Music Education = Amy's Heaven!

You may think I'm crazy, but this video still embodies the topic of this post. So, enjoy! =)

So this past weekend I was lucky enough to attend the MENC Northwest conference. For those of you that don't speak musical jargon, MENC stands for "Music Educators National Conference," and each region hosts an annual conference. Last year our conference was about 3 hours away, but this year we were lucky to have it in Bellevue, WA...only about 45 min. away. So the troops and I commuted both days rather than paying for a hotel room! Score on money saved!

Essentially, this conference is like putting kids in a candy shop...but really the kids are music educators. And the candy shop is...well...I don't really have a simile for that one. Just got with it.

Each day there are more performances and workshops than you know what to do with, and so many choices often makes it VERY difficult to choose which presentation you want to go to! Last year was rather simple for me as I was really only interested in topics related to high school choir, but now that I'm pretty gung-ho about elementary education, I found myself torn between many different topics!

The presentations I chose to attend were as follows:

Friday

- "Man Time" : Women Conducting Male Choirs

- Vocal Development in the Early Years 

(presented by my new idol...Dr. John Feierabend. More on him later)

- Job Search and Interview Skills (geared toward all of the college students there)

- General Session (for everyone) : Performances by Male Ensemble Northwest, The Navy Band Brass Choir, and a keynote address by John Feierabend.

- Movement Development in the Early Years (also Feierabend)

Saturday

- 12 Steps to Music Literacy Part 1 (Feierabend)

- 12 Steps to Music Literacy Part 2 (Feierabend...again! See a trend here?)

- Choral Offerings for High School (I got at least $30 bucks worth of free music!)

- General Music Resources (I got free tools to use for elementary music)

- Trinidadian Music for General Music Classrooms

So, I learned a LOT. But I learned the most from that amazing man I mentioned quite a few times...Dr. John Feierabend. He presented such AMAZING material that blew me out of the water. He impressed me so much that I'm seriously looking at how I can study with him for a Masters of Music Education later in my career. He teaches at The Hartt School at the University of Hartford, so it's a very prestigious university. I'll have to really concentrate and apply myself fully to try and compete for acceptance! Studying with him would mean the WORLD to me because I would learn SO SO much. More than I could possibly imagine! (Also, during his first session, he demonstrated awesome teaching methods through the song 'The Green Grass Grows All Around,' hence the video/song I posted!)

Once we finished the conference on Friday, our group went out to a delicious dinner at The Cheesecake Factory. See?

Laura and I split their newest cheesecake, a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Chocolate Cake Cheesecake. It was TO DIE FOR! YUMMMMM!

In an effort to learn more about teaching through hands-on experience and build my resume, I'm looking high and low for potential music education jobs for the summer. All I want is to be able to teach little kids some camp songs or something along those lines --- is that too much to ask? Honestly! But I'm looking all over in the hopes that something will work out with my needs this summer (a.k.a. my brother's wedding in July and wanting to be back in Tacoma by August...that is, if I'm not working in Tacoma). I have an appointment with our Career and Employment Services on Thursday to have them edit my resume, cover letter, and to help me look for jobs in general! I hope it proves to be helpful! =)

Happy Birthday Alpine!

Today is my baby boy Alpine's birthday! I can't believe he's already 6! 

He USED to look like this:

We couldn't get enough of him the day he was put in our arms! 

But now he's all grown up! And what a handsome boy he is! =)

Wish I could be there to give him a birthday cuddle!

So Much To Update!

*press play now!*

First and foremost, I've decided that I like including a link to a song appropriate for the blog I post. From now on, I'm going to do my darndest to include a fun, related video to the post I write! So, in following suit with my last post, click the link and hum along as you read this newest post! =)

So, in case you couldn't guess from the song...I'm first going to update about MY NEW HOUSE! In all the stress and chaos of my life lately, I've successfully managed to research homes in the area for rent, tour quite a few, make lists of pros and cons, organize a group of 5 awesome girls (one of which is abroad, making communication a little difficult), be all adult-like, and sign a lease! I'm super excited to report that next year I'll be living with the lovely Hope, Beth, Cailin, and Kristin off-campus in a 5 bedroom / 2 bath home. The house is a little farther away from campus than we first expected to live, but in comparing the possible living options, we decided to sacrifice location for awesome house and cheap rent! Ironically enough, the house was once occupied by my ex-boyfriend and his friends, so I know it QUITE well! In fact, I want to lay claim to his former bedroom.

