This is why I teach…

I had one of those weeks this week.

One of these really good weeks, actually.

The kind of week I want to write about because I want to remember it. It was filled with a lot of really important teaching moments for me. The kind of moments that remind you to keep going, that remind you, hey, the kids really are alright.

I teach music, art, and dance at a Catholic elementary school – these are all school stories this time around.

Ukrainian dance is always a mixed bag minecraft behavior packages. It’s an after-school group, there is no audition required, and it’s open to students from 3rd through 8th grade. I have some students who have been dancing with me since before the pandemic, I have some students who didn’t even know what Ukrainian folk dancing was before September. And I have them all at the same time, in one big happy group, anyone who wants to come. I’m not sure I know what the ideal number of students for a dance class is, but I’m sure I do not have it this year. I have over 30 students of varying abilities on the stage with me all at the same time.

You already know I have behavior issues. Not because the kids are bad, but just because there’s so many of them putty dateien herunterladen! And they’re all together! Did I mention there are 30 of them? And only one of me? And some of the kids could do all the moves with their eyes closed, and some of the kids are still working on moving to the beat of the music without tripping over themselves. The older kids get bored; the younger kids get frustrated. Somehow, we still manage to have some fun every week.

We’ve been working HARD since the beginning of September, just trying to get the new kids through all the basic moves, and that hard work is finally paying off. This week, at only our *checks calendar* sixth meeting of the year, we finished the choreography for our first dance.

It’s not difficult icd 10 kostenlosen. It’s not long. It’s not complex. But it’s done. And the cheer they let out when I announced that we had finished it? DEAFENING. I had the presence of mind to capture the moment in a selfie (something I often forget), and the sheer joy from these children is just beaming straight out of the pic. I’ll share it on my Facebook page, you’ll have to go check it out.

It may have been a bit of a struggle to get there, and we still have some cleaning up to do, but I could not be prouder of these kids steam all games. The kids who have been dancing with me for six years, and the kids who’ve only been with me six weeks alike. They’re giving it all their ALL this year, and their enthusiasm is infectious.

Now for a heartwarming story.

I’ve got a kid in one of my lower grades, who has some issues, he has had some struggles in his life even at his young age, and to complicate matters, there is a language barrier that we are ever so slowly working to take down. But this child loves coming to all my classes, he loves dancing and singing (even if he’s not singing the right words.. or melody), he loves art sims 4 kostenlosen vollversion deutsch mac. Who needs to speak the “right” language to enjoy these things?

We were working on steady beat in his class this week, and discussing the importance of a steady beat in a song like a lullaby. So I started rocking my imaginary baby to a slow, steady beat.

So of course all the students join in, too, with all their imaginary babies. And this student joins in as well. He bounces his baby gently like the rest of the students. Then he does something that is a little peculiar I guess when you are on the outside looking in but it’s something we’ve come to expect from him, he just burst out into some energetic dance moves, and then he sat down. (He is definitely a dancer!)

I noticed, though, that he was looking a little teary-eyed. I knew that I didn’t know enough of his language (and he didn’t know enough of mine) to really be able to communicate what was going on, so I walked over to his table as I went on with my lesson. Instead of trying to talk to him, I just held my hand out to him on the table, for him to hold if he wanted to, and I went on talking to the class. I was just hoping he would know I was there for him in that moment.

He immediately grabbed my hand. Looked right at me and said, “I love…” and we locked eyes for a sweet little moment. Then he let go. The classmates at his table and I were fully invested, “What do you love?” they asked. I said to them, “maybe he’s just vibing right now.” That is the lingo nowadays right? We smiled at each other, I squeezed his hand, and I got back up soon after and continued on with my lesson.

This is why I teach. Sure, I want my kids to understand steady beat, but I also want them to be feel safe. Most of all, I just want my students to know they are loved.

Which brings me to my final story, which is really more of an observation than a story. I’ve had many conversations with teacher friends on the long-term effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Sure, the health threat has been minimized, but the weeks (months… and in some cases, years) of isolation took its toll on everyone, and I think behavior-wise, us teachers are still seeing the effects in our classrooms.

