Lets see where this leads...

This blog was started for a class project. I am now done with that class and have successully maintained my straight A's for my master's degree in Music Education. I am hoping to keep up with the blog and see where things go.  We will see. I learned a lot from taking this last class (Internet in K-12 education). Areas that I had to study were: blogging, social bookmarking, podcasting, wikis, and the list goes on.  I also learned about how to utilize RSS and create a google reader account.  I am now very addicted to this and check my reader about as often as my email (which turns out to be about every hour if not more). I have found some real interesting blogs, and wikis to follow that are both educational and just plain intersting for me to follow. I have included links to some of these on my sidebar.

There are no words for this......

Just listen and...



...wow

Us

Inspiration from a suprising source

This weekend was our All-County Orchestra Festival. This consists of auditioned orchestra students getting together for 3 days to put together a top notch performance. The guest conductor for the high school group was Thomas Sleeper from the University of Miami. 

I have not been so inspired by a person in a long time. I watched, on the edge of my chair, as he elicited emotions from these high school players that only exist in the darkest reaches of our soul. You could cut the intensity with a knife.

What the most inspiring moment to me was learning that this college orchestra director/composer's background was apparently on the trombone!  See, from my point of view many orchestra conductors are either string players themselves or pianists.  So...perhaps there is hope for me yet.

This is Sleeper's Trumpet Concerto Movement 2. Sleeper is conducting and the trumpet soloist is Craig Morris

One of the perks...

Ok...so living in exile can have its perks too. When one lives in Orlando it is extremely convenient to go and visit the Mouse.

For my birthday in August I received assistance in the purchase of an annual pass. What does that mean? I can go to any Disney park, when I want any time I want. FANTASTIC. Needless to say that we often will go on the weekends and just hang around.

After you go to Disney so many times you begin to see past the rides and things and start enjoying it for more than what is on the surface. The other day we found ourselves in an art shop enjoying the lovely Disney paintings and statues. What creative people!

Also it is nice being able to go to the Epcot Festivals. The one we went to the past two weekends was the "Food and Wine" Festival. Food and wine from all over the world are served in kiosks all around the lagoon. What an experience. My favorites are Germany, and Ireland. Oh, and of course Canada. :-)