Summer Sunset Wow, it has been quite the whirlwind of a summer. I know you’re probably thinking the same thing I am, “Can’t summer go a little longer?”  Oh, well, we can’t change the past, but before the next school year begins, it can be fun to take a look back at what has been accomplished this summer.

These last few weeks since getting home from working at a camp have been busy times with a variety of music activities and preparations. Here is a look at some of them:

  • On the way to see the Ark Encounter and the Creation Museum, I played organ at a church and sang in a trio with my mom and brother.
  • I’ve been re-studying music theory from the book “Tonal Harmony with an Introduction to Twentieth-Century Music” by Stefan Kostka and Dorothy Payne. This in-depth book lays a solid foundation about music theory and how it relates to musical compositions. Although I have studied the book before, I am using it to prepare for testing out of a music theory class for my MA in Church Music.
  • With getting ready for piano teaching next week, I’ve also been finalizing the lesson schedule with the families of my students. I am excited to be able to see lots of returning students plus also being able to teach many new students.
  • I’ve also been designing a kNOW Music Studio ad for a couple of the local papers. You can see it in the papers around Labor Day.
  • I’ve been getting ideas from other music teachers in person and from other blogs. It is always so refreshing to talk to other music teachers and to be able to bounce ideas off of each other.
  • This summer I became the treasurer for the Saint Croix Valley Music Teachers Association, and in early August our monthly meetings started back up. It is a wonderful blessing to be a part of this great organization of music teachers.
  • It is so exciting to go to music stores and shop for music. Oh yes, that has been accomplished, too. 🙂
  • Another exciting adventure was going on a scouting trip at Cascade Falls to see if it would work for a neat music making and picnic excursion for the kNOW Music Studio students.
  • Yesterday, I composed a melody for a poem. It was a fun process crafting a melody that would enhance the text.
  • On October 22, I will be a guest conductor in Granada, MN for the Declaring His Name choral concert. So I picked out the music for the pieces I will be conducting.

I am sure music has been playing a big part in your life, too. Music surrounds us and touches nearly every aspect of our lives. For many people, music starts with the alarm clock going off, then turning on the radio during the commute to work, playing background music at work, hearing music overhead while running errands at the stores, relishing the songs of the birds while pulling weeds, blaring favorite tunes while working out at the gym, and then sensing music while watching a movie before bed.Commuter

Answer from previous blog post’s question:

The title of the piece was “Marie from Sunny Italy,” and Irving Berlin had the song published in 1907.