Ok. So I am teaching 4 classes (2 Music Appreciation, History of Rock and Roll and Choir). Now add 16 piano students that I did not know I had to teach until the 2nd week of school. On top of all that I have to build up a music program that has been dead for 4 years. So now, I have zero time during the week.
So the weekend is my only time to get other things done. Saturdays I tend to sleep in very late. Trying to catch up on sleep I did not have during the week. I usually sit around the apartment, relax, watch TV and generally recover from the week.
Sundays are my "better get some personal stuff done" day. That usually encompasses laundry and grocery shopping.
But every so often I go out and have fun. Yesterday seemed like a good time to get out. So about 7p I went to the church I am temporarily working at for their Halloween party to get some free food (there it is again) and to hang out.
OK background. One of the members of my choir is the pastor of the Westminster Presbyterian Church and they are currently between choir directors. She had asked me in the beginning of the year if I could come and help temporarily. Now she asked me during the 1st week of school before I found out I have 16 piano students. So ya, another thing to add to my already busy schedule. I am only staying until the end of the semester.
OK flashback over. So the church party ended about 8:30p and I went looking for the next Halloween party. This next one was told to me by one of my students. She was going to be one of the 3 DJ's at the party and asked if I would come. The party was in an old abandoned synagogue. A perfect place for a Halloween party. The inside was decorated well by the people putting on the party. The people at the party were cool and easy to talk to. I ran into a fellow faculty member. I also ran into the owner of a local coffee shop here on the island who I had talked to during the art walk a few weeks ago. It was definitely a cool evening. Happy Free Candy Day.
This evening I went to a choral music concert with Ron, my choral accompanist and friend. The concert included 3 choirs which were the University of Houston Concert Choral, San Jacinto College North Chorale and the Sons of Orpheus (a men's chorus). Good sounding choirs and a nice variety of music. There were also 5 members of the University of Houston Concert Choral who sang madrigals while each choir would walk on and off the stage. It was a nice touch. The University of Houston Concert Choral sang a piece by Veljo Tormis called Raua needmine (Curse Upon Iron). It was a really cool piece with the altos echoing the soloist while the basses sounded like a didgeridoo and the sopranos sustaining a single note. That was just a section of the piece. The piece was about the gift of iron during the early days to it being now being used create destructive weapons and the belief that it may destroy us. The text is Estonian. It was great to hear the language sung to music. The piece has inspired me to really start composing again.
I was looking on my friend, Jeff's Weblog and he has a link to a really cool site called Sodaconstructor.
To the Sodaconstructor then click play.
To the Sodazoo where you can pick other models to see move.
Here are this week's Tonight Show Headlines.
Headlines
This one is just funny.
I went to the ARToberfest. It is a fine arts festival featuring visual arts and booths showcasing established and new artists. This takes place in the historic downtown on Postoffice Street. There were a great variety of art from painting, sculpture, photography and handmade jewelry. I also saw some of my students and choir members there.
I then went to the Galveston Chamber Music Society. It is a group that meets about 4 times a year to perform music for each other. Most of them are music teachers and some have non music day jobs but still like to perform. So this is their chance to work on a piece a perform it. There are some good musicians that performed today playing a variety of instruments. They included a piano trio (violin, viola and piano), a clarinet and piano, solo pianists and a piano duo. Many in this group have connections to other people on the island as well as performing groups such as the Galveston Children's Choir and the Galveston Symphony Orchestra. What an art filled day.
Christopher Reeve passed away on Sunday of heart failure. He will be remember for is roll of Superman in the 4 Superman movies. I also remember him in the very funny movie, Noises Off. He was will also be remembered as a tireless advocate for a host of disabled, social and medical causes.
Here is an article about him:
Here are some links about him.
Christopher Reeve, A Role Model
Ron and I ate at the Mosquito Cafe for lunch and then went on to continue the Lofts Tour to see the ones we miss yesterday. One had steep stairs in the lobby which are sort of dangerous. If I lived there I would take the stairs. In steep, I mean that the steps were taller than normal stairs. The area where the staircase is located is small so the stairs had to be steep to make it to the next level. Here is my question, why not make them circular or back and forth instead of just straight up?
