Dream a little dream for me...

Remember back in elementary school where “Field Trips” were all the rage?

It turns out that classes still take field trips in college.

Today, I went with my secondary music education methods class to Detroit.  The goal was to catch a glimpse at what urban schools “look” like, especially because none of us grew up in urban areas and all of our school placements have been in relatively affluent areas.  For instance, I’m teaching about once a week right now in Saline, MI.  The new high school building is almost 5 years old, still looks brand new, and is nicer than any country club I’ve ever seen.  Less than 5% of Saline’s population live in poverty.

Now, going to Detroit wasn’t the first time I had ever been to inner-city schools.  In high school, I helped out with a classroom in Pontiac at a school that served students with special needs and English language learners, so this trip wasn’t a complete shock…

The thing with Detroit Public Schools and Music Education is that they have special magnet schools for the arts, performing arts, or gifted students, and they throw a lot of money for music programs at those schools.  Some of those schools get great resources, great instruments, and really nice facilities, while other schools just barely make it and fund raise for a lot of things.  However, this leaves a LOT of schools with either struggling music programs or no music program at all.  And just because it’s a school for the performing arts doesn’t even mean you have any job security.  A few years ago, they cut the band director position at a middle school for the performing arts (one that had a world-renowned band program, I might add).

The first school we visited was a K-8 magnet school for gifted students.  The majority of the students weren’t from the surrounding neighborhood, and the teacher told us that a lot of the students weren’t even from Detroit.  In order to get into the school, you had to apply and pass a standardized test (yes, even for kindergarten).  While it didn’t cost anything extra to attend this school, the students who did attend were all from wealthier families.  We sat in on a strings class.  Some students own their own instruments, which is great, but other than that the school had little to no money for music.  The school had a really great lessons program set up with a local university, so a lot of students got either free or discounted lessons for string instruments (no brass, woodwind, or percussion though), so the orchestras were all pretty good.  The space they met in had zero humidity in it, though, which is TERRIBLE for string instruments.  As I was tuning a violin, the bridge popped off!  It seemed pretty normal to the students and the teacher, though, so it probably happens a lot.

Onto the afternoon, and we visited Southeastern High School, which is one of two neighborhood high schools that service the south side of Detroit.  And by neighborhood, I mean that the students who went there took no test to get in, they didn’t apply, they just lived in that schools zone.  Needless to say, there wasn’t much of a music program there, but it was growing.  The teacher we met is in her second year at that school, and when she took over the only thing the school offered in terms of band was marching band (all year long).   She changed that, and took the students to festival.  However, because most of the students she saw weren’t students who went to middle schools with music programs, they couldn’t read music, they didn’t know how to play instruments coming into school, and so she had 9th grade beginning band.  Those of us who come from suburban settings probably don’t understand this…band begins in 4th, 5th, or 6th grade depending on where you come from.  If you don’t start when band begins, then you probably won’t ever be in band.  However, and I’ve heard this from every teacher I’ve met so far who has taught in urban settings, you have to offer beginning band classes at all levels.  A lot of times, students don’t even want to take band, they just get put in the class because gym is already full.

So last year, she took a band to play for comments only at festival.  This year, she took a band to play for a rating, and they got a 2 (or B, essentially).  Most of the time, the comments are the most valuable, but because of their rating, they also earned medals.  This weekend, she has three students playing at the State Solo and Ensemble festival.  These students have only been playing their instruments for 2 years now, and they are going to meet a lot of students who have been playing for a lot longer and who are taking private lessons and all of that.  I got a chance to give some comments to a pretty talented trumpet player as he as putting the finishing touches on his solo.  We got to meet a few of this teacher’s non-music students, who gave us all the advice that we can’t let them run over us.  They will push us and test us to figure out how far we will let them go, and if they sense that they can run us down, they will.  But seriously, this is not an urban school issue…that’s called classroom management.  Good advice, though, and those particular students weren’t afraid to give us straight answers.  They knew they weren’t being treated fairly by the school district, either.  They knew their building sucked and that they didn’t have as many resources as other people.  They knew when they had teachers who didn’t care about them and didn’t respect them.  But every single one of them said they wanted to do something with their future, and I really hope that through the next few years of high school, they don’t get that mindset beat out of them.