I'm SO very excited to finally live in a place off campus, act like a real adult in my own house, and get to do things I've been deprived of since living in on-campus housing in college such as:
- COOKING and BAKING in a huge kitchen!
- Lighting candles whenever I darn well please...including during birthday celebrations! (what's a birthday without birthday candles!? Really!!)
- watching t.v. (did I mention our rent includes premium cable with on demand movies? Um...yeah!!!)
- Decorating according to our preference (picking out our own furniture, etc.)
- hosting parties (I'm especially thinking fun dinner parties! We're classy!)
- And still to be determined...possibly playing mommy to a brand new kitty cat of my very own! (I've gotten the landlords ok, and just have to investigate if it's the best option for me. I'm DYING to have a new kitten in my life, but I need to think reasonably and figure out if it's the right decision. I'm leaning towards yes, however!)

Here are a few pictures of our house! We can't wait to get in there ourselves and decorate how we see fit! =)

 The exterior

Right through the front door: living room and dining room

Main floor bathroom (three of us will share it)

Kitchen (by night)

 Kitchen (by day)

Other news:

This weekend did not pan out as previously anticipated. Dustin and I ended our year + relationship last Sunday, so even though I thought this weekend would be filled with Valentine love and fluff, that wasn't really the case. My gorgeous Amy came down from Seattle for some Tacoma fun. We went shopping at the  mall (both finding some fun things!) and made a delicious rib dinner with strawberry daiquiris to boot (classy, no?). We had some good time to chat and she was, as always, a great friend in listening to my ups and downs as I figure out life without Dustin. She was even sweet enough to bring me gorgeous tulips from Seattle! =)

Cailin and I had been planning on making Valentine cake pops since weeks back, so we stuck to that. Today, we made these adorable little things that I'll be using as Valentine's tomorrow:

I used Funfetti cake and dyed it pink, as well as dying the cream cheese frosting pink, too, so hopefully when folks bite into them, they'll be a fun pink on the inside! 

This upcoming week brings many new exciting things. I have a group interview for a peer advisor position I'm hoping to land for the 2011-2012 school year. Only problem is, I'm going up against one of my good friends, Rhiannon, who is also extremely well-qualified for the job! It makes me nervous to think who will get it. We'd both be great at the job! ={

Friday, Saturday, and Sunday I will be at the Washington Music Educators Association conference in Bellevue, WA with my fellow UPS Music Education majors, soaking up all the goodness of the career I look forward to! This conference really, truly, makes me grin from ear to ear. There are SO many good topics and presentations. Every aspect of this conference gets me revved up for being a music educator!

I'm also avidly looking for potential jobs for this summer, both here in Tacoma and at home. I'm specifically looking for a job that will allow me to further my interest in music education by teaching kids at a summer camp. We'll see how that goes - but so far my search efforts have yielded few results. Keep your fingers crossed.

Now onto studying for my vocal pedagogy quiz tomorrow and completing my voice lesson reflection. Then BED!

Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes

*Hit PLAY! It's more effective if you hear the song while you read my post! READY?...GO!*

Yup, that about sums up my life right now. I don't think I can wrap my head around ALL of the changes happening...and all within a couple of days.

Good is coming out of all of these changes, as difficult as some of them are proving to be. I'm trying to keep my chin up and see the positives in every situation I'm in now. It's scary, but I'm learning a LOT. I wouldn't be able to get through it all without the support of my amazing friends and family. I don't think I've ever been offered so many shoulders to sob on before. But they're all here and ready to pick me back up- which is exactly what they've done.

More to come about all that I've learned, but my brain and heart have had enough for today. It's 1am. I haven't stayed up this late on a school night in a while, but I'm still up because I've had so much to process and digest today. My goodness. I'm excited to see what the future holds...both immediate and long-term future. Who knows what's in store?!? =) But for now, I know what my immediate future holds. SLEEP! Goodnight!

Victor Wooten Baby!

Last night, Victor Wooten came to my campus to play a show and talk about his book. I frantically finished his book, The Music Lesson, the night before, finishing at 12:30am! I couldn't put it down and couldn't fall asleep til I finished it all! What a good book!

We got there early and got seats right up front...the whole gang! Dustin's aunt, grandma, and cousins came up from Oregon, and his friend Mike (who also graduated last year) flew in from Southern California. Then we had Dustin, Dylan, Ricky, Ricky's neighbor Chris, Patrick, Brian, and Sam all sitting with us. Quite the crew.

