Anusara Yoga-Strength in Transition

This week's theme was strength in transition, particularly apt for me as I wait to see if the School Budget will pass on Town Meeting Day March 2. Although I am budgeted in at four days, the town cannot support a higher tax rate (not due to the School Budget, BTW) and there are grumblings and mumblings all around. The waiting is hard but it gives me time to explore other things, not that I have alot of time especially with BGT! coming up, the spring concert, Memorial Day festivities, and graduation to prepare for. The third grade is also having a Mom Day (all their own idea), so I am pretty busy. Still, in the depths of the night I wake up and wonder what the future will hold.

The poses we worked on were actually transition poses; connecting one pose with another; maintaining balance and stability while getting to another place. They were exactly like conjunctions we use in sentences, the ones we tend to gloss right over and put no stress or importance on. (Trying to teach singers to properly pronounce these words is quite hard actually, as it is so ingrained.)

Some years ago, I remember coming home from what was then Yugoslavia where I had spent a period of time on an island called Punat in the middle of the Adriatic. Nobody spoke English or any of the other languages I could get by with. I was forced to learn basic srpskohrvatsky to communicate. It was very rudimentary and present tense only, but I moved along enough so I could think in it as well.

Coming home on the plane I could not understand other speakers as I did not know where one word stopped and another began. It was one of the strangest experiences I have ever had because they were speaking American English!!

So this week I will try to be aware of my conjunctions, passing poses, and allow myself to feel the not-always-comfortable-emotions transitions always bring up. Kind of like being in the place of my students who had never been to music festival before!

Music Festival 2/16

Also this week was the elementary music festival. Events like this have to be set up a little bit differently than anywhere else, as schools in the district are far apart and slim resources do not allow buses to return children home. It is up to the music teacher to make sure everybody gets home and has all the proper permission slips from parents beforehand spelling things out and allowing the teacher or others to transport. And there were a couple of glitches with a sick child just before dinner and a parent who was able to come but didn't tell me I would not need to transport her home.

Not having a choral time also presented problems. The classroom teachers involved were wonderful; they recognized the importance of this learning experience and gave me time the morning of festival to have our one and only group rehearsal. For most, actually for all, it was the first time they had done anything like this. I was really worried they would choose not to go at the last minute (and two did). I knew if I could get them there, they would have a great time and needn't have worried about anything.

We took the bus which was so noisy I could not use that time to prepare them for the day and had to turn around when a child forgot not only her dinner. but concert clothes too. Once at the school there was organized confusion with schools from all over the district participating. That was the end of my personal time with my group as they all climbed onto the risers to rehearse under the very proficient conductor.

These events are always wonderful learning experiences for me too, as well as a chance to see fellow music teachers in our district. I often feel a bit isolated at our school and would appreciate a little more interaction with other fellow music teachers and we are all way too busy to keep up regular email. I always pick up a lot of tips, especially managing students especially. I was able to sit in on the concert band rehearsal for a short time, guest-conducted by an educator now at a city high school who used to teach at my school.

The program itself was great and very short actually. The Irish lad would have been half an hour late if I had not called him in momentary panic to see if he could bring the sick child home when we couldn't reach her mother. The repertoire included difficult concert band pieces with especially hard rhythms March of the Aliens (Barry Gott); Uskudar (arr by Michael Story and Robert W. Smith); Colonel John (Fred Weber and Frank Erickson); and Smoke on the Water (Deep Purple, arr. by Paul Murtha). The chorus had English and Spanish music with catchy rhythms and a very challenging Shenandoah (which I had practiced faster). That was in three parts and the kids pulled it off beautifully. The other pieces were Somos el Barro (Lorre Wyatt, arr. Estaire Godinez); Catch a Falling Star (Paul Vance and Lee Pockriss); Like an Eagle (Carl Strommen); What Can One Little Person Do? (Sally Rogers); and Turn the Beat Around (P. Jackson, G. Jackson). Beautifully put together.

