Summer Reflections

I have always found the summer to be a time of reflection. With the summer comes a more relaxed schedule, and in-between the summer boating, fishing and swimming, I always find time to do a little work each day – wether it be composing, preparing lessons or scores and parts for my students, or simply reading – summer is always a welcomed break from the craziness of the school year and I always find that it’s the perfect time to reflect and “loosely think” about stuff. Starting in May – usually a few weeks after the spring concert – I find myself not only reflecting on the past year, but also planning for the future. This summer is sure to be a busy one for work. I will be preparing scores for online publishing, composing, preparing and becoming “certified” to use Noteflight Learn with next year’s music students, I will be starting my own LLC for publishing my music, and I’ll be reading (usually on the beach or by the pool.)

This summer’s reading list is an eclectic one: Silence, by John Cage, Stravinsky’s Poetics of Music, and finally Musicianship-Focused Curriculum and Assessment, edited by Colleen Conway. That last one seems like it would be a snoozer, but I’m finding it quite inspiring. I started the summer on John Cage’s Silence, and while his ideas are inspiring, his artistic use of text layout became too much for my eyes and I switched over to the Musicianship-Focused Curriculum book. It’s proving to be very inspiring, but as I read it I cannot help but wonder at how much better the curriculum writing process would be if all of the teachers in my district could have the same background and “summer-reading” experiences; perhaps a future summer reading book club for the Bayonne music staff? Someday…

As all teachers embark on their summer breaks and vacations, I encourage you to relax and let your brain reboot. It’s a not only great way to stay on top of your own professional development, it’s also a great way to keep the creative juices flowing.