Up&Up

We did it!

I cannot believe that since turning in my unit plan last Monday, I finished my first of 2.5 semesters of my Master’s degree. WHOA! I found out the other week that I will be graduating May 1, 2016! I will still have to finish up a couple summer classes, though, so I won’t be completely done until August 1st or so. But still! What a whirlwind of a school year so far. As I wrap up teaching and conduct one more concert this week, I am feeling very grateful and proud of myself for all that I have accomplished in this semester. I leave Alaska for the first time since I moved here a week from tomorrow, and I know I will step off that plane feeling like a slightly different person. And it excites me so!

Conducting the JAMM Chamber Group and the choir at the Holiday Pops Concert!

This past week knocked off 7 of the 8 total concerts I have had in the past two weeks, and they all went great! I conducted a Jazz Suite with the Thunder Mountain Advanced Orchestra, which was awesome- even when I had to speak about the piece to the audience! I somehow always forget that part of being a teacher and conductor means standing up in front of large groups of people and speaking to them, not just standing up there with your back to them. But I figured that out rather quickly, especially after yesterday! Yesterday began the 1 of 2 concerts in the Holiday Pops series this weekend. The JAMM chamber group joined the local 40-person choir to play the Pachelbel’s Canon/The First Noel arrangement and do a portion of the Christmas sing-along medley they performed at the benefit concert last week. The choir conductor, Sally Smith, conducted the orchestra and choir for Pachelbel (which I had prepared the chamber group for up until this week, something which Sally publicly recognized and greatly appreciated), and I conducted them for the sing-along medley. Because of this, I got to tell the audience how the sing-along would work and introduce myself as the conductor. We were in a very large room, and both concerts were sold out. I can’t even begin to guess how many people were sitting in front of me, staring as I stepped up onto the unusually high podium. But it was definitely a couple hundred. Eek! All in all, I’d say my speaking went well, as red-faced as I was, and the chamber group did a great job. The audience joined in singing as well, and it was beautiful! Everyone really loved the Pachelbel arrangement that had the choir singing “The First Noel” as the chamber group played “Canon in D”. There were many wet eyes in the room! I am unbelievably proud of these kids, especially after being with them from day one and knowing how far they have come. They not only mastered the notes, but they played each one with a light, smooth legato stroke that is very hard to achieve, especially at age 9 or 10. It was such an accomplishment for all! The audience members were so gracious as I walked back to my seat both performances, too. So many smiles, and “thank you’s” and “beautiful job’s” were offered.

Besides that, I continued teaching Spanish last week and am wrapping my mind around the idea that I will be teaching these students all on my own 3-4 days a week when I come back from break. I feel pretty nervous about teaching a content area that is not my area of expertise and requires a different form of preparation than teaching music or conducting an orchestra would. But it will be a good push...right?! I will also have my own orchestra to work with after break- Tyree, Sophia, and I all agreed that I should work with the beginning-intermediate players, and Sophia will take the advanced group of players. That way we can really hone in on the skills the groups have and choose repertoire that fits them, as we both also develop our own identities as high school orchestra conductors!

Me, Lorrie, and The Mendenhall Quartet with the JAMM Chamber Group!

The JAMM chamber group also performed at the Governor’s Mansion last week, which I conducted part of. This is a significant annual event in December- it feels like almost all of Juneau lines up outside the mansion to shake hands with the governor and walk through his elaborately decorated mansion, cookies and hot apple cider in hand. We not only got to meet the governor and take a picture with him, but we got to perform in a packed room for thirty minutes for all the cookie-eating passersby. There was actually not enough room for me to stand up in front of the group, so I stood against the wall at the back of the full room, conducting the group from across the room. It actually worked really well, and the audience members standing next to me were so impressed and kind! Their words of encouragement and awe in between pieces were such great pick-me-ups!

Speaking of pick-me-ups, Sophia and I took some time after the Holiday Pops concert last night to reflect on how much we have done and learned since we arrived in Juneau in July. We stepped off the plane with our lives packed in just a few bags and our hearts filled with excitement and nerves. Our time of reflection last night left me feeling bewildered at my own strength and at God’s crazy-cool plan for my life. I never thought I would even visit Alaska, and yet I am living here. I never viewed myself as a teacher, and that has become a significant part of who I am since starting college. I never thought I could move across the country to a new place and just start over. And I did it! It hasn’t always been easy, but I’ve made great friends (especially Sophia- she is my driving/pep talk/Gilmore Girls buddy) and have built a great life here. And I am so proud of who I am and what I have accomplished as a teacher. I am especially proud of my unit plan and all the work I did this semester with my UAS classes. And I’m getting up and conducting ensembles in front of hundreds of people- what?! My conducting teacher definitely would not have seen that one coming! I could not have done this semester without the cheers from so many people and the guidance of my mentors and friends.

You won’t hear from me again until after the new year, when I enter into my second and final full semester of this program. I will be leaving Alaska full of as much excitement and nerves as I had entering this state, dwelling on all that I have already done, and have yet to do, on my amazing Alaskan adventures.

It has been a sunny week in Juneau! This is my view as I walk between Thunder Mountain and Glacier Valley. :)