And usually, when we have this conversation, we’re never talking about any good side effects. It’s always the negative. But I’d like to posit that there is an actual positive thing to come out of the pandemic with these kids.

I teach art, which is great, if you’re someone who likes to spend most of your day just cleaning up messes while occasionally teaching kids how to paint. What makes my life a whole lot easier are the helpers, and there are always helpers. Always. But what I’ve noticed in the last few years, is the kids are just so darn nice about it. They’re not helping because they’re supposed to. They’re helping because they genuinely want to. They volunteer to do it, they go above and beyond, they do it all with a smile. And if they won’t be able to see the people they’re helping – they leave them a little note instead.

When I came back around to this table before the next class came in, my heart just about melted.

The kids are gonna be alright, guys.

Rock out with me this Fall!

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GUYS! I’m so excited to be playing out in the next few months. Check the Upcoming Shows page for details, but I’ll be at Hailey’s in Metuchen AND Paragon in Clark not once, but TWICE happy birthday song download! These restaurants are family-friendly and so am I. I love playing a mix of rock and pop from the 60s to today to please all the generations. (And yes, I will pull out the Disney tunes if I must!) Bring the fam, all your closest friends, or make it a date night powerpoint entwürfe kostenlosen. Either way, I look forward to seeing you!

I’m always happy to take requests and learn a new song, so if you have one, please drop me a line… but check out my song list first because maybe I already know it Download beautiful pictures for free!

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A Ukrainian fundraiser (or an Facebook live, you choose)

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Earthsongs, Metuchen, NJ – Saturday June 24 @ 2:30 – 4pm. I’m super excited to be a part of this event. Linda and her ceramics studio Earthsongs are celebrating their 30th anniversary herunterladen! What an accomplishment! In addition to celebrating a wonderful woman and all the art she has helped others create over the years, it is also a fundraiser for Ukraine, and I am honored to be able to entertain by playing an exclusive set of all Ukrainian music herunterladen. If you can’t attend in person, I am hoping to live stream at least part of my performance, but I can’t promise it will work the way I want it to lol pc game free. Be sure to follow me on Facebook and check in around 2:30 to get a glimpse!

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My summer job as a year-long side-gig

Something you probably know about me is that I’m Ukrainian. Well, technically, I am Ukrainian, Hungarian and Czech, but I am most active in the Ukrainian-American community here on the east coast irc herunterladen. I’m active in my church community, I teach Ukrainian dance at my church’s school (in addition to music and art, of course), and I work at a Ukrainian dance camp for six weeks during the summer in the idyllic Shawangunk mountains in New York flugzeug spiele pc kostenlosen.

The Ukrainian community, both in Ukraine itself and across the globe, is a tight-knit community and we are able to easily enjoy and participate in cultural activities, buy Ukrainian products, find our favorite Ukrainian artists on YouTube and Spotify, and congregate at Ukrainian businesses and cultural centers double head.

For all of our abilities, however, and the ease with which we can engage in our culture, I have found a little gaping hole that I seem poised to be able to perfectly fill games app for free.

You see, when you’re a dance teacher, you’re practically a whole DJ on the side. You’re constantly looking through your CD collection (yes, almost every dance teacher I know still uses CDs, especially the Ukrainian dance teachers) for the perfect piece of music for the exercise, combo or choreography you want to create for your students hoe ebook bol.com. And while there are quite a few resources for full dances, there are almost zero resources for a Ukrainian dance class. And that is where I come in.

At my summer job, I accompany ballet and character classes at a Ukrainian dance class. What I do for my ballet classes is akin to what you would find from Joey McNamara or Nate Fifield (look them up on Spotify for a relaxing change of pace), in addition, of course, to the classical ballet music one would expect in a serious dance class. I have plenty of sheet music resources, from my own music collection and sheet music I can purchase online.

For my character classes on the other hand… All of that music comes directly out of my own head and heart. I have two primary sources for sheet music: A small songbook I found in my grandfather’s collection after he passed away, and my own musical mind. If I don’t have the music already written out, I transcribe it from any old recordings I can get my hands on.

