have a little faith in me

alright, i know it's been quite a while. this past semester has been killer. there really hasn't been enough time in the day to get done what i need to get done, so the blog hasn't been my biggest concern. i talked with some friends who have gone through the education program at my school before, and they have assured me that the next semester (which is my student teaching) will be easier than this past one. so i've got that going for me, which is nice.

i just got back from a trip to chicago. this was my first time in the city, and it was amazing. i was there for a music educators convention, and it was amazingly educational, inspirational, and just plain fun. it was really great timing, since after this past semester did everything to ruin my optimism about my future career, this convention comes around to lift me back up. i'm really happy that i went. highlights include lectures by weston noble (who is one of the most respected music pedagogs today and who coincidentally called a woman in the crowd retarded) and jamey aebersold (one of the top jazz theorists today, and a really funny guy) and many concerts, including the chicago symphony orchestra playing berlioz's "symphonie fantastique". it was amazing, one of the best experiences of my life. i really wish i had been able to go the past 3 years now.

i'm student teaching next semester, which will be fun. my cooperating teacher this last semester was a psycho bitch, which is actually toning down how i usually talk about her. i'm really looking forward to working with a sane person for a change, and apparently the music program at this school is really good. i'm also performing my senior recital on january 25th, which is open to the public, so if anybody happens to be in my town (unlikely) you are more than welcome to attend.

that's about it for the updates. i'll try to be a bit more consistent in the future. happy holidays.