It has indeed been a hectic one this week. Yesterday was Open Day/Evening at school, starting at 1.30 in the afternoon (still in classes) and going on until 8 in the evening with an hour for tea. After half a week on residential last week and then 2 days of unproductive activity to fill up the rest of the week with a classful of exhausted small people I had only 3 and a half days in which to complete a piece of quality writing each and put it up on display. Yesterday morning was a highly stressed environment, a class of children in the ICT suite as journalists and editors putting together a newspaper about their trip to Kingswood. I ran with the role play scenario in a 'YOU ARE 5 MINUTES AWAY FROM YOUR DEADLINE!' kind of way, closely followed by 'THE NEWSPAPER IS GOING TO PRINT, IF YOUR ARTICLES AREN'T IN YET YOU'VE MISSED IT!' We did get it all done and magically displayed on the wall with duplicates backed and up too (all thanks to Mrs H - well done indeed!). Open Evening isn't something that I take to easily and with my own fast approaching presentation to parents it was quite stressful.
This morning was school harvest in church and all classes presented a 'something'. We did a Fischy Music song 'Wonderful World' with actions and instruments including a couple of djembes that we have for our drumming club. Finding time to rehearse this week hasn't been easy as I'm sure you can imagine, but it went well in the end. Choir sang a number as well which was very well received. The numbers for choir have swelled this year to over 30 now - I'm so proud! I love leading choir so much and we have even managed to recruit a few boys now as well. I'm still on a recruitment drive for boys though - there are none from my class in it yet - I'm determined to draw them in through those lunchtime doors!
In the meantime I think I'm in for a well deserved weekend.
Showing posts with label madness. Show all posts
Showing posts with label madness. Show all posts
Friday, September 26, 2008
Monday, March 24, 2008
Easter and the joy of Bank Holidays
On Thursday after school I found myself wishing that there was no Bank Holiday this weekend - our KS2 production is next week and still needs quite a bit of work. If only we had Friday and Monday to work on it, I thought... But yet Easter seems to have been lost this week for me. It is such an opportunity to be in school during Holy Week and our school really tried to make the most of it. Except for my class and Year 5 who spent the whole week rehearsing like mad.
At school on Thursday the Year 2s performed their Easter assembly in church, retelling the story of Easter. It was the most moving account that I have ever seen. The part which really got me was when one child playing Jesus was kneeling at the front of church praying in the Garden of Gethsemene and a few others were sleeping around him when another group came charging up the aisle shouting "Get him!" at the top of their voices. I was choked. They took him down the other aisle and then a few minutes later came stumbling down the aisle again, this time with a cardboard cross tied to his arms. More than anything else this year, that will stick in my mind.
On Maundy Thursday evening I was helping to lead a meditation at church. I had organised a group of instrumentalists to play some Taize (unheard of at my church normally) and surprised myself by taking the lead. I had to, because I was in charge, but I surprised myself nontheless! I have sung Taize at my old church many times in the music group but have never had to think about what instrument to play when and how to build it up and then back down again. I thoroughly enjoyed the arrangements that we made and I'm itching to do it again!!
On Good Friday I played a small part in a Passion play at church. It was very moving indeed. There were a number of places, like stages around the church and a cast of three who moved from scene to scene forming a tableau on each stage as they went around. A narrator guided the congregation to follow each of these tableaux around the church, forming the crowd at Jerusalem arriving for Passover. Then there were a number more of us who read out the characters' parts as the story progressed. At one point in the story we became agitators, stirring the crowd to shout for Barrabas' release and Jesus' crucifixion. The most moving part for me was when three or four men who had been readers like me carried the cross from the back of the church, pushing through the gathered crowd to place the cross at the front.
The rest of Friday I spent with a friend talking and talking, walking and eating, drinking tea (because the cafe had no hot chocolate!) and talking some more. There was a lot to talk about.
On Sunday morning I was on the rota for operating the computer screens at church. I wonder what it is that means I get the most difficult services? I think the last time I was on the rota was for Tabernacles - another manic service! And with there being such a large gap since I was last on the rota I inevitably arrived having completely forgotten how to work the complicated maze of cameras, computers and DVD players. Church was so packed that there was about 10 people who had to stand behind me because there were no more seats and many more were squeezed onto rows and sitting on the steps on the balconies. One of the young people came and offered to help which I was very grateful for and so I placed him on the camera - one less thing to have to worry about, if he queued up the camera I could just switch to it.
And so now I am glad that I have been made to stop this weekend, stop thinking about school and the production at least. It has forced me to think about Easter and to reflect upon Jesus dying and rising again. After all, what is more important in life? A school production? Perhaps not.
At school on Thursday the Year 2s performed their Easter assembly in church, retelling the story of Easter. It was the most moving account that I have ever seen. The part which really got me was when one child playing Jesus was kneeling at the front of church praying in the Garden of Gethsemene and a few others were sleeping around him when another group came charging up the aisle shouting "Get him!" at the top of their voices. I was choked. They took him down the other aisle and then a few minutes later came stumbling down the aisle again, this time with a cardboard cross tied to his arms. More than anything else this year, that will stick in my mind.
