Greetings, oh denizen(s) of the www that stumble upon this humble blog. About me: yes, I teach band and, also yes, I play trombone. I am not exceptional at math or chess, however, so I think I'm a pretty low-grade nerd - but I still enjoy being part of the nerd world.
Starting this blog at the tail end of another school year (15? 16? who the hell keeps track before 20 years) might give me some momentum moving into the summer. Haven't made any concrete summer plans yet besides 2 jazz and 3 (THREE!!!) marching band camps. Girlfriend and I will make a trip to Florida at some point to visit her daughter; otherwise, plenty of opportunities to do....nothing. And like it!
Actually, that's not entirely true. Some odd desire to really invest in summer activity that will make the next school year run more smoothly seems to be manifesting itself within me. 5 years ago, I stopped doing some of the summer work that used to really get things going well at the beginning of the year; was it burnout? Laziness? I seriously couldn't tell you. Suffice it to say that I am seeing the results of uninspired "management" as opposed to teaching that can occur in the 2nd decade of teaching. Maybe simply existing for a few years was necessary to give me time to sincerely desire a better quality teaching experience. All I know is, business as usual will have to end if I'm going to enjoy myself next year.
As far as trombone playing goes, I have a friend and colleague to thank for my renewed interest in playing. He invited me to join him in a group years ago; the group folded, but he and I still remain in touch and he asked me to solo with his band last Fall (Rimsky Korsakov - I know, I know, but being out of shape it was more than enough for me). I really worked hard to get into some kind of playing condition and since then I've picked up a "jazzyish" gig that gives me a few opportunities a month to perform. The results? I'm starting to feel like I want to take up playing as a true hobby again rather than just unpack it for gigs. I have shed some "unpack only" commitments and intend to focus more on things that require a bit more thoughtfulness and preparation. Maybe I'll finally work up the Bach Cello suites that I always hoped to tackle....
That's enough for now. I don't wanna make this a long, droning soliloquy (TOO LATE). Hope I keep active with this. The stuff I posted about will be the running themes throughout the blog (girlfriend, band, bone) with random access stuff mixed in.
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