Outfit #119 - Opinions

Several people commented on how I looked today.  All with a different opinion.

Dress: Caroline Morgan.  Tank (probably not too visible, but it's a layer): Ambra.  Shoes: Target.  Earrings: The Silver Shop (I think).  Bracelets: made by me.  Necklace: from Jeannie, I think.

When I got to school, I still had my hair out.  One teacher complimented me and asked to take photos as she's wanting something different for her own hair.  I got to grade 3, and one kid asked as I was tuning his violin, "Why is your hair so messy?".  I tied it back. 

Later in grade 3, one piped up with "I love your necklace".  "I love her bracelet".  "No, I love the pink one." "My favourite is the green one, it's so pretty!".   Feeling the love.

I am pleased to report I did another before-work gym session this morning.  That, combined with the rather windy conditions of today, resulted in the windswept/messy situation.  I get to go back to school this evening for a music festival, and I'm foreseeing an extra layer of long sleeves - it's getting chilly out there.

Outfit #96 - Yippee

Outfit details:
Dress: Hot Options.  Shoes: Target.  Earrings: from Jeannie.

Yippee!  Today was my last full teaching day for the year.  Enough said, really.  I thought of doing a photo with a jump, but my brain couldn't work out how to do that with a timer and tripod and .... just ... no.  But believe me, there were internal jumps happening.  I am so looking forward to the holidays!

I only had a few kids to teach, too, so it was a pretty short day.

Yesterday's photo:

I was in a hurry when doing yesterday's post, so didn't include superfluous photos.  I was rather impressed with this grade 3 girl - she asked to do 'Morning Mood' (the theme from the morning bit in the Peer Gynt Suite), which she could already play on piano.  She played it on the piano for me, then I wrote out the sol-fa, and told her do = d.  She wrote out the notes, then I told her to start with do = g, and so = d (3 fingers on the A string).  She promptly wrote out the new version - although we didn't get around to putting sticks on the second lot of notes.  Then she played both versions.

Today's photo:

I stepped outside this afternoon and noticed flowers on my strawberry plant (which is now a monster).  Fingers crossed for a couple of strawberries!

Outfit #95 - Grade 3 Concert

Outfit details:
Skirt: Sunny girl (op shop).  Singlet: Lorna Jane.  Top: Sportsgirl (op shop).  Ribbon: from a skirt from Katies.  Shoes: Target.  Necklace: op shop.  Earrings: Mombasa

Today was the last strings lesson for the grade 3s, so they gave a concert to the grade 2s.  Pretty cute.

One of the grade 3s, straight after I'd tuned her violin, looked up at me with concern.  "What happened to your feet?" she wanted to know.  I explained they were 'just in case' bandaids.  I don't think she got it.

Outfit #68 - Flash Test Dummy

Outfit details:

Skirt: Spicy Sugar; and Shirt: Miss Shop, both from Jeannie.  Vest: Portmans.  Shoes: Target.  Earrings: from Mombasa.

On Sunday, I tested some outfits.  I realised I have many Quite Short Skirts (and dresses).  My guidelines for length of skirt are if I feel comfortable (not too exposed); if my mother would comment; and if it passes the Flash Test.  Helping the grade 3s involves so much kneeling down, if an outfit involves any flashing while kneeling, it's a No Go for a Wednesday.  Surprisingly, several outfits did not pass this test for this week.  This skirt, however, is a winner.  It has more of a split at the back than I realised though...

I did actually take more photos of the outfit with the vest, but none of them (I see, now that I am back in comfy clothes), is at all flattering.  So you're stuck with one minus vest - with the added bonus of, if you peer really closely, skirt details.  They're buttons, in case you're wondering.  I actually checked the label on the shoes today, previously mentioned as Hot Options.  Sorry about that.

Same earrings as last Thursday...

Today's photo:

I must have walked past this plant dozens of times, but today was the first I noticed - a cherry tomato plant behind the fence next to the station!  They're nice and red, too, unlike my green offerings.  So far.  Not the greatest photo - more for the fact of tomatoes by the railway rather than artistic merit.

The Grade 3 Approach

I can remember learning how to read, but I can't remember learning how to read music.  Although this is great in some respects, it does put me at a slight disadvantage when it comes to teaching students how to read music.  The Colour Strings method is fabulous for this, but I have limited opportunities to teach this - many of my students also learn violin in a class situation.  When this is the case, I have assumed their class teacher is teaching them how to read music.

However, one of my current grade 4 girls is really resistant to the whole reading music thing.  Which surprises me and frustrates me as she is quite a bright child, and plays beautifully, but will work out all the notes before playing.  Imagine the problems we are having now that we have full page pieces instead of 2-phrase pieces.  I started teaching her at the start of term 4 last year, and it was honestly only at the end of the most recent holidays that I realised why she doesn't read music.  And not just her, but many of the grade 4 children in my ensemble.  The strings teacher teaches them how to play strings.  And with a whole class of about 25 kids all at once and 4 different instruments and 3 different clefs, I don't blame her! 

This term, then, with the start of private lessons for the current grade 3s, I am taking a different approach from before.  I'm focusing less on bowholds and more on note reading (not neglecting the bowholds though!).  They get to write more music - both writing the songs they already know how to play as well as making up a song for me.  And I'm using the Colour Strings/Kodaly method as much as I can.  The school at which I teach is a Kodaly school (this is such a blessing, my work-load is halved) so the students already know so many good songs, and the music teachers have the same approach that I would use with the strings method.  One of the principles of the Kodaly method is spiral teaching, revisiting known material to learn knew elements.  For my grade 3 students, then, I have them write out the songs they know from strings class, and we are learning to play songs they already know from music classes. 

The drawback of this, though, is that once they know which song they're playing, and which finger to play first, they stop reading the notes and just go from memory.  Phase 2 begins tomorrow.  I'm printing a sheet of short songs for them, some that they know (or should know) and some that I'm just making up.  This week they get to read the notes without me spoon-feeding them which song is which.

As an aside... One of my semi-colour strings girls at home is also in grade 3 and learning through school in group classes as well.  Last week I tried her on singing a song we already know (like Mister Sun) and then playing it on the violin, starting on different fingers and strings.  Not a problem.  This week we tried a slightly more complicated song (Look, Lamb, Look) - still not a problem.  Then we did the G major scale in 2 octaves - still not a problem.  If you're not a string player, this involves 2 different finger patterns and (when I teach scales anyway) keeping on thinking for much longer than normal.  Her dad doubted she'd earned a sticker but I think it was justified!

Today's photo:

I had lunch at Jeannie's today (yummy buckwheat pancakes) and sitting on the deck, the sun came through the clouds and back again enough to make this photo exciting in the taking.