The beginning

I have been struggling for some time now what it is I want to write about exactly. It has been almost a month since I created this blog with the promise of music teaching perspective- and generally speaking that is what I want from this blog. But I find myself grasping at straws for what exactly I want to share. Even now, I sit here with my iced coffee trying to stay cool from the harsh Arizona sun and think "what do I share?" I could share lesson plans I have taught; but having just finished only my 2nd year, I'm not sure I have much to offer in that regard yet. I could tell you about my new music room and how big and grand it is- but alas, it is not ready for me to share. Instead, I sit waiting for a new building to be built so that the storage facility that is the future new music room can become just that: a music room. So instead, I think I'll start by sharing my story. It's as important as knowing what I teach and how I teach it. And hopefully, it will give insight to future posts about lessons and my classroom and various other topics.

So let's start at the beginning. I mean the very beginning. I remember as a kid setting up stuffed animals and my little sister as my "students" and sharing with the room everything I had learned in school that day. You'd have to ask my mother exactly when that started, but I feel like it was at a pretty young age. Teaching was fun even then- playing school was as common in my house as barbies and baby dolls. And then I found music. I started playing the violin in the fourth grade- when I was 9 years old. I knew I wanted to play it way before then though. It was something that- cheesy as it sounds- called to me. I remember being in 3rd grade and going to the information days at school for band and orchestra and deciding almost instantly that I would play the violin the following year. And I loved it. It was the instrument for me. It came easily to me; something that sports never had been. I found my niche- and I lived in that niche all the way through high school. Teaching went by the wayside as a career path. Honestly, I think I forgot about it. I wanted to play professionally- in a symphony. And then, on a whim I didn't apply for music programs when I was applying for college. Instead I was decided I wanted to do forensics. It was a silly plan- I was never one for monotony or desk jobs. I wanted excitement and change. So when I decided forensics wasn't for me after a less than exciting tour of the local crime lab I felt lost. I had never been so unsure of what I wanted, but I knew I didn't want science. It was my dad who said to me "why don't you do music?" I had a million reasons of why I didn't think I could do music- I wasn't good enough being the biggest one. I was a music minor at the time, and my private teacher did not help that thought that echoed in my brain. When I asked her to accept me into the Music Education program (because, that one made the most sense for me) she told me that because I was a hard worker, she would accept me, but it was a good thing I wasn't trying for performance. The stigma with performance being for "better musicians" is a ridiculous one- probably to be covered in another post. I mean really- don't you want great musicians teaching your children about being musicians?? But, I digress.

I knew from the moment I started my Intro to Music Education course that I was meant to be a music teacher. And then, I took my Elementary Music Ed course and I fell in love. I honestly could not imagine doing anything else now. The journey I took to get here seems silly and trivial now. I certainly cannot imagine sitting in a lab everyday analyzing the same bullets hour after hour, or looking at the ridges in fingerprints for the umpteenth time. Teaching music is exciting; I never teach the same lesson twice- even if it is the same lesson. Each class is different, and therefore, each lesson is different too. Plus, it's fun! There is nothing like getting to play and sing and dance all day long for a living.

I don't regret the decisions I made throughout my life in regards to finding my career. They made me a better person; I grew through those decisions. But I am certainly glad I landed where I was supposed to. Because although every day may not be roses and sunshine- there are enough of those days that I wouldn't trade this job for the world.

Sam

The Start of a New Project

Hello! Welcome to my new blog. My plan is to use this to discuss and share teaching ideas. Stay tuned- I fully intend on updating a lot more over the summer months when I have some actual time!

Here's to a new project and a new point of view.

Sam