One of the exciting happenings of the past few months is that both Mike and I learned that we would both have full-time employment next year. The Minnetonka Public Schools decided to renew Mike's contract for another year. With the increase from half-time to full-time for 2011-2012, he will teach 5th grade band and orchestra and 4th grade orchestra at two of the district's elementary schools. I, on the other hand, will be starting a brand new job come the end of summer. The Osseo Area Schools have hired me to teach 7th and 8th grade band and 8th grade orchestra at Maple Grove Junior High School. Lots of changes, but all very good changes.
Summer took off with a running start this year. The day following the last day of school, Mike took off for Michigan for Intensive Week with Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp's Northern Winds Band. The students and staff rehearsed day in and day out for an entire week to get ready for their three-week-long tour of cities in Northern Europe. There will be more blogging about this later.
My summer began with teaching private lessons to students from Waconia. I also completed my final shifts at Caribou Coffee (full-time employment means no need for second - or third and fourth in Mike's case jobs!) and have been finishing off the playing season with the Plymouth Concert Band. Also, thanks to our new teaching situations for next year, we decided that I would meet Mike and the rest of BLFAC in Wolfsburg, Germany. Again, more blogging about that later.
Here are a few photos capturing some of the last months' happenings.
The end of May is concert season in the schools. Here is the Minnetonka School Districts' 4th and 5th grade spring orchestra concert. Mike is conducting fifth graders from all six elementary schools.
Mike's school, Scenic Heights Elementary, is an official World Peace Site. One of their responsibilities as a Peace Site is to hold an annual Peace Assembly. It took place in two parts (half of the school attended each) during the last week of school. Four of the teachers, Mike included, formed a band called Danger Zone and provided music for the assembly.
Mike's unique contribution to the band was playing the mandolin.
Click here to watch a video of Scenic Height's premiere teacher band Danger Zone!
His 5th grade orchestra also played two pieces for the assembly.
Scenic Heights also hosted a spring carnival of sorts to raise money for some of the organizations they were supporting for this year's peace site projects. Mike volunteered (or was volunteered, I'm not sure) to help by going into the teacher dunk tank.
He and recruited students are traipsing around the school yard trying to sell tickets.
Then he goes in.
As you can see, it's more of a "shower tank" than a "dunk tank". Kids still had fun getting their teachers all wet. It was perfect since it happened to be one of the hottest days of June yet.
More to come!
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