Before the Break

We can all collectively breathe a huge sigh of relief that December 21 has come & gone and the world did not end for the umpteenth time.  The Mayan Apocalypse, which so many believed in, did not materialize.  I'm willing to bet that new Doomsday Dates are already being created.  With every passing year, I wonder when this trend will finally end?

            

After the Christmas Concert, there really wasn't much to do for the last remaining week in my music classes.  True, we continued looking at non-Christmas music but it was somewhat of a challenge when parents began pulling their kids out of class for Christmas trips.  This drop in attendance usually happens across all classes.  You just have to be prepared and go with the flow.

            

In English class, we began to study the classic play Macbeth by Shakespeare.  I remember studying it when I was in Grade 11 and preferring it over the other three Shakespearean plays I studied.  In Grade 9 it was Twelfth Night; for Grade 10, Julius Caesar; and in Grade 12, Hamlet.  Before my students even opened the book, I made them do some background research on Shakespeare, the Elizabethan Era, and how witches were perceived during that period of English history.  With that out of the way, we cracked open the new books and began reading the play. 

            

What I liked about these new books were that they contained pages that dissected the texts so that it would be easier for students to understand what was being said.  Reading & understanding the language of Shakespeare is the biggest challenge for students because it's written with words & expressions no longer in common use.  On top of that, Shakespeare really enjoyed incorporating wordplay into his dramas, meaning there's much more to read.  We decided that after reading each scene, we would go back and analyze it as a class.  At first, it was a little difficult but the more we read, the better my students understood what was happening.  By the time school broke for the holidays, we had read the first three acts.  Only two more to go in January.            

The staff Christmas party took place on the night of Saturday, December 15.  Romeyn, the vice-principal, and his wife graciously decided to host the event.  This year, the teaching faculty voted for Thai & pizza.  What I found surprising was that the combination actually worked.  It was really nice to see teachers outside of school hours and to talk with them about the way the semester turned out.

            

Every year, the high school staff organize & prepare a Christmas turkey lunch for their students.  This year, the lunch took place on Tuesday, December 17 but preparations began a week earlier.  Feeding four hundred students is quite a challenge and can only succeed if there is coordination and teamwork.  Staff were given specific duties with what foods to prepare (turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, Jello dessert) and how to setup the cafeteria and main foyer with tables, chairs, and cutlery.  Since I taught all day, I could only help after school.

            

When the big day arrived, classes were called down twenty minutes before the lunch bell.  My students were out the door before I could say anything.  I guess, the food was that good.  And it was.  Following proper etiquette, I received my serving after my students.  The turkey was a little dry but good.  The stuffing on the other hand was delicious, especially with the gravy.  It would have been nice to have some wine but I had to settle for juice boxes.  I had second serving of turkey & stuffing before sinking my teeth into the Jello dessert.  I'm glad I didn't eat breakfast.  Of course, I assisted in the cleanup of the cafeteria and main foyer.

            

The turkey servings didn't stop there because 795 Iqaluit Air Squadron had scheduled it's Christmas Dinner on the same day.  The centre of the parade square had been set up with tables & chairs in a U formation the night before.  The Legion next door provided the food.  I wore a black suit to the occasion as did the officers.  The cadets also came formally dressed for the event.  The food was good and I surprised myself by having two servings.  When everyone finished eating, the cadets participated in a raffle for various prizes.  The Commanding Officer, Captain Chubbs, concluded the dinner portion of the night by thanking everyone for attending and wishing everyone a safe Christmas and a Happy New Year.  The parade square was then cleared of tables & chairs, as well as swept.  Then everyone gathered for the taking of a squadron photograph.  What followed was a dance for the cadets. 

            

By the end of the week, most teachers were showing movies in their classrooms because attendance was quite low.  The last day of school was Friday, December 21, and it was a half day, meaning there were only morning classes.  And let's just say the high school looked nearly empty.  With the Christmas Holidays here, I'll be spending mine with the family in Ottawa, just a 3-hour flight down south.  I'll also be catching up with old friends from high school & university.  It'll be nice to relax because it feels like I have been working non-stop since September.  Have a safe Christmas and I'll see you all in 2013. 

  Happy New Year!      

Christmas Concert

And so the day finally arrived.  Tuesday, December 11th; the night of the Christmas concert.  A month's worth of planning & preparation would be put to the test in front of parents, teachers, students, and guests.  I'm pretty sure I was more jittery than normal during the regular school day.  The impending performance was all I could think about.  My mind was filled with many different scenarios: good & bad.  In the end, I just hoped Murphy wouldn't be there to implement his most famous Law: "Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong."