So in addition to the 20 million OTHER things that I do all year long, I realized that I have to answer this calling to fill this void. So I started a Patreon….

Miss Anna’s Dance Music!

The point of Patreon is that I can create something – in this case, Ukrainian dance music recordings – and my patrons can help support me on my journey. Because contrary to popular belief, musicians can’t survive on “exposure” alone. Studio time costs money. Recording rights cost money. I’m doing a lot of work on my own, but to take it to the next level, I need the support of the people who already enjoy my music, or who just recognize the importance of what I’m trying to do.

For as little as $3 a month (I sound like PBS), you can support me on my quest. If you’re feeling extra generous, you can of course join a higher tier and give a little more each month, but for real – if you could “buy me a cup of coffee” each month and fuel my piano playing fingers, that would be more than enough to keep me on track!

So please visit the link above and support me if you can! Dyakoyu and thank you from the bottom of my little, musical, Ukrainian heart.

Facebook Live (and not so live)

Well the funny thing about finally creating a Facebook for all my gigs and music videos, is that once upon a time, the Miss Anna’s Music School Facebook Page was exactly that – my public page for gigs, music videos and music teaching related stuff kann keine bilder whatsapp herunterladen. Making the page today felt a lot like this…

I’ll bet Bernie would love coming to one of my shows lkw simulator pc kostenlos!

Well anyway, so here’s the plan. Go to my Facebook Page passwort tabelle herunterladen. Enjoy live music. Enjoy pre-recorded music. Enjoy funny music stories, memes and shares. Request songs. Generally, just be cool.

For starters, I’ve got four monthly gigs lined up at the coziest little place… my living room 7 wonders kostenlos downloaden. Join me on the last Sunday of each month for an hour of tunes in the afternoon. Pop me on and play me in the background as you enjoy a cozy cup of tea herunterladen. Or prop me up somewhere you can watch and make a ton of comments. It’s up to you! Remember, every time a poodle barks, it’s time to take a sip! Of what? That’s up to you!

See you on Facebook!

Believe in Something

I’m preparing to give a presentation on my recent trip to Ukraine at my church next week. I can’t believe I’ve been home for a month and a half adobe fonts schriften herunterladen! While I’ve been sitting here, trying to figure out a way to organize my experience and my thoughts into something cohesive and coherent, I’ve also been thinking about what meaning can be taken out of all of this, what lessons can be passed on harry potter font for free.

And I think the biggest thing I can tell anyone in relation to my trip here, isn’t about the kids I met, or the consequences of the accident at Chernobyl, or anything at all even related to nuclear power cs go download.

It’s the importance of finding something to believe in, and believing in that thing 110%, no matter what, and without fail. Leaving my family and friends, and job and all my students for two weeks was not easy herunterladen. There were a few times during the trip where I was definitely very, very homesick. There were some sad moments when I wished, as much of a grown up as I was, I could just get a hug from my mother herunterladen. But in the end, I was witness to some amazing work and yes, if CCPI asked me to document another trip for them, I would say yes.

I’m not saying that everyone should go halfway around the world to volunteer for various charitable organizations skype for business download windows 10 kostenlos. But I am saying that you should not be afraid to believe in something – whether it is a personal goal or a philanthropic pursuit – and believe in it wherever it takes you 32 or 64 bit. My belief in my cause took me to Ukraine. Your beliefs may not take you to a third world country (maybe you’ll luck out and go somewhere glamorous ls11 mods kostenlosen! hah!), they may not even take you out of the country you currently reside in.

But the feeling you get when your dreams become reality is one of the most amazing feelings in the world.