Another had tall windows. So tall that it would be very expensive to put curtain up so they covered them with a film that cuts out 90% of the outside light. It was fun looking at the lofts for the last 2 days and seeing how other people decorate their home.
Today Ron (who is my accompanist for the college choir) called me and asked if I wanted to join him on the Lofts Tour in the downtown Strand District.
I met him at the Trinity Episcopal Church where he is the music director and organist.
It is an amazing looking church.
Pictures
The church was build in 1857 and is one of the two oldest churches in Galveston.
The 69-rank Austin organ sounds incredible, especially with Ron playing. The organ has a large dynamic range and has 4,086 pipes.
We then went on the Loft Tour. This is when people open their homes on the history downtown in Galveston so people can explore people homes see the variety between each of the lofts. They were all unique. Some lofts had hardly any closets. One was like a big room with an inside balcony. On the balcony is the bedroom and TV room. In many of the lofts you can see pipes on the ceiling going though the loft. They were all interesting to see but I personally would not want to live in any of them. I am fine living were I am now.
We did not get to see all of them before it ended so we will come see the rest tomorrow. So we then went to the art walk. This is also in downtown Galveston. It is where galleries stay open late to present new art work. Galleries also provide free food and drinks. I liked some of the art. They inspired me to start composing some new pieces.
We then ate at the Mosquito Cafe (I know, what a name). Ron knows the owner and he recommended the Macaroni and cheese. This was not your Kraft special. Everything on the plate was fresh. It was very good. It came with vegetables which also tasted good.
Since my office is just down the hall from the gym, I can hear events that take place there when there are no or very few classes taking place. (Interesting sentence) For the past few weeks between 4 and 5, I usually take a short break and walk around. While taking a walk, I have caught the girls volleyball team practicing. Ya I know what you are thinking and yes they are cute but they also play well. So this evening I watched them play against Laredo Community College. It was a good game and we won, 3 matches to 0.
On the 2nd friday of the month, is the Professional Development Committee sponsors a lunch. Beth Thomas, a long time faculty who teaches ceramics, presented a slide show "The Artist's Pilgrimage and Studio Work Ritual." She showed us slides of her work and slides of places around the world she had visited that has inspired her work. And of course we had free food.
I have missed a few weeks of headlines so here are the headlines.
2. Headlines
Now this weeks:
Now we are all caught up.
I have created a comparison between California and Texas. I will add more to the list as I discover more of Texas.
I have added 2 more categories now that my life is in a new chapter. The categories are "Teaching Adventures" and "The Quest for Free Food." The "Teaching Adventures" are my adventures of teaching at Galveston College. "The Quest for Free Food" is my search of free food at the college and around Galveston.
It is shocktober 1st. That is what we called today at my high school after the big 5.9 Whittier Narrows earthquake in California on October 1, 1987.
First, some Galveston background:
The City of Galveston is located on the eastern end of Galveston Island, a 30 mile long barrier island 2.5 miles at it's widest point (61st Street) and 2 miles off the coast of Texas.
There are lots of things to do on Galveston Island.
Now to the College:
Galveston College is on Avenue Q.
Pictures I took of the college
The school has four three story buildings that are connected by indoor hallways. The buildings are Moody, Regents, Northern and Fine Arts.
I teach in the Fine Arts Building. My office is on the 2nd floor in room FA-217. My office is quite large. It is bigger than my second bedroom/studio is. I have a big window that faces south. I teach my lecture classes like music appreciation in FA-216 which is right next door to my office. The classroom is not real big and has only about 25 desks and chairs. The classroom does have a 4 speaker surround sound system from which I play musical examples with.
The other room in which I teach in is FA-207 which is just down the hall from my office. It is a large room with a stage. This is where I rehearse the college choir. The choir is currently small (which will change now that I am here) but a very good choir.
Other areas I might mention is the gym, which is also just down the hall from me, the faculty wing (which is where I call the area where a number of the faculty offices are located) is on the 3rd floor of the Northern Building. That is all I can think of for now. More later as the year progresses.