End of the School Year - 2010

courtesy of my blog: http://cjferrara.blogspot.com/

(CJ plummets into a storm of negativity, waiting for the angel of positivity to pull him up.)
Well, another school year has gone by. Once again, I'm loaded with ideas for how to improve next year, most of which I'll forget by September, and won't follow through on in January to June, so that I must come up with new ideas next June for the following year. Downward spiral. Overall, the year was a downer. Here's a short list of everything that went wrong this year.

My so-called "Select" 7th and 8th grade choir completely failed. There was an out-and-out mutiny in the ranks as 5 students decided that no matter what the consequences, no matter how much I beg or threaten, no matter how badly they fail, or how it effects the rest of the group, they were NOT going to participate in rehearsals or performances, and in the meantime, they will disrupt every rehearsal with the most disrespectful and asinine comments and behavior imaginable. This made the other "good" students feel self conscious and effected their morale and performance. In fact, some of my best students confessed to me that they didn't want to sing in chorus anymore, because these kids made it such a negative experience.

It wasn't just them... The 9th graders did the same thing. The only difference was that they are more mature, and the "good" kids won't let a bunch of miscreants stand in the way of their success. Problem is, their presence at the rehearsal was disruptive enough to eat into their real rehearsal time, and plus their immaturity calls for every disrespectfull disruption to be responded to which leads to more disruption.

Now you may be thinking, "Why are these kids in Chorus if they don't want to be there?" Answer: because Guidance is incredibly hesitant to switch kids out in mid year. I can send them to the office, but often they're sent back with a note saying, "take care of this yourself." Call home? Good luck finding parents. Write a letter? Parents can't read. They have been removed from chorus class for next year, but a new crop of 7th graders will follow.

(The angel reaches down) So, how will we resolve this next year? I will change my attitude. No child will be allowed to take over my rehearsal. We WILL get students dropped from the group if they won't behave or achieve. Don't want to participate in rehearsal? Go over there and complete the written assignment. Won't do it? Do it in Detention. Won't attend detention? Written Up. Written up often? Good-bye, Welcome to General Music.

September will be a nightmare of disciplinary action, but the kids WILL sing, and they WILL try, and they WILL learn what is expected of them in a choral rehearsal. They'll learn to love the art later.

(The angel lifts CJ a bit higher) Of course, this will be done with an incredibly positive and supportive approach. This IS, after all, Chorus; the most amazing activity that can be done by everyone. Our music next year will be, as always, top notch and enjoyable. And I will personally try to have fun with it, hoping that that will rub off onto the students. I even selected some novelty numbers to lighten the mood.

I also think that I got too ambitious this year. I forgot Rule Number 6 (Don't take yourself so G-Damned seriously.). I had 9th graders for the first time this year, and I was pushing them to be a full fledged SATB choir, even though we realistically had only one male singer. I did that thing that I hate to see other teachers do. I focused more on WHAT the kids did than on HOW they did it. They would compete at level 4, that was the goal; not that they would perform WELL. They would learn 5 songs including a medley. Never mind that we didn't really focus on any of them enough to perfect them, or spend enough time with them enough to love them. I could kick myself for letting that happen.

Bottom line. They have to sing FIRST. They have to sing well, FIRST. Once they get to the point where they can learn music quickly and instinctively perform well, then we can move on to high achievements. K.I.S.S. Keep It Simple, Stupid. My role at the Middle School is to build on the basic skills learned at the elementary level, and bring them up to the point where they can be amazing at the High School Level. If, along the way, they should become amazing at the middle school level, great!

(The Angel gets CJ to highlight the high points of the year.) So, what happened that was GOOD? I chaired the SCMEA All county festival, and did very well. My 9th graders learned level 4 music, and prepared a large amount of music in a short time. They got to sing behind Larry Gatlin, Crystal Gayle and Andy Cooney  at the Theatre at Westbury. My 3rd period group did amazingly. My 8th period group consistently sounded great, behavior aside. The 7th/8th grade students need to learn to behave, but now they KNOW how to sing. My students got good Sight reading scores an NYSSMA, one of them got a 10. The Board of Education FINALLY came to see our Drama Club, and were impressed by what they saw! We even took our show to the Elementary School and performed for the 6th grade. My Star pupil, who has been having a tendency to sort of half-way prepare her performances, really shined as Cinderella this year, and found her key! Her level of professionalism improved immensely. I built 3 new flats for our scene shop, and we now have a sort of working set!

I now get to get spoiled by my summer chorus, recharge my batteries and begin next year with a plan, a scathing letter written to me by me in the future reminding me of the consequences of laziness, and this blog entry, reminding me of my plan, and I get to teach Kindergarten Music every day!

Onward and upward!

(The Angel gives CJ a big kiss.)

It's in the Bible....

courtesy of my blog: http://cjferrara.blogspot.com/

Just for fun one night, I was reading the Bible.

