Jenny the Menace

Jenny is a very sweet, mild mannered dog. She usually responds to vocal commands, albeit very simple ones. She loves attention and usually crashes on the floor or on my bed after she eats. Why then, does she do sneaky mischeavous things when I'm not around? For instance, she chewed the legs off of one of the wise men in my mother's Nativity scene. She also digs huge holes in the flower bed in my parent's back yard! When my friend Eron lived around the corner and I kept Jenny in his backyard, she would chew the collars off of his dogs! Sometimes I feel like I've got a problem child on my hands. She's a perfect angel around me, but gets into trouble when I'm not around! Any dog owners out there have any guesses or suggestions on this behavior?

Me and my Guitar

It's been a busy four days. I enjoy any chance to play my guitar in a performance setting, and this Christmas season saw no shortage of performance opportunities. On Christmas day, we went to my aunt and uncle's house for Christmas dinner. My uncle has a music room full of guitars, keyboards, and sound and recording equipment. My cousin, my uncle, and myself quickly whipped up a few Christmas songs and put on a mini performance for the rest of the family. Cheesy? Perhaps. Fun? You bet. The following day was rehearsal day for the wedding of two very good friends of mine. I was chosen to be a groomsman, as well as perform in the ceremony. I spent just about the whole day at the church on Saturday and the ceremony went very well. Of the various performances I've done in my life, I get the most nervous before weddings. If I screw up, it is captured on film and I'm remembered forever as the guy that ruined their wedding. Fortunately, I didn't screw up and the wedding went off without a hitch. After the reception, I went to my good friend Jake's house for an annual Holiday reunion of high school friends. It was quite possibly the best evening of my break thus far. Yesterday I sang and played "In the Bleak Midwinter" at church as well as directed the church choir. It's been a busy, but fun few days and I'm looking forward to ringing in the new year!

My Favorite Christmas Gift

Merry Christmas everyone! Here's a picture of my favorite gift that I received this Christmas.It's a Barack Obama action figure. The box in which it came read, "The action figure we can believe in." Merry Christmas Mr. President-elect.

So this is how he spreads Christmas cheer...

Apparently, Santa blows snot rockets on the bad boys and girls.

Ready to Run

Today, my dad and I took our dogs to a local school to let them run around in the open space of the track and football field. I expected Jenny to let out a little energy, drink some dirty water, and call it a day. Instead, she ran. And ran fast. It was awesome to see her just dig in, get her head lunging forward, her ears plastered back, and fly. There is something so inspiring about her love of open space. She never gets it. I keep her inside the house, and when I'm at work she is confined to a small backyard. I bet she dreams of being able to just let loose in an open field. It's a sight to see when she does.

The Beard Freakout

When men don't shave for a while, hair grows on their face. This hair, when left unattended for a period of time, is known as a beard. In older times, a beard was a symbol of a boy's arrival into manhood. Apparently now, a beard just makes you a freakazoid. I decided to get a jump start on my Christmas beard this year, letting my facial hair grow since Thanksgiving. Here are some responses I've received:

"What's that on your face?" - a student
"You should get rid of that" - a student
"When we first started coming to this class, you didn't have a beard." - a student
"What do you want for Christmas?" "A million dollars," I replied. "He needs a razor so he can shave that junk off his face." - another student.

It's a beard people. And, for the foreseeable future, it's here to stay. So, quit freaking out.

Soap Box

One of the biggest issues at my Fall Choral Concert in early November was the poor etiquette of the audience and students during the performances. It seemed to be worse this year than last year. I received many compliments on the concert, and sadly, several complaints that the audience (and students) weren't behaving properly. I addressed the issue with my choirs.
Fast forward to tonight. I went to the Jule Collins Smith Art Museum to hear the East Alabama Children's Choir. The EACC is a newly formed choir led by Gayle Smith, of the Auburn Smith choral dynasty. The choir is made up of students in fourth through ninth grades. It's mainly a treble choir and has about thirty six members. It's everything I want my afterschool choir to be. We're just not there, not even close. The EACC is good, very good. As I said, the performnance this evening was held in the main hall of the art museum. If you've ever been there you know that it's got marble floors, marble walls, and a high ceiling; an acoustical heaven.
As they began singing, their glorious treble sound rang all the way to the back of the hall. There wasn't a bad seat in the house, acoustically speaking. As I stood against the left wall, I prepared my ears for the beauty they were about to receive. Suddenly, two women behind me started talking. A child ran in front of me. A mother's shoes squeaked as she shifted her rain soaked soles. Every sound grabbed my attention and violently yanked it away from the choir. I was frustrated. I've come to the conclusion that the general public does not know how to handle themselves in a musical performance. I don't expect everyone to listen as intently as I do, but at least they could sit still for three minutes at a time so those that are listening intensely have a chance to soak it up. I'm not asking for silence the entire time. It is okay to shift, talk briefly, open a piece of candy, clear your throat, etc in between pieces. However, when a conductor takes the stand to begin a piece of music, art is happening. This art is incredibly valuable. It lasts for only a few moments, then it's gone. Sure, you could record it, but it's never the same. We wouldn't walk up to a painter while he/she is painting and interrupt him/her with a cacophony of bodily noises, coughing right before a brush stroke, talking while they are envisioning their next move. So why can't people just freakin' sit still during a piece of music? So, here comes my quick list of things to do and not to do during a musical performance.

Things to do:
1. Sit quietly and listen

Things NOT to do:
1. Talk to yourself, your unruly child, or your neighbor
2. Text or otherwise access your cellular device
3. Cough or incessantly clear your throat
4. Rustle your program, open a piece of candy, or jangle a bracelet
5. Get up to go to the bathroom (Wait to go between pieces. Likewise, if you are out in the lobby and would like to return to your seat, please wait until the current piece being performed is finished.)
6. If your child is misbehaving, promptly remove them from the auditorium or performance venue. Especially if it's a crying baby, because I might come stuff my sock in its mouth.
7. Do anything other than sit quietly and listen.

Of course, I'm referring to classical music performance scenarios such as choral concerts, band concerts, recitals, etc. I know it seems extreme, but the audience deserves silence. Even more so, the performers deserve a pristine canvas on which to paint their picture.

Ok. Everyone breathe. I'm done.