Hits and Misses (May 31 - June 6)

Here's this week's look back at the week that was....

HITS

• Summer music camps have officially started. It's been a slow go with only one student enrolled in my music theory class, but we had a fun time together on Tuesday night and he's learning things. Honestly, I think this is the best situation for the student. He seems to lack confidence in himself on many fronts. It's a great feeling to help kids succeed in a way that they didn't know they could.
• Since the summer camps haven't taken off like I had hoped, I'm finding myself getting to enjoy a bit of a relaxed pace for a few more weeks. I would prefer to remain active and busy, but I know that my body and mind can definitely use the rest.....as long as my finances decide to play nice! Thankfully, that seems to be a situation that I'm not "terribly" worried about at the moment.....things are going to be okay.
• I'm also thankful for moments of clarity that remind me of what's important in life. 
• Having said all of that, a busy Saturday meant that I also got to have a lot of fun with my piano students. The day started with getting to meet a new student. He's a poised 13-year-old who enjoys music and has lots of confidence. I was immediately impressed by him and think we're going to work together really well. The day ended with getting to roll out a bunch of new music for my advanced student. Few things are more exciting for a pianist than getting started on new repertoire. Practice time is full of new possibilities and adventures; this is what I love to do. What really made Saturday fun was that sandwiched in between these bookend lessons, I got to start playing around with Rhythm Cup Explorations with my students. This neat resource from Joy Morin takes off on the cup game phenomenon and is a fun way to drill rhythms.
• You'll see in the progress report that it's been a great week of reading on top of it all. I'm still trying to figure out how I've missed all of the Harry Potter fun! I finally decided to dive into the series this weekend and I couldn't put the book down.

MISSES

• Just so everyone knows.......FOLKS ARE CRAZY! I think I have heard more stupid questions and comments that make people look like idiots this week than ever before. Hey World, do us all a service and pause to THINK before you SPEAK, please. Wowzers!
• I had a few interesting moments trying to connect people when summer office schedules got involved. That had me sweating bullets for a few minutes though.
• My phone interview on Wednesday was probably one of the most awkward experiences of my job hunt. Since I've been in the job market for a while, I've done my fair share of these interviews and normally feel pretty good about them. This one was for a position outside of academia and the interviewer kept trying to figure out why I was applying. Honestly, I felt as though he was trying to talk me OUT of keeping my name on the list of candidates. I was trying to keep my cool, but on the inside I simply wanted to yell I JUST WANT A JOB at this point! I don't know if I'll be moving on in the process or not, but I'm definitely not expecting to hear from this organization again. (But I certainly wouldn't mind being pleasantly surprised either!)

PROGRESS REPORT

• The Good Thief - p. 327 of 327 - COMPLETE
• Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling - p. 309 of 309 - COMPLETE
• White Teeth by Zadie Smith - p. 57 of 448