I've often wanted to really read this Holy book, and more importantly read INTO it. True, part of my job as a Church choir director is to read the lectionary readings and plan music accordingly. I actually have my former pastors to thank for getting me into the rest of the Bible. Rich Holmes had a whole Bible study on the Book of Romans, for example, whereby I discovered my new favorite Bible verse, Romans 2:24. A little background: At the time, the Christian church in Rome was making a big deal about how their new converts were Romans; Gentiles; not Jews. They were asserting that the former pagans needed to be circumcised, before being baptized. Basically the book of Romans is Paul's way of saying, don't do that. He tells them that it's your actions, not the rituals that make you a Christian, and you don't need any kind of initiation into the church, you only need to follow Jesus. In admonishing the Roman Church, Paul writes Romans 2:24 (Roughly translated): "It is because of you that people talk badly about God." I've since written that on various websites devoted to "Christian" groups promoting very un-Christian things.

Pastor Twyla Boyer, (who's since been married, but I can't remember or, for that matter, spell, her new last name.) decided on a whim, that she was going to take three weeks and preach on the book of Titus. Because, quote, "Who the heck preaches on Titus?" Unquote. So, I read the extraordinarily small letter to Titus, which had to do with Church leaders practicing what they preached, and setting an immaculate example for their followers. This started my whole way of thinking when I read something in the Bible... What was going on at the time that someone needed to tell them this?

So, I read into some of the other books in the Bible. The verse that often gets quoted as justification for anti-gay sentiment is in Leviticus, so I thought I'd start there. See what's really in there. First of all, the entire book of Leviticus is a book of rules. There's a whole section devoted to rules for sexual conduct. (Leviticus 20.) It explicitly says... Don't sleep with your mother, daughter, daughter-in-law, your sister, or anyone of your own gender, or animals. (Again, what was going on at the time that people NEEDED to be told that?) Here's what I found hysterical... It then goes into punishments for this conduct. Sleeping with your mother is an abomination, punishable by death. Sleeping with your daughter is an abomination, punishable by death. However, sleeping with your sister... banishment. Interesting....

I close with two funny things.... An acquiantance pointed this one out to me... Deuteronomy 25:11 "If two men are fighting and the wife of one of them comes to rescue her husband from his assailant, and she reaches out and seizes him by his genitals, you shall cut off her hand. Show her no pity." I S#!^ You NOT! Again I am forced to ask... WHAT WAS GOING ON BACK THEN...???

And finally...I love this... Leviticus starts off with instructions on animal sacrifice. How to slaughter a goat to offer up to the Lord? It describes how to skin it, cut it up, throw its blood on the wall, etc. Each set of instructions ends with you throwing the meat of the animal onto hot coals, and it says "The odor of this is pleasing to the Lord." in other words.... GOD LOVES BARBECUE! It's in the BIBLE!

Thoughts on the Tony Awards.

courtesy of my blog: http://cjferrara.blogspot.com/

Sounds like they have my high school tech crew running sound for this show.

Opening number is OK. Who knew Sean Hayes could play piano so well? Just wish I could hear the singing, and at least nobody got a concussion.

Definition of Irony: Singing "I walk alone.... on the Boulevard of Broken Dreams" with the entire cast all around you.

Million Dollar Quartet: Would be amazing if it were ACTUALLY Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, Elvis Presley, and Johnny Cash. Otherwise, what's the difference between this and the "Legends" show in Atlantic City? Tickets to the AC show are about a fifth of the price.

You're not going to get me to come see La Cage Aux Folles if you do the Tony performance using every theatre Cliche in the book! Dancers in the aisle. CHECK. Lead going into the audience and mugging with people in the crowd, CHECK. Bad Singing compensated by flashy staging. CHECK. It's officially community theatre.

Memphis: "If you listen to the beat that's in your soul, you'll never let anyone steal your rock and roll." Really?!!! Best Musical??? Really?!!!! WON BEST SCORE! REALLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A Little Night Music: What gives? Catherine Zeta Jones sounds pissed! Oh. She's supposed to be. Never mind. Seriously, people on facebook were ripping on her, but considering she's ill, that was a great performance. Best Acting of the night, though? Her pretending to be surprised when she won.

Ragtime - Great show... why that song? And why so short?

Fela! - OK.. I take back everything I said about bad singing tonight. I suppose if you're into Afro-beat music, this is the show for you. I'm not, apparently, so no.

Toy Story 3 commercial featuring Hamm, voiced by John Ratzenberger, as a mail carrier. Am I the only one who finds that hysterical?

So far, the best singing was in Come Fly Away. But that was pre-recorded Frank Sinatra. Why do I get the feeling that if Sinatra in his prime was nominated tonight, even HE'D suck?

In memoriam. Very touching. No mention of the American Musical which seems to have died this year, though.

