As inspired by Dani...

...I haven't told you what I'm doing this weekend either! Yikes!

Kevin's coming to Detroit, and I am going to pick him up. Yay, I get to see my boyfriend! We are going to drive to Indiana (which is south of Michigan, for all of you who are geographically dumb like me) and I get to meet his family. Intense! We're going to do a family style 4th of July barbeque, and go to his old church on Sunday.

Gotta be honest, I'm most excited (and nervous) about playing with actual fireworks. Like, not in the sky. Like, I get to set them on fire and play with them. Haven't done that since I was 3!

Okay, so I'm a little nervous about meeting the rest of his family too.

I have SO MUCH WORK! It's not even funny. I am caught up for tomorrow, but yeah, haven't started Thursday yet - or Friday's reading. Even though I'm not supposed to have class Friday, cause it's a university holiday. My professor has decided to bless us all with 8am class. Sweet.

Bedtime! It is LATE - at least for me!

WAY TOO MUCH WORK!

Oh man, I got a lot of reading assigned yesterday! Yikes!

I know I haven't been as good at calling people at home this year as last year. I have been much busier than last year, for one thing. The time difference is hard. And, to be honest, I'm enjoying talking to Kevin. :)

I will try to call you - I will try! You can always call me too! :)

Love you all back in CA!

Nice to know I'm consistent across the country

Okay, to tell this story (stories, actually), you need some background info. Otherwise you're going to think I'm nuts. (If you don't already...) These past 2 weeks I've been in a workshop called Music Learning Theory (MLT). MLT was developed in the 1960s, and it's basically a theory on how children learn music. They emphasize singing, chanting (rhythms and stuff - not Gregorian), and moving. One of the aspects of moving is called "flow," which means moving your entire body with no focus on the beat. Sort of like seaweed. Imagine 60 adults doing this, all at the same time. Yeah.

So I was in a group with my girlfriends, and one girl (Marguerite) said we were pretending to be in a garden in her activity. "What kind of things could we move like in a garden?" she asked. Without thinking, I blurted out, "A radish!"

"Um...okay. Radishes are kind of half in and half out of the ground, so we would need to kneel..."

At this point, I lost it completely. I was on the ground laughing and crying so hard. Right about then, my professor walked up. "We don't know what's so funny," they said. "She's being a radish."

(Marguerite said she thought we would suggest things like flowers, or trees, or maybe the wind. Not vegetables.)

Story #2 (It's shorter, I promise...)

The whole entire class (well, half of the class) was participating in the peer teaching activities. One girl was leading us, and she said, "What do birds do in the winter?" Once again, I just blurted out, "Hibernate!" My Michigander friends turned to me in shock (and some disgust), and said, "No...they fly south!" One person said, "What state are you from?"

The reason for this blog post:

Later that evening, we were at a picnic. After discussing my ability to say random things and laugh out loud (I think I was trying not to spit food all over as tears ran down my cheeks), Ali said,

"Man, we should write down everything Liz says. Liz-isms."

I swallowed my food, and exclaimed, "That's what my friends in California do too!"

Nice to know that I have the same effect everywhere.

My presentation

Yay! I finished my two-week long workshop of Music Learning Theory! This is a huge accomplishment for me, so I'm going to relish it.

Yesterday, I had to do a 15-minute presentation. I had to teach 4 different classroom activities that emphasized different tonalities and rhythms. I chose to do a song in Lydian (that focused on rhythm), a song in harmonic minor (which emphasized the resting tone, or tonic), a song in Mixolydian (again, the rhythm), and a major song in 7/8. Sweet!

I was so nervous about it, because this whole form of teaching was completely new to me. I've never worked in depth with MLT - I got only a passing glance at it during college - but this was complete immersion in the theory and practice.

I chose to go first, because that way, I get it done and over with. Only problem - I was going before lunch, which meant that Ed Gordon, the CREATOR of this whole theory, was watching! (Well, he would say that he wasn't the creator - he's just the guy who did the research on how children learn music and published it. But it's his baby, it's his thing. We wouldn't have it without him. How many people have done research on 10,000 kids???)

