I just wanted to say it. I am usually not a judgemental person and I dont like to argue. But have you ever had a burning passion to change something in this world that you think is terribly important? I do..
I may not be changing things right now, but I absolutely intend to when I start teaching. I love kids and I want to give them a gift that they can use...independent musicianship. Maybe they will never use it...but at least I was willing to try to help them use it. I know I DEFINATELy am not perfect..but I am going to follow my heart on this one. I really feel that I am going in the right direction in my life. Maybe its because I am an opptomist (although because of my entry, you may think otherwise) I am not quite sure...whatever it is, I think all things happen for a reason.
There we go...the 2 things I love almost more than anything: Interlochen, and music/music teaching!...(besides my family, friends, and faith)
I could talk about those things for hours and hours and hours...but thats ok! I think you get the point!
Love you all!! Hope all is well! |
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| chillin like a villan |
[May. 20th, 2006|08:12 pm] |
Im so glad the weather was nice out today!! I was getting a little tired of 2 weeks worth of rain!!
I never thought cooking would be soo much fun!! Today I made a breakfast casserole and skilled lasagna!! So yummy!
I cant wait to cook up more concoctions...muhaha
yay
Hope everyone is enjoying their summer! |
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| Summer |
[May. 17th, 2006|08:30 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| | impressed | ] |
| [ | music |
| | Avril | ] |
Taking summer classes!
I am reading this book called "Stigma" and I found this awesome quote:
"Both healthy minds and healthy bodies may be crippled. The fact that "normal" people can get around, can see, can hear, doesnt mean that they are seeing or hearing. They can be very blind to the things that spoil their happiness, very deaf to the plas of others for kindness; when I think of them I do not feel any more crippledor disabled than they. Perhaps in some small way I can be the means of opening their eyes to the beauties around us: things like a warm handclasp, a voice that is anxious to cheer, a spring breeze, music to listen to, a friendly nod. These people are important to me, and I like to feel that I can help them"
ISS 335.. its fun!
(Integrated Social Sciences)
My teacher is AWESOME!!
Life is good! Just taking classes and enjoying life in East Lansing! |
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| Stole this from Katy |
[Apr. 18th, 2006|11:05 pm] |
|
Being Twenty-Something. They call it the "Quarter-life Crisis." It is when you stop going along with the crowd and start realizing that there are a lot of things about yourself that you didn't know and may not like. You start feeling insecure and wonder where you will be in a year or two, but then get scared because you barely know where you are now. You start realizing that people are selfish and that, maybe, those friends that you thought you were so close to aren't exactly the greatest people you have ever met and the people you have lost touch with are some of the most important ones. What you do not realize is that they are realizing that too and are not really cold or catty or mean or insincere, but that they are as confused as you. You look at your job. It is not even close to what you thought you would be doing or maybe you are looking for one and realizing that you are going to have to start at the bottom and are scared. You miss the comforts of college, of groups, of socializing with the same people on a constant basis. But then you realize that maybe they weren't so great after all. You are beginning to understand yourself and what you want and do not want. Your opinions have gotten stronger. You see what others are doing and find yourself judging a bit more than usual because suddenly you realize that you have certain boundaries in your life and add things to your list of what is acceptable and what is not. You are insecure and then secure. You laugh and cry with the greatest force of your life. You feel alone and scared and confused. Suddenly change is the enemy and you try and cling on to the past with dear life but soon realize that the past is drifting further and further away and there is nothing to do but stay where you are or move forward. You get your heart broken and wonder how someone you loved could do such damage to you or you lay in bed and wonder why you can't meet anyone descent enough to get to know better. You love someone but maybe love someone else too and cannot figure out why you are doing this because you are not a bad person. One night stands nd random hook ups start to look cheap and getting wasted and acting like an idiot starts to look pathetic. You go through the same emotions and questions over and over and talk with your friends about the same topics because you cannot seem to make a decision. You worry about loans and money and the future and making a life for yourself and while winning the race would be great, right now you'd just like to be a contender! |
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| (no subject) |
[Apr. 13th, 2006|09:41 pm] |
Welcome to West Circle Beach my friends....
haha, I've got a beach in my backyard, How convenient!!! |
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| Birthday fun |
[Apr. 10th, 2006|08:26 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| | happy | ] |
| [ | music |
| | Rascal flatts | ] |
wow, what a wonderful week it has been!
Today I taught/assisted my last early childhood music class.. it made me sad because I love those kids soo much! The toddlers improved soo much in those 10 weeks. I was so proud of them and I am absolutely thrilled to do more early childhood teaching this summer! They always give you hugs.....its the cutest thing in the world!
last Saturday was one of the best birthdays I have ever had!! My mom came up early in the morning to celebrate my birthday with me. She took me to IHOP, and the food was Fantastic!I love how they have large assortments of syrups, it made me happy because I love mixing my food....and I am slightly indecisive when it comes to choosing my food, so it was a good thing. Afterwards, my mom took me shopping @ Meridan and we laughed and had a wonderful time together. I love our mother daughter moments....She is the greatest mother and I love her soo much! We helped eachother find cute outfits and had a couple of delightful conversations together! She brought me some fruit from home and some other healthy snacks because she knows how much I love fruit and healthy food! While we were shopping I found 2 pairs of really cute jeans and she bought them for me as my birthday present! My mom is adorable..she said, "I was going to buy you a cake but I got you a birthday present instead...AND you can wear it on your hips! (hehe, she meant my jeans) If you didnt get it, its just an inside joke between me and my mom!
After celebrating with my mom, I went to Meijer with Talia. I bought tropical drinks, umbrellas, animal crackers, and some candy for later on that night! After meijer I talked to a couple people on the phone/online and finalized the plans for the night.
Lauron, Katy, Meggin, Anna, Steph and I had a fun roadtrip to Applebees! I love those girls...They made me feel so special! I ordered my favorite...oriental chicken salad and it was delicious! We took lots of pictures and enjoyed our meals. They COMPLETELY surprised me when I heard a large group of Applebees employees clapping behind me and singing Happy Birthday to me. They served me a delicious ice cream dessert and everything..YUMMY!! Once again, that was one of the sweetest things anyone has ever done for me!! Thank you soo much Ladies... I love you to pieces! I loved it because I ABSOLUTELY didnt expect it at all.
After the lovely Applebees celebration, we continued the festivities in my room. We laughed, danced, did some salsaing, managed to sing some berkowitz, and passed out by my big giant blue ball!! LOL
Lauron and Meggin got it on camara if you dont believe me...
Highlights of the night:
Pictures of people eating!
Taking an extended detour to applebees, haha a scenic route!
Applebees people singing Happy birthday to me
yummy desserts and funny faces
the knife inncident with Anna and lauron
animal crackers and sweet tart chicks and ducks interbreeding
playing with mini umbrellas
tropical drinks...need I say more?
You know you make me wanna....SHOUT!!
Spilling beverages and me using my shout...hey it worked! It was a white liquid substance that looked like...ummm, well, you know!
Me on the ground dying of laughter....
dancing to the song SHOUT
Videos....
wanting to make out with random guys on campus...dont worry we didnt do it
singing Berkawitz and tonal patterns!
calling boys to tell them we like them...haha interesting...
Laughing, dancing, partying, and celebrating my birthday with my girls...priceless! I love you guys!
Best birthday ever...That was one of the best weekends that I have ever had since I have been at MSU! Thanks so much for everything! |
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