I stayed after school to oversee the final preparations.  Rows of chairs had already been set up in the main foyer, facing the newly renovated stage.  On stage, there were two microphones, a piano, and a brightly lit Christmas tree surrounded by presents.  I helped my junior percussionists carry down the marimba, drum set, and many music stands to the stage.  My musicians would use the cafeteria chairs as seating.  As the remaining hours ticked away, I kept myself occupied by playing the piano on stage, preparing what to say to the audience, and making sure the concert programs were at the front entrance. 

            

My students began arriving forty-five minutes before 7pm, eager to put on a great show.  Their eagerness was opposite to my worry & pacing.  (It's a habit I need to kick).  As instructed, they arrived in casual dress.  I was surprised but impressed to see some in more formal attire.  I also greeted members of the Iqaluit Community Choir who had graciously accepted my request for them to perform.  In the final minutes before 7pm, I instructed everyone to take a deep breath before we headed down to the main foyer.  It was now or never.

            

Getting up on stage and speaking in front of an audience is still a challenge for me, though not as stressful as before.  I didn't like public speaking in elementary & middle school, but it got easier in high school thanks to army cadets.  Despite my efforts, the foyer wasn't packed, but at least there was an audience.  After welcoming everyone, the concert began with my Grade 10 guitarists playing three classic Christmas tunes: 'Good King Wenceslas', 'Joy To The World', and 'Jingle Bells'.   Johnny Mark, a senior student, took to the stage after them to read a Christmas poem he recently wrote.

            

Next to perform was the Iqaluit Community Choir, led by Eva Paul & Peter Workman.  Eva conducted while Peter accompanied on the piano.  For their set, they sang three hymns: 'Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring', 'We Wish You A Merry Christmas', and 'Silent Night'.

            

After the choir received the audience's applause, my junior & senior musicians took several minutes to set up the stage for their performance.  When we were all set, we began our set with the classic Christmas fairytale, "'Twas the Night Before Christmas."  Since I would be preoccupied with conducting, I had Emilia Nevin, a senior student, act as the narrator.  We then moved on to 'Merry Christmas Mr. Handel', a medley that combines Handel's "Joy to the World" and the "Hallelujah Chorus" from his oratorio Messiah.  Our third selection was 'Bell Carol Rock,' a rock arrangement of Mykola Leontovych's famous Christmas carol, "Carol of the Bells (Ukrainian Bell Carol)."  He based his song on a Ukrainian folk song called "Shchedryk."

            

My band students were given a chance to rest in the middle of their performance by listening to one of my piano students, Kara Ashley, play 'Souvenir D'enfance' by Paul de Senneville.  The easy listening piece was made famous by French pianist Richard Clayderman.

            

Continuing the easy listening mood, my band students continued their performance with the tune 'A Christmas Canon,' a fusion of Pachelbel's "Canon in D Major" and the English carol "The First Noel."  We then performed an upbeat compilation piece titled, 'A Cartoon Christmas', featuring: "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer", "Christmas Time Is Here", and "Frosty the Snowman."  We ended the concert with the ever popular 'Jingle Bell Rock' by Joel Beal & Jim Boothe.

            

For my closing remarks, I thanked everyone for attending and wished them a safe Christmas & a Happy New Year.  But not before leading them in giving a final round of applause to all the performers.  They deserved it for a job well done.

            

Despite the few mistakes that were made, the Christmas concert was a success in my mind.    Several parents said the same thing and congratulated me for putting on a good show with my students.  Yes, it could have been better, but taking into account that my juniors had just started playing in August and only had a month to learn six pieces (which they did) is quite an achievement.  (They would have had more time if I chose not to include them in the Halloween concert, but that would have been cruel).  As for me, I just need to improve on getting the word out.  I thought making several morning announcements would get the message across but I guess many did not hear them.  Next time, I'll phone CBC Radio.

December

Photo taken by Cpt. Mitchelmore.

A lot has happened in the last two weeks.  So much that it has kept me from spending time on keeping my blog up to date. I'll have to be quick because there's still much to do.

            

Wow, I can't believe that it's already the month of December!  Christmas is in the air with stores blaring holiday tunes and selling gifts to curious customers.  Many buildings around town, including the Legislative Assembly, are decorated with bright lights and Christmas ornaments.  They're frequently on because the days are very short.  There's sunlight only between 8am to 3pm.  But I hear that the shortest day of the year will be around December 21 or 22nd.        

