Middle School Choral Gems

A Few Recommended Middle School Choral Gems

This list is intended as a starting place of a few gems that work. I have used these with my own choirs so I know they work. Tonight I'm going to list a few unison works that I have used with beginning groups that are not ready for part work. Often I use these at the beginning of the school year or with my 6th grade choir.

Unison

1. Agnus De by Mozart/Telfer Published by Kjos


2. Art Thou Troubled by Handel/Bartell Published by Hinshaw


3. All the Pretty Little Horses arr. by Earlene Rentz Published by BriLee


4. Danny Boy arr. by Ruth Elaine Schram Published by BriLee


5. For the Beauty of the Earth by Ruth Elaine Schram Published by BriLee


6. Kyrie Eleison by S. Poorman Published by BriLee


7. Let There Be Song by Dave and Jean Perry Published by BriLee


8. Life Is Precious by Ruth Elaine Schram Published by BriLee


9. Oh Shenandoah arr. by Ruth Elaine Schram Published by BriLee
   


10. Sleep My Baby by Alec Rowley Published by Boosey & Hawkes

Why Teach?

A friend once gave me a t-shirt with the saying "Three reasons to be a Teacher June, July and August" on the shirt for Christmas. But if you believe that is why most teachers go into the profession of eduction then you don't know much about teachers. Many educators teach summer school or take part time jobs during the summer to make ends meet. Others spend the summer taking classes themselves to earn needed professional development units for credentials.

Recently Readers Digest ran an article titled '13 Things Your Child's Teacher Won't Tell You' . Here are just a few of those things;

• We’re sick of standardized testing and having to “teach to the test.”

• Kids used to go out and play after school and resolve problems on their own. Now, with computers and TV, they lack the skills to communicate. They don’t know how to get past hurt feelings without telling the teacher and having her fix it.

• Your child may be the center of your universe, but I have to share mine with 25 others.

• Guys who dribble a ball for a couple of hours a game can make up to $20 million a year. We educate future leaders and make about $51,000 a year.

From my own personal experience;

• I didn't go into teaching for the money.

• The coolest thing is when you see that light go on in a kids eye, when he/she finally gets it and understands a new piece of material.
  

• At their heart kids just want their parents attention. All the iPods, PSPs, Xboxs, etc will not make up for the personal contact of spending time with your son/daughter, talk with them, turn off the TV and family time every once in a while.
  
  
• The school bell schedule may be 8:00 am - 2:50 pm but I arrive most days by 7:00 am and it is rare for me to leave before 5:00 pm. I work most weekends for at least a few hours so please don't tell me how I have such great work hours.

• Very early in life I was taught the importance of reading by my mother. Read with your children every day for at least 15 minutes.

• Lastly there are days I want to quit, but then that one smile from that one kid, changes it all.

Words to live by...

HANDBOOK for 2010

Health:

1. Drink plenty of water.
2. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a beggar.
3. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is manufactured in plants..
4. Live with the 3 E's -- Energy, Enthusiasm and Empathy
5. Make time to pray.
6. Play more games
7. Read more books than you did in 2009 .
8. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day
9. Sleep for 8 hours.
10. Take a 10-30 minutes walk daily. And while you walk, smile.

Personality:

11. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
12. Don't have negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment.
13. Don't over do. Keep your limits.
14. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
15. Don't waste your precious energy on gossip.
16. Dream more while you are awake
17. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need..
18. Forget issues of the past. Don't remind your partner with His/her mistakes of the past.
That will ruin your present happiness.
19. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. Don't hate others.
20. Make peace with your past so it won't spoil the present.
21. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
22. Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn. Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.
23. Smile and laugh more.
24. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree...

Society:

25. Call your family often.
26. Each day give something good to others.
27. Forgive everyone for everything..
28. Spend time w/ people over the age of 70 & under the age of 6.
29. Try to make at least three people smile each day.
30. What other people think of you is none of your business.
31. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.

Life:

32. Do the right thing!
33. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.
34. GOD heals everything.
35. However good or bad a situation is, it will change..
36. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
37. The best is yet to come..
38. When you awake alive in the morning, thank GOD for it.
39. Your Inner most is always happy. So, be happy.

I did not write the above but received it from a friend via facebook with the message to pass it on. I have been working on making some big changes in my own life for the better. But as the saying goes you eat the elephant one bit at a time. Change takes time you can't expect to do it all in one day. But I like this list of basic life principals to live by.

A few random quotes and thoughts...

• 90% of solving a problem is realizing there is one

• 80% of graduating college seniors have credit-card debt before they even have a job!

• It is human nature to want it and want it now; it is also a sign of immaturity
  

• If you tell a lie often enough, loudly enough, and long enough, the myth will become accepted as fact.

• "There is no shortcut to anyplace worth going." Beverly Sills
  

Book of Eli

The Book of Eli

In a post apocalyptic world Eli walks across the wasteland that once was America. Empty cities and broken highways are the marks of catastrophic destruction. There is no civilization here, no law. The roads belong to gangs that would murder a man for his shoes or an ounce of water.

But they are no match for this traveler.

A warrior not buy choice but by necessity, Eli (Denzel Washington) seeks only peace but, if challenged, will cut his attackers down before they realize their fatal mistake. Nothing and no one can stand in his way. He must keep moving to fulfill his destiny.

It has been a long time since I saw a movie especially an action film that had a surprise twist at the end that I did not see coming long before it got there. 'The Book of Eli' is a violent graphic movie and is not appropriate for anyone under the age of 17 due to the violence. Yet even with the violence of the movie I still enjoyed the movie and would give it a 4 out of 5 stars.

