...And All That Jazz

It's been one crazy event after another around here. This weekend is the annual Swing Show. Now, I've done pops concerts before, but never to the extent that this entails. It's been fun and (shall we say) educational, but I'm SO ready for it to be done. Last night I was at school until 9:00 after a three-hour practice. That was after screaming at high school students (not my jazz band, thankfully) and having the custodians accidentally trip the fire alarm, causing us to spend half an hour outside waiting for the police and the fire department to give us the all-clear. Le sigh. Hopefully tonight will go smoother.

Concert band is off to a good start. The kids are pretty quiet and respectful. And they sound pretty good! For a little school, they've got some good skills. Junior high is still the bane of my existence. I'm trying something new with them. For every good thing I see out of them, I put a marble in a jar. When they fill the jar, they get a game day. Yesterday was a little rough, but I hope they'll start getting the idea soon. My fifth graders are adorable, and most of my sixth graders can just shoo. They're starting to get to that age where they think they own the world. But, they are the future of my band, so I'd best tread carefully.