Summer of 2012

On the Dragon Coaster, at Rye Playland

Everyone I know in education loves June, adores July, relishes August, and dreads September. Even though it represents change from the other summer months, change is — after all — inevitable. In the end, it’s just better to embrace September than fight it! I’ve had the chance to ride some great coasters, experience some great music, and enjoy time with wonderful people.

My friend Travis Cross (I will perform his new work, Let the Amen Sound with WSW on November 4) posted on his Facebook page: “[Today] is beginning my thirty-first consecutive first day of school.” Motivated by his post, I crunched my own numbers: 13 years in the Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania schools; 5 years at Northwestern University; 1 year as Maitre D’ at the Pump Room (technically not a school, but it was one of the best learning experiences of my life, in the framework of a school year); and I’ve begun my 31st year at Northern Valley-Old Tappan. Calculators, please! That’s 50 years of education! This is not an easy habit to break!

On the beautiful beach at Cherry Grove, Fire island

Cherry Grove, Fire Island

It’s hard to believe that this is the final week of the summer, at least the traditional summer ending on Labor day. I was fortunate to have great weather during the weeks at the beach. In fact, this is my last night in the beach house at Cherry Grove before school starts again. Fortunately, we’ll be coming back several weekends into September/October before the season officially ends.

Spectacular sunset from our roof deck in Cherry Grove

Roller Coasters

Tim and I visited Lake Compounce and had the chance to ride Boulder Dash — one of my favorite wooden coasters. We’re hoping to make a trip to Six Flags Great Adventure before the season ends, and I also took the NVOT Marching Band to Rye Playland again this year. I also got the chance to ride the new Skyrush at Hersheypark. It’s got a beautiful design, but I have to admit that the negative G’s are very intense, and my legs actually hurt from the pressure when I got off the ride.

Skyrush, at Hersheypark, is not a “beginner’s” coaster!

Family

With Helen, in Lititz, Pennsylvania

My mother, Helen, has recovered successfully from her second shoulder replacement, done this past March. She’s a real trooper! Now with 2 replaced knees, 2 replaced shoulder joints, 2 cataract surgeries, and successful colon cancer surgery, she is truly my Bionic Mom! We had a chance to visit over a weekend in July, and I’m heading back out to Lititz to see her again in September.

Tim has been working around the clock on an interior design project in Fairfield, Connecticut. He’s combined that with floral design jobs in New Rochelle and West Harrison, New York. It’s been a very busy working summer for him.

Tim at the entrance to the Zoomerang, at Lake Compounce

My cousin, Sallie, has stepped out of semi-retirement and taken a full-time position at Blue Ridge Community College, teaching math. She also wrote to say that she has articulation with some culinary courses — very interesting.

I also had dinner with Mom, my cousin, Tom, and his wife, Jeannie, earlier in the year. I wish we could get together more, because we always enjoy it.

Sound Beach Concert Band

I had the wonderful opportunity to step in as guest conductor for a summer band concert in Greenwich, Connecticut on July 29. The Sound Beach Concert Band is associated with the Sound Beach Fire Department. Their conductor, Barbara Freedman, asked me to take the concert for her while she was traveling to Israel. My friends Jeff Goodwin, tenor, and Tim Takagi, horn, helped out as soloists on the program. I always enjoy the opportunity to meet and make music with hard-working musicians, and this concert embodied that completely.

Northern Valley Music Ed Workshop

I had the pleasure of leading my first Music Education workshop in July. With 14 participants, we covered topics including Social-Emotional Leadership, Technology in the Performance Classroom, Repertoire, and two sessions of Conducting Boot Camp. From the feedback I received, I’m sure I’ll be offering this again in 2013. (If you’re interested, you can find resources from the workshop on my Clinics page.)

NVOT

Jason Song, Drum Major, conducts the Queen/Planets show.