Avatar

Avatar

I have been putting off going and seeing what many people have been saying is the current must see SciFi movie "Avatar". The movie by directed by James Cameron with new state of the art technology is a visual wonder. As a friend of mine says true 'eye candy'. I made sure I went to a movie theater that has digital projectors and was showing it in 3D. The special effects were amazing and I have no doubt it will be receiving many nominations and awards for effects and cinematography, which the film does deserve.

But this is were my enjoyment of the film stops. I found the 2 hours and 40 minutes to be way to long for the story. It could have been trimmed by at least 30 - 40 minutes and been a much tighter story. I felt like I was watching 'Dances with Wolves' in space. James Cameron was impressed with his new technology that he forgot the storyline.

James Horner wrote a great musical score to go with the movie. So the music is not a disappointment. It is just to bad the story did not live up to the music and visual end of the movie.

Just on visuals and music strength I would rate 'Avatar' 3 1/2 stars out of 5

USS Pampanito

USS PAMPANITO

Fisherman's Wharf
San Francisco, CA

USS Pampanito (SS-383/AGSS-383), a Balao-class submarine, was a United States Navy ship, the only one named for a variety of the pompano fish.She completed six war patrols from 1944 to 1945 and served as a Naval Reserve Training ship from 1960 to 1971. She is now a National Historic Landmark, preserved as a memorial and museum ship in the San Francisco Maritime National Park Association located at Fisherman's Wharf.

Below are pictures taken outside of the USS Pampanito in December of 2009;

Decked out with a tree for Christmas

Fisherman's Wharf....

San Francisco's Fisherman's Wharf

San Francisco's Fisherman's Wharf is a world famous tourist attraction. As the home of San Francisco's fishing fleet, docked along Jefferson Street, Fisherman's Wharf is the important center of our city's historic fishing industry. The Wharf area is also the launching point for Bay cruises and charters.

Family entertainment is a neighborhood specialty. With the famous sea lions, Wax Museum, Ripley's Believe It or Not! Museum, The Aquarium of the Bay at PIER 39 and the World War II submarine, USS Pampanito, Fisherman's Wharf is the perfect place to bring the kids. Specialty shops and restaurants line the Wharf--including PIER 39, Anchorage Square and THE CANNERY shopping complexes. The world famous Ghirardelli Square has been converted to an open-air center filled with fun shops and restaurants. Here you can even see the company's original chocolate-making machines.

Below are some pictures taken along Fisherman's Wharf in December 2009;

Mr.Toad's Wild Ride?

Mr. Toad playing the Sax

One of many ways to tour San Francisco

Crabs - Yum!

A little street dancing/performing

Christmas Time at Pier 39

Sea Lions

Golden Gate Bridge from Pier 39

The Rock

Character Does It Count?

Many schools in the United States have a adopted a program called "Character Counts". The CHARACTER COUNTS! approach to character education doesn't exclude anyone. There are six pillars taught in the Character Counts program; Trustworthiness, Respect, Responsibility, Fairness, Caring, and Citizenship.

I want to talk about RESPECT. This what the Character Counts program says about Respect;

Treat others with respect; follow the Golden Rule • Be tolerant of differences • Use good manners, not bad language • Be considerate of the feelings of others • Don’t threaten, hit or hurt anyone • Deal peacefully with anger, insults and disagreements

Recently I have been thinking a lot about respect and what does that really mean. I grew up in the Southern United States and was taught to treat people older than me and those in a higher position than me with respect. Lately I have been bothered by the way young people and even people friends of mine treat family their parents, co-works, and bosses. There is a term I hear people use more and more that I find offensive "parental units". I when I hear "unit" I think of a thing or an object. If I had ever called my mom and dad parental units my mother would have washed my mouth out with soap, that is if I was still living at home. If I was over 18 my dad would have said hit the road if you are not going to treat us with respect it is time to move out.

I even have friends that call their parents by their first name and yes these are the biological parents not step-parents. I was shocked the first time I heard that happen. Again I do realize part of this is my Southern up bringing were you would often call the adults of your parents close friend Aunt ____ and Uncle ____ instead of the more formal Mr. & Mrs. but you would never use just the first name. Depending on the age of the person and how close they were to the family you might call them Mrs. ______ using the first name but you would always put Mr. or Mrs. in front of the name.

I have a couple of friends that still live at home that are always complaining about their parents. In many countries extended families live together and in parts of the US this same practice is common. But if all you are going to do is complain about you parents and how hard it is to live with them because mom or dad is so hard to deal with well them maybe you ask yourself why is that you are living there? Is it time to move and find a place of your own? If you are staying so some respect to your folks because one day they will be gone and you don't want to regret treating them bad.

Going back to what Character Counts says it's following the Golden Rule, treat others they way you want to be treated. I don't have children but if I did I would be very offended if they called me a parental unit. So I would never use the term. I will always call some one older than me or in a position of higher authority by their proper title just as I would want to bee refereed to in the work place.

Hyde Street Pier, San Francisco, CA

Hyde Street Pier
San Francisco, California

The Hyde Street Pier is a historic ferry pier located on the northern waterfront of San Francisco, California. The pier is in the tourist zone of Fisherman's Wharf.

Prior to the opening of the Golden Gate Bridge and the San Francisco – Oakland Bay Bridge, it was the principal automobile ferry terminal connecting San Francisco with Marin County by way of Sausalito to the north, and the East Bay by way of Berkeley.

Today, the pier is part of the San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park.

Below are some pictures of Hyde Street Pier taken in November 2009;

The Golden Gate Bridge from Hyde Street Pier

A Swimmer in the waters off the pier

Ghirardelli from Hyde Street Pier