Count your blessings

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And I have yet to see a snow plow herunterladen. If the roads are clear it is because there are a lot of cars on a particular road. Less traveled roads are thick with snow and sometimes the car swerves and slides in ways I have never experienced before… Because in New Jersey they actually clear the roads for you. gratis computerspiele vollversionen downloaden

The Sound Remains the Same

Not one music lover needs to have the tension in a dominant chord pointed out to them, nor do they need to have the difference between a major key and a minor key explained to them.  These are some of the many aspects of music that even the untrained ear can identify, even if the listener does not posses the vocabulary to label them.  But what is it about these pitches, intervals and sequences that make them constant?  Why is a fifth always a fifth, an octave still an octave?  Why are tritones, for the most part, avoided?  What is it about the relationship between notes that gives them the strength to withstand the test of time?  For all of modern day’s advanced technology and extensive research and experimentation in every field of expression, why do so many of the tenets of music remain unfaltering?  While these questions remain hard to answer – and maybe it is in that unanswerability that music gains some of its magic – I would like to attempt to draw similarities and parallels between a number of different tuning systems and theories, dating from BCE times to today.

First let us visit the ancient Greeks.  Much of their work in music has inspired musicians and theorists throughout the time, up to and including composers of the present day.  While the documentation we currently have of Greek music is not as extensive as their discussions on philosophy, politics, mathematics and sciences, a great deal of their work in music can be cross-referenced in these other arts whatsapp audios herunterladen.

Take, for example, pitch.  A Greek invention credited to Pythagoras is the instrument known as the monochord.  The name itself gives a clue that this instrument has only a single string.  This string was placed over two fixed bridges with a moveable bridge then placed under the string, dividing it into two sections. Monochords were used well into the 19th century for teaching, experimentation and tuning.

Pitches on a monochord were found through proportions, and string length.  A musician didn’t have to know what a fifth or a major second sounded like to know that he was playing the correct interval as long as he knew the correct proportions for the pitches and how to apply them to his specific instrument.  Pythagoras’ system of tuning included what we know as the octave (2/1) , the fifth (3/2), the fourth (4/3) and the major second (9/8).   Aristotle and Euclid agreed on these intervals as well, and interest in ancient music grew in the Middle Ages, Theon of Smyrna, Ptolemy, Bacchius and others wrote of this system as well Christmas video free download. [Adkins]

Simple math and our own collective ears have been saying that these intervals are aesthetically pleasing to listen to for millenia, however, it is only until recent years with the advent of modern technology that we can actually measure the ratios of string vibration that Pythagoras discovered all those years ago.  It is true that, when two strings are vibrating and one is tuned to exactly an octave above the other, the first string is vibrating twice as fast as the second.  As with the fifth, the higher note is vibrating three times every time the lower note vibrates twice, and so on for the other intervals.

It is my own speculation that a system that involves perfect intervals such as Pythagoras’ octave, fifth, fourth and second would inherently be a microtonal system, as specific pitches would be chosen in relation to the notes that surround them.  A tone that fits into one group of pitches may need to be adjusted by just a few cents to fit into the next charles herunterladen.

However, it is this slight adjustment that has fallen by the wayside with the advent of equally tempered systems of tuning, developed in the mid to late 1500s and still in wide use today. [Lindley]  Still, it is these original intervals, especially the fourth and the fifth, whose special relationship to the root has maintained their importance through the years herunterladen.

Even before the Greeks, the ancient Babylonians, it has been discovered, had a system of tuning based on perfect fourths and fifths that, it is believed, dates back to the 18th century BC. [West, 162] The tuning was applied to a lyre-like instrument that may have had up to 9 strings.  Strings 8 and 9 on this instrument, it is believed, were tuned to an octave above strings 1 and 2, respectively.  This instrument had a number of different tunings, each approached by fifths and fourths skipping up and down the instrument until all the strings have been tuned.  Each of the tunings starts on a different string and follows what we would consider in modern musical notation the following pattern: B – E – A – D – G – C – F.  The difference between these tunings however, is how the pattern is applied to the strings.  In one tuning, the kitmum tuning, B is on string 6, E is on string 3, A is on string 7, D is on string 4, G is on string 1, C is on string 5 and F is on string 2 (remember that string 8 doubles 1 and string 9 doubles 2).  This, then, gives us a tuning that starts on F and ascends to G1 percy jackson kostenlos downloaden. [West, 168]

