The spookhouse story was everything I had hoped for and more!
Culver's class today was INCREDIBLE. And by incredible I mean full of entertaining quotes from a senile old man:
"That's like walking backward, that's crazy! It's like sitting in that tree out there and thinking, 'gee this sun sure is nice!' and then a man comes along with an ax and he swings the ax and starts to chop down the tree and you're a damned food sitting up there thinking, 'this is such a nice day!'"
...I still don't know what this was even in reference to
He also suggested we have a "pep orchestra" for wrestling matches, and let's not forget about the "Orchestral Spookhouse," which is a cardboard box with "wet string hanging down" and parents that make scary noises, with a recording of a beginning string group playing as "scary Halloween music." Culver claims that when they did this, THOUSANDS (he really did say thousands) of kids came, and so did the mayor, and the fire marshall almost had to come because there were so many people and they caused a traffic jam. The newspapers called it the "biggest thing to ever happen to Grove City."
Other causes of traffic jams involve weekly Rotary club meetings, which happen every Thursday at noon, and which our students NEED to play at or our programs will FAIL. We will also fail miserably if we don't know our school janitor.
In addition, we need to collaborate with classroom teachers, and get kids thinking about music in different ways. The only example Culver gave was to ask them, "Where would the fiddle fit in a covered wagon? Would it go on top?"
We also need to start an "adopt a Grandparent" program, where families that have 9-passenger vans pick up the "shut-ins" at retirement homes and take them to school concerts. If we do this, they will leave us thousands of dollars in their wills.
And of course, who could forget the story of Culver getting lost in Beijing, wandering through a subdivision for 8 HOURS with a compass that he bought for 50 cents, trying to find his way out. He was saved by a rickshaw driver.
All of these were told as serious things we NEED TO KNOW as music teachers. I am physically exhausted from trying not to laugh...I think I had tears in my eyes for the entire three hours of class today.
"That's like walking backward, that's crazy! It's like sitting in that tree out there and thinking, 'gee this sun sure is nice!' and then a man comes along with an ax and he swings the ax and starts to chop down the tree and you're a damned food sitting up there thinking, 'this is such a nice day!'"
...I still don't know what this was even in reference to
He also suggested we have a "pep orchestra" for wrestling matches, and let's not forget about the "Orchestral Spookhouse," which is a cardboard box with "wet string hanging down" and parents that make scary noises, with a recording of a beginning string group playing as "scary Halloween music." Culver claims that when they did this, THOUSANDS (he really did say thousands) of kids came, and so did the mayor, and the fire marshall almost had to come because there were so many people and they caused a traffic jam. The newspapers called it the "biggest thing to ever happen to Grove City."
Other causes of traffic jams involve weekly Rotary club meetings, which happen every Thursday at noon, and which our students NEED to play at or our programs will FAIL. We will also fail miserably if we don't know our school janitor.
In addition, we need to collaborate with classroom teachers, and get kids thinking about music in different ways. The only example Culver gave was to ask them, "Where would the fiddle fit in a covered wagon? Would it go on top?"
We also need to start an "adopt a Grandparent" program, where families that have 9-passenger vans pick up the "shut-ins" at retirement homes and take them to school concerts. If we do this, they will leave us thousands of dollars in their wills.
And of course, who could forget the story of Culver getting lost in Beijing, wandering through a subdivision for 8 HOURS with a compass that he bought for 50 cents, trying to find his way out. He was saved by a rickshaw driver.
All of these were told as serious things we NEED TO KNOW as music teachers. I am physically exhausted from trying not to laugh...I think I had tears in my eyes for the entire three hours of class today.