not the original use of the word per say. But pop culture has officially inundated itself with yet another way for people to obliterate their own intellegence through the english language.
Let me demonstrate.
Person X- ” and I need you to take out the trash, so”
………
Me- “So what”
Person X- “What do you want?”
Me- “You said so…. I am waiting to hear what else you have to say”
Person X-”No, I was done I just am trying to figure out how to attend these meetings today, so”
Me-”SOOOOOOOO?????”
Person X- “What?”
And that my friends is how far FAR to many conversations have been going. So is a word which leads normal people with normal sized brains to wait for something else. If you make a statement then say so, there should be something conditional following.
What has pop culture done to us that we now feel like the word SO is an acceptable way to waist brain matter and other peoples time?
Public schools are going to hell and the reason is simple.
The system by which our children are educated has become so politically driven that those that try and succede in educating their children are not rewarded for doing so. At the same time those that belive in doing the right things and try, receive no positive guidance for their efforts. When no treatment is given to those who succede, and no help is given to those who are trying to get better….. nobody succeeds, nobody tries, nobody becomes better at their job.
It is that thought that plagues me every trip home from my job. Every day more teachers come up to me in confidence amazed at the change in students attitudes because of my class, or amazed at the community rallying around the basketball team because of the pep band, or principals who can find NOTHING constructive to help me become a better teacher when they come and observe. I am not a star educator, it is the first year of a teachng career and I feel like a man on an island. Festival is fast approaching, the bands aren’t ready yet. I am losing my voice from the stress and tension, and every school board meeting I read that the budget is getting cut, jobs are disappearing, and that they can’t help my feeder program, only continuing to hurt my ability to grow the program. One would think that success through children and success through community would yield a little help form the powers at be…. but no.
There will never be a time when it s understandable to NOT reward people for doing good things. It will never be coherent to PUNISH people for doing the right things. Ayn Rand wrote a book about what happends when you punish people who are the movers and the shakers of the world. If only there where an island for the movers and the shakers to escape to, and hold community where everyone tries their hardest and is their own person. A community of people who do everything in their power to BE for the sake of itself. A community where there are no controls, because there is no need. A community where all there is… is success, clamness, function, and bliss. It is this way because every member of the community is committed to being.
College professors warn senior students about burnout. They tell their students that working to hard causes burnout, getting to in touch with the kids causes burnout, being to lean on discipline causes burnout…. I’ll tell you what causes burnout…
Policies that impede the ability to tech effectively, being punished for success, and receiving no instruction on self-improvement…. those things cause burnout. I will be escaping tomorrow, and going another sleep deprived night tonight stressing over the program that is being shaped and molded by my every action, and trying to resist burnout.
If it weren’t for yoga and the centering exercises I learned from Ekhart Tolle ……. there would be no sleep at all
What is it about parades that really gets Americans going? In 30 minutes 60 children will show up, put on marchign uniforms, and prepare for a parade that almost nobody wants to perform in, but somewhere between 4-6 thousand local people expect to see. What is totally not understandable is why someone would stand outside in the freezing cold to see huge paper machet (sp?) constructs, horribly out of tune bands (because its cold), and horses who do nothing but poop and walk.
I have three solutions to why someone would want to see a parade.
1. They go there to be seen by others. For some reason human beings have this whole social agenda thing, they go to things they don’t want to go to in order to say they went, or to be seen by people in order to feel of higher status….
2. Tradition. They have always gone to the parade, they have almost always become frost-bight level cold, they will continue to go even if they don’t like it. WHY? well because they always have, and thats good enough for them.
3. They enjoy pain? either that or for some reason they enjoy being their live to watch the horses poop….. some people enjoy the horses I suppose.
At any rate Bedford City in Virginia is giving a parade today, come out and suppot your favorite out of tune because it is so blasted cold marching band!!!!