            

Speaking of December 21, apparently that will be the day when the world will come to an end.  This belief stems from the fact that the 5125-year-long-cycle in the Mesoamerican Long Count Calendar ends on that day.  To make a long story short, the world will not end.  I'm still baffled by humankind's fascination with the end of the world.  Every generation, someone shows up and declares that the world will end on a chosen day.  And as always, that day comes and goes with nothing bad happening.  

            

On November 27, the cadets of 795 Iqaluit Air Squadron were having a boot polishing party.  The junior cadets learned how to polish their parade boots from the senior cadets.  What's required are: Kiwi cloths & polish, and a spare toothbrush.  Polishing boots is a task that requires time and patience; it can't be done quickly.  As I watched the cadets work, memories of polishing my parade boots when I was an army cadet surfaced.  When it was time for a break, the cadets ate pizza.

            

Photo taken by Cpt. Mitchelmore.

I was glad that I attended because the new drums I requested  had finally arrived.  The air squadron was now the proud owners of one Yamaha marching bass drum, two Yamaha marching snare drums, and three harnesses.  I was also happy to see that St. John Music in Ottawa threw in 4 high tension tuning keys and 3 regular tuning keys for free.  At the request of the Training Officer, I took one of the snare drums and did a quick demonstration in front of the entire squadron.    

            

My Grade 11 English class recently finished the Media Literacy Unit, looking at persuasive techniques, propaganda, advertising, news reporting, photographs, and product placement.  They also looked at the roles of social networks and video websites on the Internet because they play a huge part in their lives.  For the next several weeks, they're going to study the classic Shakespearean play Macbeth.  Thinking back to my high school, I think I also studied Macbeth when I was in Grade 11.

            

With the topic of Shakespeare on my mind, Renata's Grade 12 English class performed several key scenes from Shakespeare's Hamlet in the library on November 30.  Those key scenes were [spoiler alert]: Hamlet kills Polonius; the death of Ophelia; and the final fight between Hamlet and Laertes.  Since attendance was open to any classes, I let my English students watch the performance.  In fact, many classes came to watch.  I was glad that I brought my camera to film the event because Renata is also the Drama Teacher, meaning the students' acting would be very good.  And it was.  The best part of the performance was at the end when the students put a modern spin on Hamlet by interviewing the main characters in the style of The Jerry Springer Show.  No chairs were thrown but there were some tense & funny moments.

            

On Tuesday, December 4, two representatives from the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) visited Inuksuk High School to show several short films that were produced on Inuit culture.  The NFB is a Canadian government agency that was established in 1939 with the aim of producing and distributing documentaries, alternative dramas, animations, and later digital animations.  Since its creation, the organization has produced over 13,000 films which have won 5,000 awards.  In 2006, the NFB & Inuit Broadcasting Corporation launched the Nunavut Animation Lab, offering animation training to Nunavut artists.

            

For this presentation, the four videos were shown.  The first video was called How to Build an Igloo and it was produced in 1949.  (The English narrator used the term Eskimo instead of Inuit).  The next video (produced in the 1950s) talked about Inuit life in northern Canada during the brief summer months.  The third video, made in 1981, was called Northern Games and it showcased the competitiveness of northern athletes.  And the last video was an animation called Lumaajuuq and it was made in 2010.

            

On December 6 during last period, the entire school engaged in a Christmas door decorating contest.  The students in my group decided to turn one of my doors to the music room into a green elf with a red Santa hat.  When time was up everyone headed down to the cafeteria for hot chocolate & cookies.  While everyone ate & drank, the doors were judged by the vice principal and two visiting RCMP officers.  My group didn't win but it was nice to see students being creative.  When school was dismissed, I walked around and photographed the brightly decorated doors.

            

As for my 3 music classes, the last two weeks has all been about preparing for the upcoming Christmas concert on Tuesday, December 11.  Many classes and lunchtimes were spent reviewing and practicing the selected repertoire.  All that time & effort will be on display in three days.  The scheduling arrangements have been completed; all that's left is putting a program booklet together and to write my speeches.  This experience has taught me that planning an event of any size takes a lot of time & effort.  And when you're doing it alone, the duties & responsibilities are even greater.  Despite being a little nervous, I'm certain that everything will be alright on Tuesday night.