They did it!! The kids did it!! It definitely wasn't the greatest thing in the world and half of them weren't in time, but they did it!
To fill you in, I'm still at the high school for two hours and the center for two hours every day. The project director here spoke with the teacher, and he said that he likes the ideas but thinks that my pacing is too slow for the kids. I can agree with that. I worked extremely hard to change that at rehearsal yesterday, and it seemed to go even better today. He also has a very different approach to teaching, which is why he hasn't said much; he wants to see the process before he states an opinion. Again, I can respect that! I feel much better about working there now.
Today was a "light bulb moment" for the kids. We started by playing 8 in each hand, then added marking time, and eventually marching. Their minds were blown with the amount of coordination that it took, but they eventually got the hang of it. But the end of the rehearsal, we were able to move our feet (somewhat) in time and play the first quarter of the music!
Words cannot explain how proud I am of these students. Now, I am beyond thrilled to be working with them because not only are they curious, but they're excited about the product. I saw some of them down by the main street on the island later this evening, and they were air drumming and marching alongside each other. It means so much to me, as their teacher, to know that they're beginning to take pride in what they're learning. The best part is that we have no where but up to go for the next 4.5 weeks!
I'm including the last nine seconds of rehearsal from today. Like I said, we have a LOT of work to do, but they're playing and moving their feet, and they remembered the music from yesterday. That's a good enough starting point for me!!
To fill you in, I'm still at the high school for two hours and the center for two hours every day. The project director here spoke with the teacher, and he said that he likes the ideas but thinks that my pacing is too slow for the kids. I can agree with that. I worked extremely hard to change that at rehearsal yesterday, and it seemed to go even better today. He also has a very different approach to teaching, which is why he hasn't said much; he wants to see the process before he states an opinion. Again, I can respect that! I feel much better about working there now.
Today was a "light bulb moment" for the kids. We started by playing 8 in each hand, then added marking time, and eventually marching. Their minds were blown with the amount of coordination that it took, but they eventually got the hang of it. But the end of the rehearsal, we were able to move our feet (somewhat) in time and play the first quarter of the music!
Words cannot explain how proud I am of these students. Now, I am beyond thrilled to be working with them because not only are they curious, but they're excited about the product. I saw some of them down by the main street on the island later this evening, and they were air drumming and marching alongside each other. It means so much to me, as their teacher, to know that they're beginning to take pride in what they're learning. The best part is that we have no where but up to go for the next 4.5 weeks!
I'm including the last nine seconds of rehearsal from today. Like I said, we have a LOT of work to do, but they're playing and moving their feet, and they remembered the music from yesterday. That's a good enough starting point for me!!