I’ve had some interest in doing urban school work, and I was really looking forward to this trip.  I walked away even more passionate about the idea.  I don’t really want to be th “white person” who comes in to fix the broken system, but at the same time it is real that a lot of these school don’t have a lot to work with.  They need lots of great teachers to make up for whatever is lacking anywhere else.  I always knew that I wanted to “change the world,” and I think God may want me to do it in urban schools.  But I’m still not sure about anything in terms of the future.  I have two years to go until I graduate…which a long time in which a lot can happen and directions can change completely.  So we’ll see, but overall, it was a really great (and exhausting) day.

So I haven’t had a voice since Friday. As of right now, well, one of my friends called it a “Mini-Voice.” There’s at least vocal quality to it now compared to mouthing out things and whispering up until yesterday, but i can’t really put a lot of power into it.

It’s so hard, not having a voice. I realized that I basically rely on it for so much of my life. I couldn’t go to work, because i couldn’t talk and they didn’t want me there. I couldn’t carry on conversations with anyone, and if I wanted to join in a heated conversation, I couldn’t because i couldn’t speak up.

Hopefully it will be better by tomorrow, because I’m teaching, although my professor would just force me to do everything by modeling. He would love that….oh well.

Just as a warning, I need to yell a bit, so from here on out, I’m not mad at anyone…just anxious to be heard!

ASWEORIASDFLASOIGUJAWEORIUASDOIGUAWEOIRUASDLKFJASODGIHAWEROIUASDLKFJAWEROIUASDGLKASDLFKJ!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

There…much better.

1 year ago today, my boyfriend asked me to enter into a relationship with him.  That last sentence sounds so weird to me, but that’s what he did.  It’s been quite a year.  He graduated from U of M and he’s now living in the DC area working as a nuclear engineer (I pick the smart ones), while I’m still a junior in college pursuing music and education and I’ve got two more years left to go.

He’s been gone for about a month now, and this transition into a long-distance relationship has been really hard on us both.  But we’re making it, slowly, one day at a time.

Other than that, I’m sick again.  That’s not very fun…*cough*

Does anyone have any advice as to how to stay healthy?

I’m back at college, and living in the dorms has been hard really hard for me the past couple years.  I usually get sick every couple weeks.  Last year it was worse because my roommate also got sick every couple weeks, and I’m sure we spread the same cold to each other more than a couple times.  I’m rooming with her again, and I’m sick again.  Nothing serious, but with my schedule this semester I can’t afford to be sick every few weeks!

With that said, what do you do to keep from getting sick?

Wednesday, myself and two of my roommates decided to go on a road trip.  One of the girls is really into historical sites, so she did some research on plantations in the area.  We ended up going to the Berkeley Plantation, which is between Richmond and Williamsburg, VA.  After the plantation, we headed to see Richmond, walk around, and just enjoy the city.

The plantation was beautiful and very relaxing.  Unfortunately, everything this plantation stood for was evil in  my eyes.  How could a place so beautiful house torture and slavery?  How could I enjoy being there because I knew what went on there?  It was really hard for me, because I love being outdoors and seeing nature, and I also like history and being in really old homes is pretty sweet, but everytime I would enjoy myself I would start to feel guilty.  I finally decided that I wasn’t saying that the slavery that took place on the site was okay by enjoying nature and the grounds, but at the same time recognizing that it did take place and it was a horrible thing.  I was also really angry with people for ruining such a beautiful place by bringing evil there.  Anyway…I was going through a lot of conflicting emotions while we visited this plantation.  But, it was the birth place of President William Henry Harrison (the first president to die in office) and was owned by Benjamin Harrison (the other guy’s dad) who signed the declaration of independence.  It was the site of the first “thanksgiving” which apparently took place a few years before the pilgrim’s even landed on Plymouth Rock.  The first Bourbon Whiskey was brewed on the site.  Taps was composed there.  Lots and lots of firsts.  In the basement, there were a lot of artifacts, and one was an actual photo of President Lincoln, who visited the plantation twice to review troops that were stationed there during the civil war.  That was really awesome, actually.

