Two Crazy Weeks

Today begins the second of two crazy weeks at our school. Last week we hosted the district basketball tournament. The other schools in our district did not want us to host because they think we are too small. We do have a much smaller gym than most schools but there were empty seats every game, so I guess everyone that wanted to come was able.

As a side note, I want to say how proud I am of my tiny pep band. Every year I try to accomplish two things with my band. I have this crazy idea that pep bands can and should play musically not just loud. We focus on dynamics, articulations, contrasting tempo, you know, music. In doing this I also strive to prove that small bands (even tiny ones) can sound better and be more entertaining. My other crazy notion is related to the first. I think the whole point of a pep band is to provide entertainment during the breaks in the basketball action and, to a lesser extent, help pep up the crowd and team. It pleases me greatly each year when I receive several complements from random strangers on the sound of my band. People know quality when they hear it and I think people would much rather be entertained by live music instead of canned.

Tomorrow begins crazy week two. It is the last week of the 3rd quarter and ends with the start of spring break. We still get to have our spring break while many of our neighboring public school friends have to give up theirs. We have had ZERO snow days because we are a boarding school.
Anyway, this will be a crazy week because teenagers, well they are teens. We will spend the week trying to keep them aware of the fact that break is next week.

The last quarter of school presents an unusual problem for me with my choir. I have never taught public school and was not in choir past the 8th grade but I suspect most high school choirs prepare one concert worth of music at a time, give a concert or a few, put the music away, and start the process over.
Our year goes like this. School starts mid August and we have a fall break after the first six weeks. After the students come back from fall break I have a week to get my choir back in the groove before we start traveling on Sundays. From mid October until early May we will be on the road nearly every Sunday available. In all we will sing in around twenty different churches around the commonwealth. Occasionally we even travel outside of Kentucky. In the first six weeks of school I have to assess the strengths and weakness of the ensemble, choose appropriate literature, and help them memorize about twenty minutes of music. We then spend the balance of the year trying to learn new things, improve our sound, and reading skills, all while attempting to keep our 'concert' fresh for each Sunday. An unenviable task to be sure. By this point in the year the fight with boredom is a war some days and a challenge the rest. I welcome any creative ideas to help fight the boredom from anyone who bother to read this far.