Giant Pretzel

I am always amazed when i walk through the cafeteria at school at lunch... Today's special was a giant pretzel with a side of fries.. the other day it was 2 bread sticks with some marinara and a side of fries.. yuck! its pretty bad.. i cant believe that colorado is such a healthy state and the school lunches are like that.. it gross

school is moving right along... trying to get all the kids to remember their instruments and getting music ready.. so far so good.. i havent looked like a complete idiot in front of any of my classes yet which is good. still not quite use to the middle school annoying-ness.. geez..

luckily the choir direct is an awesome guy. we talk about gardening

being a band director is really weird still.. like i completely blanked on what a bari-sax was.. or what the case might look like for one.. a baritone is the same as a euphonium right? i guess.. didnt know they came in different sizes.. concert F is a lot more compliacated than would think it would be..

my orch classes are good.. the kids need alot of help with holding their instruments and getting shoulder rests and finger tapes. a lot of work to be done.. i just wish my classes were more even. one orch has 42 kids the other has 7. they are my biggest and smallest classes

i thought i could write more but i am really tired.. i didnt even get to talk about vegas.. it was an awesome weekend and check out my pics on FB

1st day on the new job

If i were to describe my day in 2 words it would be "mass chaos"

The school has been going through a massive renovation this summer. one teacher told me they were trying to do two summers worth of work in one summer.. every classroom had to be packed up at the end of last year. they are still not done with the building. the upstairs was only approved by the fire marshall yesterday. there are movers and workers and teachers and students all over the place. it was kinda hard to concentrate with all the chaos going on around me. oh did i mention that they are repaving the road infront of the school as well? the workers decided to lay fresh assfault right around lunch time so no one could get out.. ended up jumping the curb in another teacher's car... we were hungry

So all the school instruments have been in storage all summer.. and the movers just dumped everything in my room. talk about overwhelming.. i didnt know where to start. there are boxes and boxes and i have no idea what is in any of them. and one of the movers came up to me and was like "did we get all your stuff back ok?" i was like well.. i guess.. i really dont know what they had or if that giant gash in the drum was there before or if you guys did it.. ::sigh::

so the beginning of the day was a staff meeting with lots of introductions and such. i met alot of teachers and they all seem super awesome. the choir director is sooo nice and totally on board with me.. i feel better when people believe i can do it.

i just have so much to do!! lucky the expectation is that the first few weeks are still going to be chaotic for everyone so its ok if not much goes on in the classroom. and the new motto is less is more.. teach less things more in depth.. i can do that!

but i think i am going to like it there. everyone so far has been super awesome. they cant get over how young i look and freaked out that i was at a high school last year. even the movers didnt believe i was the teacher.. they thought i was 19.. ha

the plan for tomorrow is to try to finish cleaning my giant room. there is soo much crap and i am like what is all this??? i got about half way done today.. boo..

and i am trying to start the trend of eliminating the title of band director. so far it is catching on... and i guess the administration is taking a leap in hiring me.. in my introduction the AP said that in the past they have always leaned towards hiring band directors for the job. soon they will realize that orchestra teachers are better for everything. haha

i have a job! finally...

well it had to come down to the wire but i finally got a job!!! its a middle school band and orch. and guitar position. yes i will be a band director! scary! i feel like i have been punished by the band gods for all my hatred... but that was TX band.. this is colorado band, there is a big difference.

but all joking aside.. this is a big opportunity for me.. learning and teaching band will be nothing but good for me. it will give me experience that will make me more "marketable" as a teacher and for full orchestra positions. and the middle school level will be a perfect place to learn.

and i will have my own office and my own room. which is very nice. and i would prefer to call it the music hall instead of the band hall and i am the instrumental music director.. not the band director. haha

and i start tomorrow. i only got the job yesterday but like i said it came down to the wire. school starts monday!! eek!! my mom is sending me her flute so i can start practicing and i am going to go look for other band instruments i can learn.

my only fear is transposing.. wtf. why?? why cant the note you read on the page be the note that comes out of your instrument.. whose dumb idea was that? a band person of course.. jk

when i was at the school yesterday there were a group of 7th graders and seeing them made me feel so much better.. you forget how young a 12 year old really is.. and it will be nice not being mistaken for a student for a change..

im sure i will be updating alot more on my trials and tribulations on becoming a band director.. hopefully it wont be too bad and mostly highlarious..

