I've Got No Phone and I am Fine

I was halfway to my car appointment when I realized that I left my smartphone at home. If I turned around to get it, I would have surely been late, so I pushed forward.

Luckily, I brought my messenger bag containing books and writing materials. In that 75 minutes, I managed to read through one chapter of a Peter Block's "Flawless Consulting" and write out four blog posts.

It is truly amazing how much we can accomplish without any distractions. I think it's safe to say that my smartphone is as much of a distraction as it is a work tool.

Although I have turned off some of the notifications that are sent to my phone, I still race to my phone when it chirps, beeps or blinks.  For the time that I went to my car appointment and back, life was pretty quiet. And it was good.

The Art of Cosplay

Cosplaying is one of the ways I express my inner geek. Short for "costume play", it involves much more than dressing up in costume. For many, it's a labour of love, involving countless hours to either make their character's outfit from scratch or to track down components that can be modified.

That's only part of the equation. Cosplay also involves becoming your character. That is, learning some of your characters trademark moves, poses and catch phrases so that when you're geeking out at an anime convention or comic con, you are that character.

People actually will chase you down like paparazzi to take your photo:

You can also enter cosplay contests.

Here's a video I found of some fantastic cosplaying at Anime Expo 2013:

Next up: photos of my latest cosplay project.

The Sight-Reading Challenge

One of the presenters at the CFMTA "Music Inspires" Teachers' Convention, Alessandra DeCienzo, gave an inspiring presentation called, "Love at First Sight". She shared several ideas and activities that she has used in her studio to improve sight-reading.

One of the ideas was a year-round sight-reading challenge. Each week, students would have a sight-reading assignment. Exam students participated in a less strenuous variation of this, completing their sight-reading assignments at their leisure.

I decided to do a variation of her weekly challenge this year. Instead of running it year-round, I have set four stages, which take place in October, December, February and April. That gives all of us a one-month reprieve to explore other areas.

All of us (yes, me too!) have a pin on my game board:

How the Sight-Reading Challenge Works

We all are starting approximately four levels below our current playing level. It is my hope that my students will be able to comfortably sight-read music at their current playing level by April, or get to one level below it. In the process, I also hope that my slower readers will be able to "level up".

This month, I have been assigning spooky music for sight-reading. My students have the option to officially learn the music once they've "cleared" the sight-reading challenge for a piece. Like Alessandra DiCienzo's students, my students are to play the piece once per practice, without any pauses or corrections.

If they can do that at their next lesson, then they've cleared the challenge of the week and move onto the next one. Some of my students are still on the first challenge, while others are already working on a bonus challenge.

As for incentives, they are working for treats. If they clear only one assignment in the month, they get a small candy. If they complete their four and choose up to three extra songs to do for the bonus challenge, they will the equivalent of a giant chocolate bar.

Repertoire Selection for the Sight-Reading Challenge

Selecting the pieces for the sight-reading challenge has been an adventure and a chore. Thankfully, Alessandra shared some excellent links. Plus I have a growing list of online music teaching resources to draw from. Here are some of them: IMSLP Petrucci Music Library, Wikifonia, Susan Paradis Piano Teaching Resources, G Major Music Theory and Debbie Dee. I keep track of my selections on a spreadsheet saved on Google Drive, complete with the URL's.

In December, we will explore seasonal music: Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa. We'll either do romantic or wintry music in February and spring-themed music in April.

I have found that this is a great way to introduce students to different styles of music, cultures and different notation (i.e., standard versus a lead sheet or a sheet of chords). In this way, I hope that my students learn that sight-reading doesn't have to be a chore. It can be an exciting adventure.

Calgary Jazz Orchestra 2013/14 Concert Preview and Schedule

Get ready to groove, bop and swing with the Calgary Jazz Orchestra when the group kicks off the 2013/14 season later this month. The upcoming season promises a diverse mix of jazz and popular music to engage and entertain music buffs of all walks.

2013/14 Calgary Jazz Orchestra Season Highlights

The CJO kicks off its 2013/14 season on Sunday, October 20, 2013 with "Video Game Music Live | Duke Ellington's Peer Gynt Suite". Some of the popular VG themes that will be featured include music from the Super Mario Bros, Zelda, Halo, Fallout 3 and EarthBound. Also known as Swinging Suites or Sweet Thursday, the Duke's big band interpretation of Edvard Grieg's Peer Gynt Suite is also a tribute to John Steinbeck's Sweet Thursday.

The CJO gets into the Christmas spirit with "A Perfectly Frank Christmas" on Sunday, December 22, 2013. Popular Christmas hits made famous by Frank Sinatra, such as I'll Be Home for Christmas and Oh Holy Night. This concert tends to sell out, so patrons are advised to purchase their concert tickets in advance.

The Calgary Jazz Orchestra warms up the winter with "Romance" on Sunday, February 16, 2014. R'n'B classics, along with jazz and pop ballads will be on tap. In previous seasons, music made famous by Billie Holliday, Chet Baker and Ella Fitzgerald have be featured in this love-filled evening.

The CJO wraps up its 2013/14 season on Sunday, April 13, 2014 with "The Music of Science Fiction | New Orleans Funk". Programme details will be announced later in the season, although Star Wars and Star Trek are two definite possibilities.

About the Calgary Jazz Orchestra

The Calgary Jazz Orchestra was founded in 2004 by trumpeter, vocalist, composer/arranger Johnny Summers. The CJO is comprised of 16 musicians who are performers and dedicated music teachers. The orchestra performs arrangements by Johnny Summers, Gerry Hebert, Shane Statz, Carsten Rubeling, Greg Baker, as well as guest arrangers.

The CJO has performed at the Canada Day Celebrations in Calgary, the Calgary Jazz Festival, and the Red Handed Campaign for the United Way and the Alberta Centennial celebrations. Various members of the Calgary Jazz Orchestra perform frequently locally and abroad at jazz clubs and festivals such as the Calgary International Blues Festival.

Attending a CJO Performance

All concert season performances by the Calgary Jazz Orchestra are scheduled to take place at River Park Church on 3818 - 14A Street SW Calgary, Alberta. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. while all performances commence at 7:00 p.m.

Single concert tickets are on sale for $25 each ($15 for students), while season passes are available for $95 each ($55 for students). Tickets can be purchased through the Calgary Jazz Orchestra's website.

Concert tickets can also be purchased at the door by cash or cheque. The Calgary Jazz Orchestra opens their 2013/14 season on Sunday, October 20, 2013. The season promises to entertain music aficionados of all walks with varied programming filled with memorable tunes.

On Note-Tab Reminders in Music Lessons

I'm sure that I'm not the only music teacher out there to bemoan the fact that many of their students do not read their assignment books. Or, that they do but only just before their lesson. Post-it flags work as bookmarks for songs, but I've had limited success with regular post-it notes. Until now.

Last week, I found Post-it Note Tabs at Staples. I decided to try them with students who do not check their homework book (the ones who don't check off their goal list to show what they worked on).

When I showed them to my Monday and Tuesday students, they got a bit excited. "That's really neat!" one said. "Yeah, that should work," said another.

I've started writing short phrases to jog their memory. If the student writes quickly enough, I ask them to write the reminders. We post it on one of their pieces that they are sure to practice. The little tab sticking out says, "Reminders", so it's hard to miss.

Seeing as they don't read their assignment books often, I simply jot down the song or exercise titles. Fingers crossed that this works!