So I had to do my whole presentation with Ed Gordon watching. Oh man, that made it worse! But I got through it all, even though I sang one of the songs wrong (Angela helped me out, thanks!, and completely lost the Mixolydian tonality. And at the end of it, Ed Gordon - the CREATOR - walked over to me, gave me a hug, cradled my face in his hands, and told me that it was wonderful teaching, that I had done a great job. It brought tears to my eyes!

Later on, my professor told me that he really loved it and was surprised that I had never done anything like this before. Yay!

It feels good to be doing what God wants me to be doing. And because it's what God wants me to do, I can do it well. I know I sound like I'm bragging in here, but I'm really proud of my accomplishments these two weeks. As my friends Ali and Angela said, I stretched myself, and it went well.

Yay!!!

(By the way, for this picture, Ed "charged" me two kisses on the cheek. I gave it to him, because it was either that, or $10. Whatever!)

I know, I know...

I haven't written much this week. I'm suffering from overload/too much to do, with a case of "But I just finished teaching a whole year!" itis.

Tomorrow I have a 15 minute presentation in front of the professor and 25 of my peers. It involves singing songs in mixolydian, minor, major, and Lydian tonalities, with all sorts of activities. We're going to rake things, we're going to act like chimps, we're going to "catch" our resting tone. Should be very very interesting.

Wish me luck - and pray for me!

I can't think of a cute title for this, but...

Last night, I was watching The Jane Austen Book Club on my laptop (go Netflix!). In the middle of the movie, my amazing boyfriend Kevin called. We had talked for a while earlier that day, but he wanted to say goodnight, because he's sweet like that.

Halfway through our phone call, his phone died. No big deal, right? I called him back, left a message on his phone, and went back to my movie.

An hour later, I got a call from another number. It was Kevin, calling on his friend's phone. He said,

"Liz, I'm so sorry, my phone died! Emily offered to let me use her phone, but I didn't know your number. So then I emailed you from her Blackberry, but you didn't respond. So then I called my friend Dave to see if he could look up your number from my T-Mobile account, but he couldn't access it. Then Emily thought that we could text Ricki, and get your number from her. So we did, and she sent it back, and I called you. I've been trying to get ahold of you for the last hour - I didn't want you to worry or be upset or think I had hung up on you."

Honestly, this whole statement (paragraph? monologue?) brought tears to my eyes. I have NEVER, I repeat, NEVER, had a guy go to that much trouble to contact me. The book "He's Just Not That Into You" (which I LOVE - it's harsh advice, but so true!) says that if a guy is "into you," he'll move heaven and earth to contact you. None of this "I lost your phone number" stuff.

I got to witness that last night. And it felt amazing to be the receiver of such attentions.

Thanks, Kevin. You're fantastic.

Ah, the wonders of technology

I am not a technology buff. At all. I am old-fashioned and very very VERY slow to try new gadgets. I just don't care. Sorry people, but I don't.

I remember when Prodigy came out - do you remember that? It was the first email system. I thought, "This is stupid. It'll never catch on."

I remember when AIM became popular. I lost patience with it. All my conversations seemed to consist of "hehehe. :)" Yeah, again. Not interested.

I remember when the iPod came out. I thought - why do I need that? I am totally fine with my CD Walkman. Who needs more than one CD at a time, anyway?

I have slowly but surely converted on all of these gadgets. (well, not AIM. I still prefer Google Chat with gmail - but I'm not at my computer often enough to really use it frequently.)

Yesterday, my amazing boyfriend Kevin introduced me to Skype, and webcams. Yes, okay, I know, they've been around for a while. And yes, I did know what they both were. But to actually SEE my boyfriend, who's 2000 miles away or so - wow! It felt like the future! I immediately went out and bought my own webcam this morning. And we proceeded to talk on the phone...for most of the afternoon. :)

This world comes up with all sorts of newfangled gizmos all the time. I don't think I'll change my ways - at least in terms of adopting things right when they immerge. But, if you can convince me...I'll change.