On Maundy Thursday evening I was helping to lead a meditation at church. I had organised a group of instrumentalists to play some Taize (unheard of at my church normally) and surprised myself by taking the lead. I had to, because I was in charge, but I surprised myself nontheless! I have sung Taize at my old church many times in the music group but have never had to think about what instrument to play when and how to build it up and then back down again. I thoroughly enjoyed the arrangements that we made and I'm itching to do it again!!
On Good Friday I played a small part in a Passion play at church. It was very moving indeed. There were a number of places, like stages around the church and a cast of three who moved from scene to scene forming a tableau on each stage as they went around. A narrator guided the congregation to follow each of these tableaux around the church, forming the crowd at Jerusalem arriving for Passover. Then there were a number more of us who read out the characters' parts as the story progressed. At one point in the story we became agitators, stirring the crowd to shout for Barrabas' release and Jesus' crucifixion. The most moving part for me was when three or four men who had been readers like me carried the cross from the back of the church, pushing through the gathered crowd to place the cross at the front.
The rest of Friday I spent with a friend talking and talking, walking and eating, drinking tea (because the cafe had no hot chocolate!) and talking some more. There was a lot to talk about.
On Sunday morning I was on the rota for operating the computer screens at church. I wonder what it is that means I get the most difficult services? I think the last time I was on the rota was for Tabernacles - another manic service! And with there being such a large gap since I was last on the rota I inevitably arrived having completely forgotten how to work the complicated maze of cameras, computers and DVD players. Church was so packed that there was about 10 people who had to stand behind me because there were no more seats and many more were squeezed onto rows and sitting on the steps on the balconies. One of the young people came and offered to help which I was very grateful for and so I placed him on the camera - one less thing to have to worry about, if he queued up the camera I could just switch to it.
And so now I am glad that I have been made to stop this weekend, stop thinking about school and the production at least. It has forced me to think about Easter and to reflect upon Jesus dying and rising again. After all, what is more important in life? A school production? Perhaps not.
Saturday, March 15, 2008
A busy time
Life is certainly quite manic at the moment. I have been nursing a croaky voice all week as preparations for our year 3, 4 and 5 production are well underway. I have mostly taken charge of the singing and so many rehearsals have strained my voice somewhat... Still there is no time or opportunity to rest my voice in the middle of preparing for a production and with my choir's concert tonight.
Yesterday was a big day for our school as the marketing team had arranged a day to celebrate our being in the top 100 schools in the country. My class played their Samba instruments as the whole school went on a mile-long conga around the village. I really felt for the ones who had to carry and play the Surdos - large bass drums, but they were the best at keeping the rhythm going! I was so proud of them, they were all listening to one another and continued to beat their drums and shake their shakers the whole way round.
Then in the evening I was off to Preston with our school swimming team for the Preston School's Swimming Gala. Again, another group to be proud of, and I couldn't let my already hoarse voice rest as I cheered and shrieked at the top of my voice! They won first place in our group - a real achievement!
With Holy Week next week and the school term still in full flow, with the production and my own choir's concert tonight I see no let up for the busyness of life in the near future!
Yesterday was a big day for our school as the marketing team had arranged a day to celebrate our being in the top 100 schools in the country. My class played their Samba instruments as the whole school went on a mile-long conga around the village. I really felt for the ones who had to carry and play the Surdos - large bass drums, but they were the best at keeping the rhythm going! I was so proud of them, they were all listening to one another and continued to beat their drums and shake their shakers the whole way round.
Then in the evening I was off to Preston with our school swimming team for the Preston School's Swimming Gala. Again, another group to be proud of, and I couldn't let my already hoarse voice rest as I cheered and shrieked at the top of my voice! They won first place in our group - a real achievement!
With Holy Week next week and the school term still in full flow, with the production and my own choir's concert tonight I see no let up for the busyness of life in the near future!
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
School choir?
Time flies when you're having fun - there's just no time to faff about on the internet anymore!
Last week in the staff meeting at school it was suggested by the headteacher that as music coordinator I enter a competition for the school with the Lancashire Evening Post. It is a singing competition. Our school has no choir yet but I am doing singing for half an hour every day with a different class each week so it's not such a huge jump. Sounded like a good idea, so I entered. The choir are going to sing a song and the newspaper are going to come and film us perform it and then post it on their website. Anyone can then vote for their favourite school and the top 10 win prizes. I chose Karl Jenkins' Cantilena (from the Cheltenham and Gloucester advert). Only yesterday I was rung by the newspaper, they are coming to film us on Monday morning...!! Argh! Manic rehearsing over the next couple of days for us and then we go live on the internet. When it goes live I'll post the link and you can vote for us, please!
Last week in the staff meeting at school it was suggested by the headteacher that as music coordinator I enter a competition for the school with the Lancashire Evening Post. It is a singing competition. Our school has no choir yet but I am doing singing for half an hour every day with a different class each week so it's not such a huge jump. Sounded like a good idea, so I entered. The choir are going to sing a song and the newspaper are going to come and film us perform it and then post it on their website. Anyone can then vote for their favourite school and the top 10 win prizes. I chose Karl Jenkins' Cantilena (from the Cheltenham and Gloucester advert). Only yesterday I was rung by the newspaper, they are coming to film us on Monday morning...!! Argh! Manic rehearsing over the next couple of days for us and then we go live on the internet. When it goes live I'll post the link and you can vote for us, please!
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