NO! The best performance of the night will NOT be Glee will it? Nevermind,  Lea Michele is singing now. Never before have I actually WISHED for Barbra Steisand. I can't live in a world where Glee trumps Broadway!

American Idiot was the best singing of the night. Most energetic performance. And most retarded dancing!

Can I just say. I went to the Memphis website to check out the score. I listened to three songs from the show, including the dumbass number they did for the awards. It's catchy, but it's hardly R & B. Every song sounds like... Bon Jovi! So they're trying to convince me that in 1950s Memphis, Bon Jovi's music wouldn't be played if it was sung by a Black girl? I see the point. I'm sure they did the best they could? But Seriously, Best Musical???? NO!!!!!

What's on my mind?

courtesy of my blog: http://cjferrara.blogspot.com/

I haven't blogged in a while. Not because I haven't had any profound thoughts. But really because I've had too many. And not enough that have fully realized into blog entries. So here's my thinking.....

• I only tend to get angry and depressed when I'm thinking politically. Then after fully realizing my political point of view, I realize that that's exactly what someone in politics wants me to do. They want me to believe that there's only one right side to this issue, and that I need to fight to defend it. And everyone who disagrees is evil. Truth is, if this were ages ago, and there were no mass media, there'd be no real reason for me to care about Israeli forces boarding a ship and having a fight. It doesn't affect my farm, or my immediate family, my life goes on without having an opinion on this subject. The fact that it's on television, and a-holes like Glenn Beck insist that I need to have an opinion on it, makes me feel like I have to choose sides. I don't know anyone in the Middle East. I shouldn't have to care. I realize that I should have empathy for what's going on there. And it's cool that I know about it. Was a time ages ago that I'd never even know that people LIVED in Gaza, let alone believe or disbelieve that they are living in poverty there, or where Gaza was. Often we only have strong opinions because our culture has peer-pressured us into having them.
• Of the 4 Best Musical Nominees at the Tony Awards, three are Jukebox musicals, a storyline created aroung pre-existing music, and the only original musical is really not that good. The real competition and quality productions are in the Revival of a Musical category. It's a sad time for Broadway.
• I realized as I watched the students during an assembly devoted to jazz music, that it's not just that they don't know how to behave in an audience, it's that they do not consider this culturally relevant to them. It's as if they believe that African-American cutlure started in the year 2000. If it's not hip-hop or Gangsta, it's not worth their attention. I'm sorry to be blunt, but a room full of African-American and Hispanic children should care about Jazz, the music of their heritage. It's the only distinctly American form of music, and it was created by their ancestors. Without it, they'd be listening to Country and Classical. Not Taylor Swift Country Music either, I mean Bucktoothed, Jugband, Sister-screwing, Country Redneck music. and while we're on the subject....
• Teabaghers, and so-called "patriots" who try to lecture ME about what America really is need to stop doing so while presenting Bucktoothed, Jugband, Sister-screwing, Country Redneck music. This music is a derivative of old European folksongs, and hasn't changed in centuries. More modern country music has been influenced by Jazz and Rock. True Americans embrace that fact, and in turn embrace African American culture, and in turn have no problem with the African-American in the White House. But then again, I only have that opinion because someone in power keeps showing me ignorant people on the TV, and want me to either be for them or against them.

If BP was your Doctor

courtesy of my blog: http://cjferrara.blogspot.com/

Hello, Mr. Smith, what seems to be the problem? Oh, you were hit in the head with an axe and you're bleeding profusely from the cranium? OK, we can take care of that, don't you worry. Here, why don't you put this hat on. That should catch all the blood. 

(15 minutes later)

How are we doing? Hmmm. the top hat doesn't seem to have worked. Perhaps we need a smaller hat. Here, try this derby.

Hmmm. that's not working either. Well, here. I'll go outside and grab some sand, some broken glass, cigarette butts and stuff. We'll shove it in your would and try to plug it up. I'll be right back. Don't worry about the mess, we'll take care of that in due time.

(15 minutes later)

Well, let's see. Hmmm the dirt and garbage in the wound didn't work. What's that? I'm having trouble understanding you with your slurred speech, Mr. Smith. Surgery? You mean stop the bleeding with direct pressure and then sewing up the wound so that you won't bleed out? Maybe... that will be our last resort. First, let's stick some tubes into your head to guide the blood out safely into a containment unit.

(15 minutes later)

All our efforts to try to contain the bloodflow have been unsuccessful. I've got it... let's try washing it. Then we'll pump some water into the wound. When we're done, that should prevent it from ever bleeding again. Mr. Smith? Sir, you can't keep passing out like that, we can't help you if you're....

Mr. Smith? Oh, well, the bleeding has stopped. Now, what to do about this ER? I know, let's build a wall around bed 13, so that the mess doesn't spread to the coffee room. Nah, put the mop away, we've got this under control!