At least I'm not permanently stubborn, right?

In other news, I'm enjoying re-reading Stephen King's Dark Tower series. More so than doing my homework. Check them out if you get a chance - quality works of fiction, and they're not scary. I promise.

Phew! First week done!

Surprisingly, my first week is done done done. Woohoo! I have one more week of certification in Music Learning Theory to do. Next Monday, the FOUNDER of MLT, Edwin Gordon, is going to be giving the lectures. Pretty amazing - he's like a celebrity in the music ed world! Reminds me of how I felt when I met the clarinetist in the Chicago Symphony. (Despite being from California, I can count my celebrity encounters on one hand.)

So far this week, I have been stretched and challenged in all sorts of ways. I have wrote songs in Lydian, Mixolydian, Phrygian, Aeolian, Dorian, Major, and Minor, and written chants in duple, triple, usual combined and unusual paired meters! Awesome! If you understood that, you are truly a musician!

I have also done a whole bunch of very interesting elementary music things. Elementary music teachers are rather insane - they move a lot. It's called "flow," and it means moving your arms and legs around to the music - but not to the beat. It's supposed to get you to feel the music better and internalize it (also known as "audiation"). I felt rather stupid doing it, but by the end of the week I was moving around like a dinosaur with everybody else! Yes, that is what I said - dinosaurs. Not to mention bubbles, leaves, building snowmen, pretending to be bugs...the list goes on. I wish I could tape the class and post videos, but you might not ever want to talk to me again. :)

I have also gotten to see my friends from last summer. I missed them so much! It's great that we can pick up right where we left off. I am blessed because I have classes with all of them this year. Next year, things will be sadder, because one of them (at least) will be gone. Sigh...I'll have to figure something out...

Thankfully, I have nothing planned for this weekend, besides finishing my 12 different assignments (songs in Locrian! yeah!), going to Meijer (it's like a super Walmart), and doing a Bible study with my awesome boyfriend Kevin. Maybe I'll make it to the gym...maybe. Mostly though, I'm going to relax - my first chance since school got out! Yeah!!!

By the way - yay to my brother Dan, who finished his first year of teaching! Proud of you Dan Face!

So, I will continue to post. Can't guarantee excitement all the time -but that's okay. It's my blog. :) Read it if you want to - especially if you want to laugh at me. :)

??

How do I decide what to wear if it's supposed to be 83 degrees out - and raining? Jeans? So my shoes don't get soaked? Or shorts, so my legs dry? Tank top? I don't know...this is out of my experience...

I may go jeans and a tank top. Because - well, wet shoes are the worst. Hmm....must decide.

I'll write more later, but now I must stare at my (very diminished since all my clothes are in CA) closet.

At it again

Last year at this time (approximately, keeping in mind that I came here a week later last year), I was taking a class in improvisation. It really freaked me out, honestly. Satan used the fact that I was being stretched and uncomfortable to pelt me with lies. But I overcame them, and actually did teach some improvisation with my students this year. Woohoo!

So this week, he started doing it again. I am taking a class in general music (elementary) teaching methods which are (that are? Dani, where's your red pen?) very different than anything I've ever done before. Yesterday, I heard these things:

-You can't do this.
-This is too hard for you.
-You're not a good enough teacher to do this.
-Why should you bother changing? It's too much.

After talking to myself, praying, and talking to my great boyfriend Kevin, I felt a lot better about the whole thing. I told myself these truths:

-I CAN do this.
-It's hard for me now - that doesn't mean it'll be hard for me forever.
-I AM a good teacher, and I CAN do this.
-Change is good, especialy for teachers. How do we expect our kids to learn better than we did?

Today, I felt much calmer and more prepared. But then he started in again! Today I heard:

-This doesn't apply to you - why are you bothering?
-This class is a waste of time.
-You'll never use this stuff.