Man I tell the populous what. The hardest part about music education without a doubt is programming. Right now I have 14 rehearsals to get together Christmas part and try to have 10-12 pieces ready over two groups. The biggest question is, because its a holiday concert I have a certain number of favorites to choose from, will I get massacred if I repeat one? Not to mention the music must be educational, and improve the groups. NOT TO BE LEFT OUT- if the kids hate the repertoire they wont practice or try at all. With personal life being non-existent it should be easier to make these decisions. Then there is festival music
In the band world Festival is where you prepare a march and two other pieces and go to be judged and it is made so that you go by grade level I-VI (six being most difficult music). You are graded from I-V I being superior or the best. It is the goal to get a Superior rating every year, thusly being judged as one of the best bands in the state. Typically of all high schools only 10-20% of bands or less will get superiors (I’s in all captions). The band director is charged with having to choose repertoire that the bands can perform at the level of I, and music that the band can learn from and be challenged with. Last year my predecessor did a decent job, three I on stage and a III in the sight reading room. This year we have been working our hinds off on sight reading in hope that we can duplicate our I’s on stage and add I in the sight reading. The problem is picking a march easy enough to not need much practice on, a ballad where tuning sounds great, and a closer that is fast, fun and ultra precise. I will likley shoot myself in the face over it, its really really difficult. Today my three picks are:
1. Big Four March- King/Swearingen
2. Trauermusik- Wagner/Boyd
3. Summer Dances- Balmages
Only problem is its too long….. you get 15 minutes start to finish
On thanksgiving we will all inevitably be asked the same wonderful/ mystifying question “what are you thankful for?” On this day I began thinking whoa, what a loaded question. Most people would want to hear “you” or “family and friends” or “that the packers are winning.” All of which is rubish because we are truly happy for them every day. Shouldn’t thanksgiving style thanks be for something unique and profound? So what AM I thankful for this thanksgiving? Since this is the blog where i put out information I guess its ok to be subjective. I am thankful for emotion, positive and negative. Without it there would be no interest, period. My favorite emotions are definitely Love, Sardonic, wit, caring and pain. A broad spectrum surely but my favorite five none the less.
LOVE. This needs no explanation, it is what moves and shakes, it is what makes all things special, it is what makes music human instead of mechanical. It is what makes art reach the soul, it is what makes a soul worth sustaining. Definition of love by the dictionary is thus= an intense feeling of deep affection. I believe it goes much farther. Love is the definition of the occurrence of two souls that find each other after long hiatus. Or the unconscious attraction between two like minded people meant to spend a life together. Love can be shared between friends, family, and in far fewer but most beautifully lovers. soul mates, those that find each other of the same soul. The connection is what defines love, the hardest part is accepting and taking the next steps once it is found. I have never been more sad than when someone loves, then runs away from it.
Sardonic- an extreme sarcasm. Life can’t be taken personally, although sarcasm can be annoying the ability to laugh off the harshest criticism and be able to move on however is a powerful tool for a happy life, or so I sees it.
Wit- Only because it is my since of humor, and it is very very dry. My poor students are still getting used to when things are a joke and when things are serious. I may have failed them in this manner because they may decided its all a joke, further reports on this latter. I do love a sharp wit, and a sharp intellect in a kindred spirit, friend, or favorite family member.
Caring- to care means always doing what is right. Care is to make a priority of something of some one. Care is to take initiative and is generally associated with the right things and doing what is right. In a gray world it is as simple as doing the right things and not doing the right things. USA would say no….. but its all yes, any issue, any time… if you stay out of hypothetics it can all come down to right and wrong, if you are a caring person, you care to choose right.
Pain- pain is interesting because of how it ties to Love. I have a favorite jazz tune and the refrain goes
“there’s more to love than loveing,
there’s more to pain than pain
but if diamonds take a million years
we must learn to understand the same strain.”
This in essence is it with love. I don’t enjoy quoting the bible but love is patient, love comes with pain, there is no such thing that is right and wonderful in the world that isn’t hard to achieve, that requires little work, and that isn’t painful. A true relationship for example with a soul that could be connected infinitely, is not going to come without patience, pain, and lots of waiting and working. I myself have met such a soul and …… it has been very hard to see her once a year and this year not at all. It is very painful to go without seeing or talking to her. I don’t know if she or I will ever be able to bring our connection to fruition, but it is worth pain and growth to find out.
With all that being said I am thankful for emotion this thanksgiving. What are you thankful for?