As I wrote at the beginning of this post, I’m about to start my 31st year at Northern Valley-Old Tappan. On Friday, we completed what was the most successful Band Camp I’ve experienced at NVOT. My enthusiastic band of 113 members and marching staff of 10, plus innumerable parents supporting us from the sidelines made it an epic week. The music is an unlikely mash-up pairing of Holst’s Mars  and Jupiter, from his symphonic suite, The Planets, plus the music of Freddie Mercury and Queen, including Crasy Little Thing Called Love and Bohemian Rhapsody. Bizarre? You bet — and it works! You can watch the video of our Friends & Family Preview Performance by clicking here. 

We have a new technology initiative this year, which will include the debut of Haiku, a learning management system. I’m already taken the first steps of training, and will be “on duty” several periods a week to assist other teachers to use this tool.

This year we celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the NVOT All-School Musical! We will be celebrating with two events:

• 50th Anniversary Gala Concert, with alumni guests — Saturday, November 24 at 7:00 pm. This “one night only” performance will feature alumni from over the years singing the original numbers sung in many of the musicals in our history. Tickets go on sale on October 1 at SeatYourself.
• 50th Anniversary All-School Musical Production – Legally Blonde, Friday through Sunday, March 1-3, 2013. Tickets go on sale on December 1 at SeatYourself.

My school website has a new look — please visit it at nvot.ebernet.biz, where you can see the calendar of concerts and events.

WSW

WSW at the ACB Convention, April 2012 in Poughkeepsie

This year, the Westchester Symphonic Winds celebrate their 25th anniversary, and I am thrilled to be a part of the celebration. Our season includes three concerts at Tarrytown Music Hall on Sunday, November 4 at 3:00 pm, Sunday, February 10 at 3:00 pm, and Saturday, May 18 at 8:00 pm. You can click here for more information and tickets. The season includes world-class guest conductors:

• Dr. Mallory Thompson, Director of Bands at Northwestern University
• Jeff Grogan,  Education and Community Engagement Conductor for the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra
• Dr. Emily Threinen, Director of Bands at Temple University
• Dr. Thomas McCauley, Director of Bands at Montclair State University

and thrilling soloists, including:

• MSgt. Troy Messner, horn, West Point Band
• MSgt. Bill Ownens, trumpet, West Point Band
• Lois Hicks-Wozniak, alto saxophone
• Barbara Ciannella, piano

If you live in the area (or even if you don’t!) I hope you will attend one of these special concerts.

Reading List

For many years, I have admired my friends, Don & Martha Farley, who live in Evanston, Illinois. Their annual New Year’s letter always contains a reading list of their favorite books. I’m going to try to make similar recommendations when I can.

Fiction:

• Ken Follett – The Pillars of the Earth. This historical fiction novel traces the steps of the construction of the Kingsbridge cathedral during the 12th century. I found it fascinating.
• Ken Follett – World Without End. Two centuries after the first novel, this book traces the descendants of the first book’s characters in the 14th century, during the time of the Black Plague.

Non-fiction:

• Todd Kashdan, Ph.D. – Curious? In this book, Todd uses our innate human curiosity to help find purpose and meaning in life. Based in the roots of Positive Psychology, this book has lots of eye opening moments.

TED.com – inspiring presentations

Video:

No, not new arrivals on DVD like Planet of the Apes Part 16. There are many inspiring videos out there that really make us pause and think, and contain much more truth than most of today’s political speeches. They are worth your time. TED.com is a thinktank with inspiring presentations of 20 minutes or less. I can’t recommend it highly enough.

• Ben Zander – The Transformative Power of Classical Music. Benjamin Zander has two infectious passions: classical music, and helping us all realize our untapped love for it — and by extension, our untapped love for all new possibilities, new experiences, new connections.
• Simon Sinek – How Great Leaders Inspire Action. Simon Sinek has a simple but powerful model for inspirational leadership all starting with a golden circle and the question “Why?”