False false false! Truths:

-ALL music knowledge applies to me - I am a MUSIC teacher.
-This class is not a waste of time.
-I am a creative teacher - I can find ways to use EVERYTHING in my class. I just need to try.

So, yeah. He's still at it. But I can see it now - much more than I could last year at this time. I call that growth.

If you'll excuse me, I need to write songs in Aeolian and Dorian, learn songs in Aeolian and Dorian, write a chant in triple meter, and prepare to teach Learning Sequences activities for about 10 different lessons. I'll write more tomorrow.

Love you all!

My apartment

So, I know you were all wondering about what my new place looks like. Admit it, you were. Well, you're in luck! Here are some pictures for you!!!!

Well, one picture. Honestly, my room isn't that exciting. Maybe I'll put more pictures of it on my Facebook account.

But as you can see, it's pretty sweet digs. Look how huge it is! It has 4 bedrooms for 4 people. My apartment at UCLA had 2 bedrooms, but we still had 4 people in it - thank you, Los Angeles rent prices. It's pretty awesome, I think. So far, none of my other roommates are here yet, but I'm sure they'll show up relatively soon. :)

Back in Michigan!

Hello hello! I am back in Michigan, back in East Lansing, back in...well, not back in my old pad, because I'm living in a new place this year. Rather than live in the dorms (Owen), some of the music teachers and I decided to get an on-campus apartment. (I know, insane, right? 4 music teachers - in one place...crazy. Insert band camp jokes here.)

I'll tell more about my apartment in a later blog, probably - most likely. Very likely. Yeah. Anyway.

It was so great getting here. I had this hilarious cab driver who played me an old R&B song (from the 50s) and tried to get me to guess who it was. I did guess, it was Sam Cook - very cool guy. Check out "You Send Me" if you get a chance. He then played a whole bunch of old R&B and Motown stuff. The most entertaining part was when he put on some mix CD that started out with "Sexual Healing" by Marvin Gaye, and proceeded to include songs about "making love," etc. This was made even more hilarious because he was a rather large guy wearing a huge silver cross, who told me that he didn't follow religion - he just follows Star Wars. No joke. "People are either for the Dark Side or for the Force," he said. He did get me to my new apartment really fast though, so I gave him a big tip.

It's funny being back here. I walked over to CVS to purchase a bunch of random stuff that you need if you are basically furnishing an apartment. I feel so comfortable on this campus. Honestly, it feels like I'm coming home. I don't belong in California, I think. Where do I belong? Especially since most of my friends are in California? I don't know. But coming here feels great - so freeing.

Of course, being in a new apartment, by myself, with no roommates for a week...that's a little lonely.

But I get to go to a wedding tomorrow, and then on Monday, I begin the whirlwind 2 week course in Music Learning Theory. After that, whoosh! It'll fly by.

Keep on coming back! I will try to update daily!

I leave tomorrow!

So tomorrow, I head back to Michigan. What??? Crazy...where has the year gone?

I am very very excited to go back. I am super excited to see my friends again, particularly Abby, Angela, and Ali! :) Yay! I am also excited to be IN school, not teaching, but learning. I love to learn!

I am also a little...anxious? Something? Who knows? I am sick, which makes life not as much fun. I spent the afternoon cleaning, and I suppose I should get to packing. I don't really want to though, to be honest. Packing is so final - especially since I'll be gone for 2 months. 2 months! Wow.

I'm also sad about leaving my friends and my super amazing boyfriend, Kevin. Kevin will be visiting Indiana during 4th of July weekend though, so that's cool. I'm planning on driving (or taking a train, or a bus, or something) down there to meet the rest of his family. Hopefully that will go well!

I began this blog last summer, as I started on the adventure that is my masters. I will be much more diligent in keeping it while I am gone - for that is the reason I started it! Hopefully my life will be full of lots of excitement and wonder as I return to the beautiful state of Michigan. I can't wait!

Keep on reading - I'll write more soon!