Savor the moments
Peter
We’ve all had those teachable moments, ah-ha experiences, outstanding lessons. You know the feeling when you look across the classroom and every student is engaged, there are smiles on students faces, and the end of the period comes and no one wants to stop and leave the room.
I received an email from Dr. Peter Stickney who kindly shared a dream story and a reminder to never give up or dismiss a lesson forever. What do you have in the file or backroom that you’ve tried and didn’t work? Perhaps it is time to dust it off and give it another 21st century shot.
Thank you to Peter from Massabesic High School, RSU57, Waterboro, Chamber Singer class, for sharing giving me permission to share the following story.
Today in our chamber singer class we are preparing for our final exam for the trimester. I dedicated this particular to “Sight-read (sol-fa) and Sight-sing (text) Mania”—(THIS MUSIC TEACHER BELIEVES IN MUSIC LITERACY for SINGERS)-I chose the tried and true resource of Five Century’s of Choral Music”, rather than the booklets I have created for resources. As we were going through the examples, the class requested a music history blurb about the songs (WOW)– *****Then it happened—-we went to the “Adoramus te” by Palestrina and all of a sudden the class was sight singing in latin—PERFECTLY—-OMG—-and OH My SOUL!!! We stopped—there was silence—and then—-“Can we Please do this piece”—-I explained that I loved this piece and had tried to do it 17 years ago and everyone HATED it—did they REALLY want to do it—YESSSSSSSS—was the answer—I wish you could have felt the energy—-
I always wonder why we have less positive days and more positive days—This morning was amazing—The class was BEGGING to sing a renaissance motet, in latin!!!! They want to WORK and do the “GOOD STUFF”—and they LOVE IT!!!! It doesn’t get much better than that!!!! It’s a teaching gold star day!
me arts ed 