Since these intervals are based on the sound and not a fixed pitch arrived at with the help of an electronic tuner as is the way instruments can be tuned presently, the pitches, presumably then, are slightly different in each tuning.  Tuning an E a perfect fourth up from B and then tuning A a perfect fourth up from E in one tuning will arrive at an A that is not related by an octave to an A arrived by tuning up a fourth from B and then down a fifth to A.  It can be gathered, then, that each tuning had a distinct sound to it, even more distinct than the 24 different major and minor keys we have today.  While our 24 keys each have their own personalities and intricacies that many of our greatest composers have explored in detail – Chopin’s Preludes for the piano, for example, or Bach’s Preludes and Fugues for the Well Tempered Clavier –  they are probably much more generic in their overall sound when compared to the temperaments of old.

The tunings of keyboard instruments in particular, went through an interesting time in the 1300s – 1600s, as notes which today we consider enharmonic spellings of one another, were considered separate pitches.  Many keyboard instruments were tuned to a regular mean tone temperament and many of the late church modes during the Renaissance used this system.  Most notably, G sharp and A flat, more often than other current enharmonics, were considered two completely different notes.  In mean tone systems, however, not all of the pitches accessed are “pure” intervals and pitches, and while the intervals found in our modern day 12 tone equal temperament system are also not always “pure,” mean tone temperament’s popularity diminished while 12 tone equal temperament has become the standard kann man bei youtube keine videos mehren.

Interestingly, today’s method of temperament, while much more accessible, is much more complex for the ear to comprehend and for the modern musician to accomplish than the ancient Greek, Babylonian, or even the Greek influenced Renaissance and Baroque theories of tuning and musicality. Other influences of the Greek sense of music can be felt elsewhere, if only subtly.

Madrigal writers of the Renaissance period composed their music in such a way that the melody mimicked the text they were setting to music.  Greek composers also believed in this kind of musical setting of music, though in a slightly different manner.  Instead of accenting the thoughts put forth by the words (accenting text about heaven with high pitches and text about mountains and rocks with uneven melodies and rhythms, for example), Greek compositions seem to have accented the words themselves.  A syllable with an acute accent, for example, would have a higher note than the following syllable.  In this way, the pitch accented the grammatical form of the text and not the ideological meanings the text represented youtube videos with vlc player. [Williams, 131]

Modern day composer Harry Partch takes this one step further.  Partch’s theories on text setting shift the focus from the actual words being said to how those words are being said.  Partch’s treatment of pitch more closely follows the way a human being would speak naturally and while his work is a step away from the vocal pieces of later classical composers, it is also a simultaneous step closer towards the work of the ancient Greeks.

Partch also took the Greeks’ ideas on tuning and developed his own scale.  Over the years, this scale had a different number of tones involved within the confines of one octave, ranging from 29 to 55, before he finally settled on a 43 tone octave.  The names of all these notes are, in fact, ratios, exactly like the ancient Greeks’ work geld verdienen door apps te downloaden.

Partch’s use of inventive time signatures also seems to mimic the Greek’s penchant for uneven meters (the most favored seeming to be 5), which is a practice overlooked by most composers of Western music [Williams, 130].  In fact, the only widespread use of five beats in any grouping in a creative endeavor is not in music at all – but in poetry’s iambic pentameter.

Further delving into the topic of ancient music theories’ influence on music of the modern era would probably reveal even further subtleties that carry through to today’s world open office calc kostenlos herunterladen. Music has always reflected its creators and the world around them.  The Babylonians, Greeks, and Western composers all knew what they liked to hear and set their texts accordingly, and so too, will composers of the future rely on the simple logic of the perfect intervals, cultivated millenia ago, on a planet they may no longer even inhabit.

please note: this article was originally a research paper I wrote in college.  while the article itself is intact, my works cited list seems to have disappeared whatsapp gif herunterladen. I left the references in for you to do your own google searches if you are interested, but also, in the event that someday soon, I do, in fact, find the works cited page.