Going onto Richmond, which is a very cool city.  We walked around, went to their historic district (cobblestone roads, really old buildings, very cool), then went to the capitol grounds to walk around.  It’s a very clean city, too!  Which was weird, because I didn’t see ANY trash cans anywhere while walking, but I never saw a single piece of trash.

This squirrel that is lying down reminds me of my dog.  I was taking pictures because these two were like…sparring with each other or something, and then all of a sudden the bigger squirrel just spreads out on the bench like that.  It was pretty funny.  My guy was pretty upset, though, because I was only in a few pictures and I took five of these squirrels!  Heh, whatever!!

Sooooooo much has happened since I last let everyone know what was happening.

I quit my job(s) at the Wyndham Hotel. I don’t want to go into details, but let’s just say that it was a terrible place to work and I’m lucky that I’m not in debt right now, because I basically made nothing.

Now I’m working at the Courtyard Marriott Oceanfront North, an absolutely beautiful hotel with the biggest outdoor pool in Virginia Beach. I’m the pool bar food runner, which *surprise* was my job last year. Yep, that’s right, I am currently doing the exact same thing that I did last year at the exact same hotel that I worked at last year. I’m totally beating myself up over the fact that I didn’t go there right away, but whatever..I’m there now. I hated this job last year…but this year, it’s so much better than housekeeping! I have a job that I will most likely get overtime at, plus tips, and it’s great!

I was totally shocked that the easy, low-stress job that I wanted at the beginning of the summer turned out to be one of the more stressful jobs I’ve ever had. It’s the first job I’ve quit at, and that’s saying a lot. Turns out that the job I figured would be more stressful is fun, within my comfort zone, and exactly what I need to be doing.

I’m exhausted right now, though. 9 hours of running food to people, getting them their drinks, getting them their napkins, cleaning up after them, getting ice/rum/more ice/smooothie mix/pretzels/hot dogs/pizzas for my bartender, then cleaning up.

They are shooting off fireworks right now, but they cancelled the main show due to weather conditions (I guess the ocean is rough right now…). I’m about to crash, though, so I’m enjoying the fireworks from inside.

Happy Independence Day!!!!!

Yesterday, I went to Busch Gardens in Williamsburg, VA. They have a new ride called the Griffon, which is amazing! People who love roller coasters HAVE to find a way to get on this ride, because…yeah…I’ll let the video speak for itself!
Griffon
I’d really like to know how to post the actual video on here. I know it’s possible, I’ve seen it done, I’m just at a loss as to how a person can do things like that. For now…you will have to do some extra clicking to see/experience the awesome-ness.

My favorite story in the Old Testament is from Exodus. In Chapter 13, after the Israelites leave Egypt, before they escape by way of the Red Sea, God decides to lead them through the wilderness to get to the Promised Land. In 13:17 and 18 it says:

“When Pharaoh finally let the people go, God did not lead them along the main road that runs through the Philistine territory, even though it was the shortest route to the Promised Land. God said, ‘If the people are faced with a battle, they might change their minds and return to Egypt.’ So God led them in a roundabout way through the wilderness toward the Red Sea. Thus the Israelites left Egypt like an army ready for battle.”

We face the same sort of things in our own lives. There have been plenty of times when I’ve cried out to God and asked Him, “Why can’t I just take the shortcut? Why are you taking SO MUCH time leading me to this place, when I can see it just beyond that hill (and that big Philistine army)?” But God knows the path He’s taking me on is the best for me, and the path He’s taking you on is the best for you. There are so many reasons why, but here in Exodus we see that God didn’t want the Israelites to face a battle they weren’t ready for. He knew that it would take years for the Israelites to be ready to face the Philistines, and not because He knew they needed to strengthen their armies. It says in 18:b that the Israelites “left Egypt like an army ready for battle.” I’m not going to pretend to know why God wanted them to wait, I can only speculate, but I’m sure one day He may answer my question.