"It sounds like a boat": My recent un-funemployment

I'm definetly starting to freak out about this whole job thing. I'm starting to loose hope. There is absolutely nothing out there as far as orchestra jobs are concerned. There have been only 3 actual orchestra positions that I have seen. 2 were in the same district but they were only 1 classes each (they should just combine them!) and the other one was at Denver School of the Arts. I didnt feel too bad when I got that rejection letter. I figured they went with someone with more experience.

But everything else I have been applying for are elementary music or general music. I passed on the posting for one class of orch. and 3 classes of choir at a high school. I just cant do it. I could sing for little kids but not teenagers. what a mess that would be.

I have alot of apps out in Denver public school for all kinds of stuff. but i havent freakin heard anything. and its been a month now... it just feels like forever.

I had one interview at an elementary school. the principal was freakin hott! so hott. it was nice. I got a second interview where I had to give a lesson to their summer school/camp kids. all different ages. I didnt know what the crap to do. so i just brought my violins and cello and made little coloring worksheets. so we learned about the instruments then i threw crayons at them and let them color violins and cellos. it was fun and so not as bad as i thought. and the kids were super cute. I played both instruments for them and asked what they thought they sounded like or how the sounded and one little boy was like "It sounds like a boat." I was like yeah! it does kinda sound like a boat! I didnt get that job.

One of the reasons I am freaking out so much is because im not even seeing band jobs or choir jobs. there are very few out their. and the ones you do see are band/orchestra (shudder) or I even saw one for the entire music program at an elementary school. band/orchestra/and choir! I am definetly not on that level yet. thats crazy talk.

Regular teaching positions are on the decline as well. its freaking me out. what is your deal, Colorado?! why is your school system freaking me out right now? put some of the park and recs money toward the schools please! I even heard an interview on NPR today about how the state is cutting funding to the schools. the state can't give the schools the "cushion money" aka if shit goes down for the schools their f'ed. School districts are even not hiring new subs. or they are waiting until the last minute to post their subbing applications. It is going to be hard for me to even sub in the district i worked in. lame.

Colorado does alot of stories on the schools districts in colorado. its kinda cool

well this "funemployment" has led me to work in tim's office part time. Its pretty sweet and I am so glad to have the opportunity to make money while my future employment is questionable. I am having to get use to a full work day though.. my hours were sweet at the high school.

Its offically been a year since tim and i moved to denver. kinda weird. Im in the same position i was when i got here. lookin for a job. and not knowing where to look for jobs. oh hum.

The last 2 yrs of my life

This is the offical update on my life since my last posts.. ok lets see how short I can make this.

*Finished classes at Sam and graduated!
*Student taught at Wunderlich (yay) and KF (boo)
*got job in cyfair (yay)
*decided to move to denver with tim (awesome place to live)
*got our first puppy max
*got job in denver at a high school
*got laid off from job due to budget cuts
*currently working at tim's job for the summer for extra money (yay)
*now looking for new job teaching orchestra (not going well)
*missing family and friends in houston but not houston (too hot)

well those were the big points.. not bad- 2 yrs in 10 lines.

so now that you are caught up i guess i can start posting regularly.

Sorry Blog

Dear Blog,

I am so sorry i have neglected you for so long. I promise I will write more to you.

Love,

April

The Sun is Still Going to Come out Tomorrow

makes me feel better..

yesterday sucked

today was better, but then sucked some more..

its almost over

Way to go Walmart

looks like chicken to me..

i dunno

this week has kinda sucked... i feel like im doing really bad in my english class.. i dont know why.. i think he hates me b/c i refuse to buy back that damn book.. oh well.. he wont respond to my emails either.. bitch..

think im getting over being sick..

greg called me last night.. it was random.. but i hope i get to see him this weekend and catch up and stuff..

storm fucked me up last night.. i was really scared and tim laughed at me..

anyways

kisses