The second graders traveled to the Olympic grounds, just north of the school, for fun and games.\u00a0 If you know Judy, you know how much she was looking forward to outdoor games on a field.\u00a0 She survived!\u00a0 They had a fun time, and the weather was comfortable, although the wind was blowing more than usual.<\/p>\n
I had classes today, so I have to finalize my planning and begin the commute.\u00a0 At this time of the morning (10:00 am), the trains are not too bad.\u00a0 I arrive at BHSFIC in plenty of time to find my room for the week and get it unlocked.\u00a0 I eat a quick lunch and meet with the \u201cGuitar Club\u201d.\u00a0 They\u2019re working on \u201cBoulevard of Broken Dreams\u201d by Green Day.\u00a0 Only one of the five students is self-taught.\u00a0 The others have teachers or have taken lessons previously.\u00a0 They read music a little, so progress is pretty good.\u00a0 The biggest problem is that we meet for \u00bd hour on Thursday and Friday.\u00a0 By the time we get the guitars tuned, our club time is finished.<\/p>\n
My music classes go well, and the orchestra club gets going.\u00a0 I audition the pianists to get an idea of their ability.\u00a0 They all three seem to play fairly well.\u00a0 One of the pianists\u2019 was actually pretty amazing.\u00a0 I had been told last year in my interviews that there would be a good pianist here this year.\u00a0 He apparently won a big-time Beijing piano competition.\u00a0 He is \u201cfor real\u201d.\u00a0\u00a0 One of the violinist brings in an Elgar solo w\/piano accompaniment, so I leave the two of them to work on it while I head back down to work with the remaining orchestra members.<\/p>\n
I give each of the orchestra members a chance to talk about what they want to accomplish with their club.\u00a0 The most common reply is that they want to work up some music to play for poor migrant school children in a nearby school.\u00a0 Each student gets a chance to perform for the group individually.\u00a0 I\u2019m trying to assess their level so I can find resources to suit them.\u00a0 We finish our session listening to the progress of the violin\/piano duo.\u00a0 They sound great and we\u2019re all inspired.<\/p>\n
The trains are really packed as I head home.\u00a0 They\u2019re as full as I\u2019ve seen them when I\u2019m riding.\u00a0 This is when it\u2019s nice to be one of the biggest people on the train.\u00a0 They can push me, but I don\u2019t necessarily move.\u00a0 At the apartment, Judy is in the middle of organizing and sorting.\u00a0 I\u2019m worn out, so it\u2019s off to bed.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The second graders traveled to the Olympic grounds, just north of the school, for fun and games.\u00a0 If you know Judy, you know how much she was looking forward to outdoor games on a field.\u00a0 She survived!\u00a0 They had a … Continue reading