Next year I will have a volunteer come with me to pass out communal snacks; give a sick child a ride home; help account for everybody before, during, and afterwards; and whatever else unexpected comes up. Also I want them to ride the bus so I can drive my car and have it available the whole time if needed, so the Irish lad doesn't have to go if he doesn't want to. A good learning experience for all. Really, the music was absolutely fantastic; it was just all the other unexpected things happening that made it difficult and I was awake for two hours in the night thinking about the child I didn't see afterwards even though others did see her and her dad. None of the numbers I had on my emergency contact lists worked either. I am told this is an ongoing problem in general.

I was really proud of the students who after all were only in 5th and 6th grade for choosing to participate in this new and scary experience. Our school is isolated and while that can be comforting it also makes students more afraid to step out of that comfort zone and try anything new.

2/19/10

On Monday we had a special visitor come and speak to us about her life in Banyam province in Afghanistan. Our School Climate committee of which I am a member had initiated Greg Mortenson's Pennies for Peace program to promote awareness of other cultures since we have so many friends and relatives serving in Afghanistan now, and also to promote kindness and generosity among students in our school. We found out through the grapevine that this 17-year-old young lady was an exchange student nearby and would be willing to come in and speak to our school.

I immediately began searching for Afghan songs for our students to learn and welcome her with. I know how I would feel if in a strange country with more liberal customs. In my search I discovered that when the Taliban came through they destroyed many things that were forbidden in their more restrictive religion, including ancient Buddhist statues throughout Bamyan province. I wish I could include these pictures I found on the web but I believe they are copyrighted. (Wikipedia has two stunning pictures of Bamyan province which show no water and plenty of water.) My words cannot do justice to the overwhelming beauty of the province which appeals to my wild spirit. And no words can certainly be stronger than the pictures of ruined Buddhist carvings in tall mountains. The Taliban also destroyed schools, books, and music.

30 years or so ago a young Peace Corps volunteer was teaching English and music to Afghan children and she collaborated with local musicians to produce 3000 copies of the songbook. This project was reborn when she realized most of the copies were probably lost and destroyed after years of civil strife, war, and dislocation. She re-published and started distributing it to children and schools in Afghanistan. (http://www.trivision.tv/news_songbook.html) Louise Pascale, now a professor at Lesley University, has donated the songbooks to Ayenda School in Bamyan but would like to reach more schools in the province. I decided to give our guest, Adelah, the book and CD which contains children's songs from various provinces in the original, English translation, an overview of each song, and the musical notation. Adelah has heard of this program and I have initiated communication between the two!

The performance was first thing Monday morning one week before vacation. Anyone connected with schools and teaching will know exactly what that means! I believe the students were so stunned by Adelah's beauty, traditional festive lapis lazuli attire, and stiletto heels that they were not able to concentrate 100%. But it really did not matter for Adelah clearly felt welcomed and appreciative of the efforts the students had gone to learn a song in her own language. And this was a huge thing for kids in our isolated area not used to performing or being outside of their comfort zone. It would have been a challenge for anyone to perform a song learned in an hour without a school-wide rehearsal.

The week before in each music class I introduced and rote taught the song. I chose the Alphabet Song because I had less than one hour to teach each class not only a song, but one in a different language! It has mostly one-syllable words, many of which rhymed, and many of which were words in English. I had the bigger kids write it on large paper using colorful markers with the rests and repeat signs written in, laminate, and post them around the multi-purpose room. Later in the week I got smart and had two wonderful 7th grade students come in to class and lead the singing and teach gestures to the students to make it more fun. We used expressive hand gestures and avoided any hip action or anything else that might cause offense. The kids really enjoyed that and the MS'ers were far more effective than I! I had the words and eastern melody running through my head like a Reuters news feed all night long and woke myself up often singing them, just like the old days with opera scores!

I have included some pictures. The other bigger event will have to wait until another post!