Now, fast forward to Chapter 14, where the Egyptians decide to chase after the Israelites.

“As Pharaoh approached, the people of Israel looked up and panicked when they saw the Egyptians overtaking them. They cried out to the LORD, and they said to Moses, ‘Why did you bring us out here to die in the wilderness? Weren’t there enough graves for us in Egypt? What have you done to us? Why did you make us leave Egypt? Didn’t we tell you this would happen while we were still in Egypt? We said, ‘Leave us alone! Let us be slaves to the Egyptians. It’s better to be a slave in Egypt than a corpse in the wilderness!” But Moses told the people, ‘Don’t be afraid. Just stand still and watch the LORD rescue you today. The Egyptians you see today will never be seen again. The LORD himself will fight for you. Just stay calm.’” Exodus 14:10-14

I think this part is absolutely amazing! Right after this, God parted the Red Sea. Moses tried calming the Israelites down by reminding them that God is bigger than an Egyptian army, bigger than a body of water, and bigger than anything standing in the way of their Promised Land. And we don’t have to do anything but watch God rescue us from the battles in our lives. He may ask us to have faith, to fight along side of Him, and to pursue a relationship with Him more deeply, but through all of that, we will see Him victorious in our lives! “Just stay calm!”

So I was thinking about this when I was at Taco Bell today. I always get the same thing at Taco Bell, maybe a little deviation from the norm, but for the most part I always get a cheese quesadilla. Today, I added a bean burrito (work didn’t give me a lunch break…I was making up for lost…food…), but that’s not the point.

The point is that I’ve always wanted to go somewhere where they knew who I was. I don’t usually “mix things up,” so if they knew who I was, they’d know my usual order. Basically, I’d like to be a cast member on Cheers. I’ve never had that. I tried once in elementary school. We always had the same lunch ladies, so I tried telling her when she asked me what I wanted, “The usual, please.” She just looked at me and then asked me again. It was a sad experience.

I know my mom is well-known at a few different starbucks in the metro detroit area. Does anyone else have a place where they walk in and are greeted by smiles and familiar faces with good memories?

So, I’ve been working more regularly, which is great. Housekeeping is hard! I helped a woman clean 22 rooms, about half of those were full service cleanings, didn’t get a lunch break, and was at it for 7 hours straight. It hurt! That night, the only thing I could do was lie down. Even sitting wasn’t relaxing enough. Today, however, I worked at the Kid’s Cove, and for 3 hours I set up, organized, helped vacuum, watched the Lion King, and played “Where in the USA is Carmen Sandiego.” Oh, and no kids came. Oh, and I got paid to sit around and do nothing, basically. It’s the sweetest job ever!

I get to do more of the same for 8 hours tomorrow. Swweeettt!!!

Saw Ocean’s 13 tonight. Decided it wasn’t quite as good as the first one, but way better than the second. It had a lot of nostalgia to it, which I loved, and the acting was great, as always.

I’ve been getting to know the girls I’m living with really well. They are all awesome women! I think we’re all starting to let go a lot more, which is great. It means we’re getting comfortable with each other! I have to clean the bathroom before I go to work tomorrow, apparently we have an inspection. Inspection? Laaaame. Actually, it’s not. Cleaning is good to do, and if we are forced to do it every week, it’ll be a lot better when we need to move out at the end of July.

The talk on Thursday night was about prayer, and I always like learning more about prayer. I remember last summer when my prayers were completely revolutionized. I began to ask God for my desires instead of just leaving it at, “Your will, God.” Though there are times where saying that is appropriate, I wasn’t using it at the right time. Rather than using it as a sign of submission to God, I was just passively pursuing my dreams and my relationship with God. It was weird the first time I asked God for something that I wanted, but it is true that God wants us to ask Him! Even if He tells us “No,” it’s only because He has something better for us, but like any good Daddy, He just wants us to talk to Him about everything! I’m hoping that I can continue to become more of a prayer warrior and make it my first reaction to go to God in prayer.

Yay! Another thunderstorm! I’m glad it’s finally raining here!