One Voice

Jessica played this for me and it's been on my playlist for the past two weeks. I have yet to listen to this without tears this is the sound of all of us. That's family. Permanent and unison. There's so much more to say about it, but that'll suffice. Either you get it or you don't.


Rise


ace in the hole...

and everything else is small

Well, this is last minute, but it looks like I've been accepted into a summer program for Kodaly (pronounced Koh-dye) Music Certification course. There are two major approaches as to how to teach music to children (that's what this is, by the way, a course on how to teach children music), each using different approaches. For example the Orff approach utilizes rhythm instruments and xylaphones to draw out a child's inherent affinities for rhythm and melody. The Kodaly approach, which I much prefer and you'll soon see why, is less intent on the rhythmic aspect of things (though it doesn't go overlooked, it's where all that ta-ta-ti-ti-ti-ti comes from) but rather attends to a child's vocal capabilities, asking them to recognize their own voice by encouraging pitch-matching, and an introduction to the western scale based on solfege (yayyyy solfege, no longer my enemy!) What I like about the Kodaly method (from what little I know of it) is that it puts music right inside the kid, gives them ownership of their own voice and a name for each pitch. It's singing-based, see? Anyhow there are three levels of certification, and it looks like I'm going to be going for level I. I hear great things about the program! It's taught all over the globe but I'll be taking it at the Kodaly Institute at the New England Conservatory. Essentially, I'm told it's a bunch of extremely eager music teachers in a room learning and then applying these techniques, there are activities at the crux of the Kodaly method which I imagine we'll all learn, and nearly everyone I've talked to said there's a whole lotta singing, a whole lotta hands-on conducting technique critique, and basically how to teach kids music at any level. I can't wait! And, it'll give me something to do from 8:30-4:30 for the next three weeks while I'm jobless!


Here is the course I'll be taking:
http://www.newenglandconservatory.edu/summer/institutes/KodalyMusicInstitute.html#levels

And here's a little more detail on the Kodaly method:
http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=U1ARTU0001864

Now I just need to figure out how to get pictures of Thisbe up here...

chopin- nocturne in F minor

I'm sitting on the futon in Medford with my kitten Thisbe taking swats at my fingers as I type. I've spent the morning doing push-ups, nuzzling Thisbe and emailing my resume to any job opening that vaguely resembles something I can do. Proofreading for a geology textbook? Sure. Receptionist for the hospital where Jessica works? Mmmmmokay. Laying brick? Think I could learn. I put in my two weeks at the restaurant on saturday so I've got only a few shifts remaining in my waitressing career, but I haven't anything lined up for myself...aaaand the anxiety steps in. The BCC breaks for the summer, and this means I actually have no job at all. This seems like the perfect time to take advantage of one of those 3 week sleep studies at Brigham and Women's where they pay you $2,000 to sleep in their research ward with the lights on for 21 days.
Hm, not much to update right now I suppose, I'll get back into the habit slowly. Probly this evening :)