5/11/10

Everyone has to start somewhere...


Each year the school gathers to hear the accomplishments of all the hard working first year band and orchestra students in an afternoon concert.

Enough said.


Well, maybe NOT enough. In my opinion, these talented teachers, who have the patience of SAINTS and must be partially deaf, have the hardest job of all. They must encourage these young children who rarely play a musical piece properly the first time. Or the tenth. Or hundredth. All the while they have to be enthusiastic and encouraging. Give those people a RAISE. RIGHT NOW.

Today during the concert I had to convince one of my squirmy, active boys to sit next to me. Truth be told, it was the principal’s idea.


After the choir sang an amazing version of “My Pretty Planet”, I turned to him and said, “Ahh, wasn’t that beautiful?”


He looked at me with enthusiasm and said, “YEAH! And I sure hope next time they sing it in ENGLISH!”

34 comments:

Anonymous said...

Ah, student music... it's so painful. The "band" at my kid's school this year was almost worse than listening to Sarah Palin's voice. But we grimaced through it and clapped loudly when it ended. :-)

Twenty Four At Heart said...

If I had that job I would wear ear plugs. How ARE you? I've been a bad commenter but I still read faithfully and wanted to say hi! NY here we come ....!!

TMCPhoto said...

My favourite all time eacher; Mrs Snukal was the most amazing teacher ever. She took a school with no music program and had a school wide choir (300+ kids from grades 1 to 6) singing giant musical programs with grand themes each year like The history of Rock and Roll, Disney and Broadway musicals complete with solo performances and small groups. She taught guitar, and had us learning how to read music. She was full of energy and passed her love music and performing on to all of us.

Ekanthapadhikan said...

Reminds me of my music teacher when I was in primary school. How could she have ever slept without a nightmare!

Liss said...

Yes, a raise, and some counselling I'm sure.

Formerly known as Frau said...

I think I shattered my daughters dreams when she was in second grade she wanted to hula hoop to Frank Sinatra for her talent night and I said no....she could be some teen sensation and I could be jet setting some where ....damn!

Brian Miller said...

i know exactly how he feels...

Anonymous said...

ohmygawd... that's so funny!!

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!

Thanks for that!! He should hear my daughter sing!! It's bad, really bad... she sings in the shower and the whole house flinches.

She's 10 so she can't read this! :-)

I love your Son's sense of humour!

Anonymous said...

Enjoy the music while you have it - they just eliminated the music program in my distict, starting next year.

You don't realize how precious all those sour notes are until they're silenced.

Boozy Tooth said...

Okay, so the music teachers get a raise, and the chorus teachers go back to remedial english? Or are the english teachers the problem? I'm so confused. LOL.

And the band played on...

Elizabeth @ My Life, Such as it is... said...

I have quite a few friends who are band & choir directors for both middle school/jr high as well as high school. I must admit I admire how much they love their jobs to put up with all that they do!

Band Directors were a huge influence in my life, geek that I am, & it saddens me that music programs (plus others) are eliminated in so many schools.

Notes From ABroad said...

My dim and growing dimmer memories of my children in concerts and going to see school concerts, was the enthusiasm of the teachers and how contagious it was for the children.

I remember way back in Time , taking piano and how patient my teacher was ( or deaf, I have never been sure) ..

I think there is a special place in Heaven for music teachers .. I am sure it is very quiet :)

Joanie said...

I went through five years of grade school concerts. Dani played the flute. I wonder if she still remembers how? Might be a bit difficult with those braces on her teeth.

Anonymous said...

I totally respect music teachers. I know I was not the best student in the world when I was a four year old learning to play the violin. Bravo music teachers,BRAVO!!!

Kristen said...

I recently watched the home movies of all my elementary school band concerts. I gained a whole new respect for my parents.

But, they were silly enough to have my brother and I 4 years apart, so as soon as one got out, the other started.

SkylersDad said...

Here you go!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SWmzlIIQlio

Anonymous said...

seems we all have favorite memories of music class ;)

Stacy said...

I danced for joy when my youngest decided to quit chorus and my days of school concerts came to an end.

FRANNIE said...

My son has played the violin for 6 years. I always said that his teacher either had the patience of a saint or was completely deaf.

At 14 he's a joy to listen too, when he was 8 and there were 40 of them...not so much.

Anonymous said...

Reminds me of chorus in elementary school and singing "Swinging on a Star". (I STILL carry moonbeams home in a jar.)

Ahhh...good times.

Anonymous said...

Reminds me of a episode of the eightie's sitcom The Cosby Show. Remember The Cosby Show?
Little Vanissa on the Clarinet was terrible but Clara Huxtable jumped up to clap with bravos at the concert.
Memories.

Barrie said...

I've sat through enough Talent Shows to relate. :)

Kmama said...

I'm visiting after you stopped by to make my SITS day so special last week.

I was in bad when in junior high and high school. I remember how awful we sounded. I honestly don't know how the teachers do it!!

LOL at your son.

Wendy said...

Don't worry too much about Prom... there are still *plenty* more opportunities for her to lose her virg... uh... Sorry! Wrong person! She IS taking her "allergy" medicine, right?!
(You know i love ya VM!)
=-)

Kate Coveny Hood said...

Too cute. I wonder if my kids will insist on music lessons and torment us with their practicing...

anymommy said...

One of my closest friends is an elementary music teacher. Sainthood. Seriously.

tracey.becker1@gmail.com said...

The patience of ANY music teacher is amazing to me, but especially the elementary school levels...

Missy said...

LOL! I could not be a music teacher! The noise alone would kill me!

Nishant said...

I totally respect music teachers.
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Dawn said...

Our music teacher is ALWAYS so happy and positive!!

I sometimes wonder what kind of happy pills she is taking...and WHY she isn't sharing with the rest of us??

Kidding, TOTALLY kidding...well, kinda.

buffalodick said...

Listening to a fifth grade band concert in a 100F gym that was packed with parents, I whispered to a friend next to me-"Did you ever think sex would lead us to this?" All that overheard, died laughing..

Bano said...

Music teachers are a special breed. Especially the ones that choose to be choir directors and high school band directors. Those people DEFINITELY deserve a raise.

Kids say the darndest things, eh? And I LOVE it! :) That's what makes teaching so great--the days where a student says something so funny you start laughing so hard you cry...right in front of the rest of the class.

Lora said...

lol. i AM a choir director (well, currently non-practicing)
i have to say...there are so many rewards involved in teaching children to have a love and passion for music. it's why i chose that path, although i guarantee you teaching another subject area would be easier in many ways! for me, i had daily feedback of how i was doing, and visual and auditory proof that i was making a difference
:)
(one of my proudest moments was when my 7th grade choir begged to sing a song in italian. amazing)

Whitney said...

Gahhhh worst moments for kids and adults. I am the oldest of 4, and I swear by the time my brother was able to be in band, I thought I would claw my ears out. To think that my parents (and teachers) sat through so many beginning concerts... Angels. Every, single one of them. Even the ones who wore ear plugs.