Memories of Christmas Recital

This past Christmas recital was an extra special event for the Schupbach Piano Studio. We all knew it was the last event that we would have together, as I was moving to Colorado, leaving my wonderful students behind in Virginia. Excitement rose as we prepared our pieces that would be played on Warrenton’s best piano, a 9 foot Bosendorfer Grand. This would be the first recital for Miles, Arielle and Jennifer, and they were serious about getting their pieces ready. I was serious about helping them be emotionally prepared, so that they would finish strong, without fear. Daniel surprised me by having his piece ready the first week in December, while Annalise struggled and then conquered a piece that was a bit above her level. In the ranks of my intermediate students, it was all about style, as I taught Joshua the difference between baroque, classical and romantic in his crowd pleasing arrangement of We Wish you a Merry Christmas.  Carter had chosen one of my favorites, O Holy Night, and we had long talks about how to get the emotion of the words into the music itself…”A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices, for yonder breaks a new and glorious morn! Fall on you knees…” Every time I heard that, a chill would go up my spine. A discouraged world dares to believe the truth that a baby, God’s son, could change everything.

Finally the day arrived. It was cold. It was rainy. However, the Christmas lights were reflected in the raindrops, and old town Warrenton was tastefully decked in its holiday finery. Just before recital started I took all my participating students to a room just off the foyer. We prayed together, reminded ourselves where the right and left sides of the bench were located, and lined up in order. Looking at their eager, nervous faces, I thought about all that we had learned together. Each one was so unique, so special, and I knew right then that I would miss each of them dreadfully. The 26 of us filed in, and a hush fell over the audience.  After a short welcome and prayer my bravest student, Miles, played the first notes. Student after student played, each finished strong. Some students surprised me by playing from memory. (Memory is not a requirement for this recital.) No one played perfectly, but they all played with heart, talent, and confidence, which is in my opinion far more important. As the last notes of my Chopin Nocturne died away, and I rose to face the audience, my heart overflowed with gratitude for the successful recital, but even more for the opportunity of knowing such a wonderful group of people.

Julia's student recital 121308

Collateral Damage

My personal experience is that our current crop of public teachers are awful. I would be willing to support a base $100,000 salary for public school teachers with the hope that we can entice those (primarily) professional women who once populated  the teacher ranks when they were limited in other job opportunities.

 

The high IQ women have gravitated to engineering, computer science, law, medicine, corporate management – whereas they once were limited to teaching, nursing and secretarial work. That has left the teaching profession with moderate IQ in our classroom.

 

(And, yes, I am speaking generally – there are many excellent teachers. But we have hundreds of thousands of teachers, and their median IQ has been visibly reduced because of the other opportunities now available to them.)

 

All of us are victims of our personal experience. This analysis is the result of MY personal experience. Obviously, others may have had a different experience – but many of today’s public school teachers in North San Diego County sat in my classroom during their undergraduate and graduate years.

 

I was not impressed with them as students. We need to do something to lure back the best and fire the rest. And, yes, we will have to overpay the rest, until we can get the best – and that bothers me but not nearly so much as continuing down this road.

 

I am not looking to blame anyone. We are the victims of a cultural shift that needed to happen but teaching and nursing in particular were collateral damage.

 

Although I did not address them, the nursing profession is also hurting as highly qualified women entered other newly available professions open to them.

 

I have some personal experience with nursing homes. Highly qualified nurses of very high IQ are in great demand but they are few and far between.  They are limited to ER and ICU departments, or the eye, plastic surgery etc. specialties who can afford to hire the best.

 

(My nurse in ICU said she was being paid $1,000 a SHIFT! She was worth it!)

 

But nursing homes, even the best, pay poorly and the nurses I had for my friend were caring, dedicated people but they were tired. Many were single moms, speaking less than perfect English, and working in two centers to make ends meet. They were TIRED!

 

The cultural shift that set women free was long overdue but it will take many decades to mend the damaging results.

 

No one’s fault except for not seeing and solving the problem. No one has.

Something, Something

Chasing the setting sun,

A battle finally losing.

And one day you’d find someone,

But wonder if it was all worth it.

Cause there was always a danger.

A danger of falling,

Beneath The cliffs,

And into the folds.

Before you finally realize,

you should’ve taken a step back.

Started reading the signs.

Move closer to the fire alarm,

A little safer along the ledge.

Should’ve been the one to have started something.

I wanna be startin’ somethin’.

Maybe by now you’re already stumbling.

Plummet a thousand miles underground.

Go sailing without a parachute,

And have the time of your life.

Cause by tomorrow it would all be changing.

An inch by a centimeter.

Sway me gently in the breeze.

Tonight we forget the fire.

Dance till the well runs dry.

And perchance we remember tomorrow.

Tomorrow will fade away.

yume no tsubasa