A member of my vast readership has pointed out to me that life, and music, do not begin in college, and right he is! He perhaps wants me to confess that my first instrument was the ukulele?… having gotten that out of the way, i'll jump to high school and confess the greatest good luck with both teachers and fellow students. Ours was a magnet school for performing arts before such a thing existed. We put on musicals twice-yearly, with the entire production, on and offstage, turned over to the students: scenery, lighting, tech, orchestra, and even the singers! Once a sub filled in for Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz on a day's notice and was an instant star. A friend wrote an oratorio, another friend conducted us singing it. We sang a twelve-tone Anthem by Stravinsky. We learned about aging singing in local convalescent homes. The cute boy who could do stand-up and mime took on a serious role perfectly in the play "The Diary of Anne Frank". One singer later started an opera company; another was nominated for a Grammy. Our teachers had unlimited faith in our nascent abilities. Another day I'll write more about it all, but Clay, don't worry it's not forgotten— none of you are remotely forgotten. Ramona High School: an extraordinary ordinary public school in the California 'burbs. As I start a week of working with young musicians, I'll keep these thoughts close at hand.
I'm busted! (Thanks for busting me, Clay)
in Teaching