He first played with the Puget Sound Jazz Band and they rocked. But the real magic happened once Victor started soloing. I could not believe anything he was playing was physically possible! It blew my mind in a way no other music has. My jaw was dropped for at least 75% of the concert! He has this natural gift to bring music to life that really makes you stop and listen to everything he's doing. And yet, at the same time, you can't wrap your mind around what is coming from his bass! The guy is talented, no question there!

I was SO excited when he stopped to talk a bit about music advocacy and the book, itself. Everything that man says is pure genius. He's just real and down to earth, and as genuine as they come. I was hanging on just about every word that was coming out of his mouth. He makes you want to be a better musician and teacher.

He jammed a bit more, again, making my head explode with his sheer talent. He was joined this time around, by other UPS musicians, comprised of Dylan's housemate Joe on drums, and one of my most favorite professors, Dr. Hutchinson, on a 6-stringed bass. They were awesome, and I know they were all enjoying themselves to the fullest. Victor concluded the concert with an encore of 'Amazing Grace.' It was remarkable. Never once did I want this concert to end...it could have gone on for hours and hours and I never would have tired of what this man could accomplish.

After waiting around for a large majority of the audience to talk with him and sign autographs, our clan got the opportunity to talk with him, get our books signed, take some pictures, and then head out to dinner. Yup- that's right- I got to eat with Victor Wooten. My friend Cailin is the Cultural Events programmer who put this whole concert together, and she invited the whole crew out to BJs after. We got there, and it just so happened that I got to sit next to him! Awesome!

We eventually said goodbye (after having some beer and Pizzookie...yum [to the pizzookie...no beer for me!]) and got home around 1:30am. Late night! But so inspiring and wonderful!

Victor with Geoff, Steven, Dustin, and Ricky (Dylan wasn't to be found, apparently)

Kind of blurry, but Dustin's Grandma, Jean, and aunt Cathy with Victor

I got a picture with him, too. Hooray!

 My new book! Everyone should read this book. It's such a quick read and it really makes you think about things differently! I got super excited to find out that he's in the process of writing a sequel that explores more about music, taking off from where this book leaves off. I can't wait, especially since a big topic of the upcoming book has to do with music advocacy and keeping music alive and in schools. Totally my thing!

My signed copy. Alright!

Saturday in Seattle! (and more...)

So I got to spend a lovely rainy Saturday in Seattle with the gorgeous Ms. Amy. She showed me her adorable little town home in Fremont, we had lunch at our "usual" Chinese restaurant (I say usual lightly since we've eaten there a whole two times, now). Then we had some fun browsing at a fun shopping center by the University of Washington, and we eventually had drinks during happy hour at a place called "Blue C Sushi"

Here's photo proof of our day together!

I got a "Blue C Cosmo" and Amy got a Mango Mojito

In other news...

I also got THESE adorable things in the mail a couple days back!

Mom and I found them at Kohl's while I was home over break, and she bought them for me as a Valentine's Day present. They were delivered a couple of days ago and have already been put to good use holding yummy treats my Mom sent in my care package!

I'm so excited for this Valentine's! I went to Michael's today to pick up more materials for another cake pop making session! I'll be making heart shaped Valentine cake pops with Cailin on Valentine's weekend to use as my Valentines for friends and teachers (and to eat myself, who am I kidding?)! Let me just tell you...this cake pop phenomenon is TAKING OFF! Michael's now has an entire LINE of cake pop supplies...which could be trouble! It's already bad enough that I'm tempted by the cake decorating aisle. Now I have to steer clear of all the cake pop stuff! HOW HORRIBLE! What a cruel world of adorable baking goodies!

After going to Michael's, I stopped by David's Bridal to pick up my Bridesmaid dress that came in today for Michael and Mindy's wedding this July! I am so excited to have MY dress, not just some sample that hundreds of girls have tried on. I tried it on once I got back to my place and it fits perfectly! No alterations necessary (except for a little ironing, I suppose)! Now the shoes just need to arrive in the mail, and then the wedding outfit will be complete!

That's not me...but that's my dress!

(did I mention...IT HAS POCKETS?!? Yeah... =D)

I also just found out today that the school's housing lottery for the next semester is taking place in 25 days. YEAH...25 days! That gives us students NO TIME to get our acts together. *sigh* I hope it all works out that I can figure out with whom I want to live, where I want to live, and in time to get it all straightened out before having to commit to campus housing or off campus housing. What a nightmare!

On to finish some homework, search Craigslist for housing rentals, and then read some of Victor Wooten's book before his show on Saturday!