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!