Ciao, Tutti!
I’m sorry I haven’t been able to write in a while. The internet situation here is out of control, and with everyone gone for the weekend, I have no one else to mooch it off. I could make the 45 minute trek to campus to do it… but even then I wouldn’t be able to put pictures on because I wouldn’t be able to use my computer. It should be fixed three days ago, so we’ll see. Anyway, it was just fixed this morning, so here I am, hastily trying to catch up when I should probably be in the Bargelo or the Uffizi or something.
The most important thing that happened so far this week was the start of me teaching English every Wednesday morning, something I have looked forward to since I heard about the option back in New York orientation. I had wanted to work with 5 and 6 year-olds like I had back home in summer camp, but apparently everyone else did, too, so I was forced to choose middle school or high school (scuola media o liceo). I chose middle school.
I was told to show up on Wednesday morning without any particular plan, to show up ten minutes early to meet the teacher, and she would tell me about the class, and then they’d question me for an hour to show off their English skills and get to know me. No such thing happened. The teacher told me they were first year middle schoolers, about 11 years old, and they didn’t know much English yet. Did I have a plan? she asked. Lucky for me, I had been thinking one up since I got the position, for the walk over, and for the 40 minutes early I somehow ended up arriving. I told you I was excited. She also told me to speak no Italian if I can help it. That part is pretty easy. Another lucky thing: the teacher said the students play music after school, so if I wanted to do something with music, they would like that very much. I told her the vibraphone would not be able to make it to class, but the melodica probably will.
It really was “Off you go!” I enter the classroom ahead of the teacher to a bustling class of preteens and immediately I have to know exactly what to do and what to say. Lucky me again, I’m quite over stage fright at this point in my life, and the kids were not only extremely well behaved but excited to meet me. Before I could say a word they greeted me with a big “Good Morning!” to which I answered the same, using my loud teaching voice I developed at summer camp. I asked them how they were, and they said they were good. I told them about myself, making sure to talk slowly and clearly without any contractions (No “I’m” or “Don’t” but “I am” and “Do not”). I tried to draw a map of the United States so I could show them where New York and San Francisco are, and they said it looked like a fish. The teacher brought me a global map, which worked better because I could show them how far Florence was from both New York and San Francisco.
I introduced myself to each of them so I could get them to speak. What is your name? Nice to meet you! How old are you? Do you like Florence? Me too! Do you play an instrument? What instrument do you play? Can you play us a short piece? Exuberance was key. If I didn’t do hand motions and acting, they would have had a much harder time understanding what I was saying. But they got it pretty quickly, and I met all of them and most got a chance to play a short children’s song. Everyone wanted to play, and I felt bad we couldn’t hear from all of them. After the performances, we had just enough time for everyone to stand up and for me to teach them the parts of the body, leading to “Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes.” I gave a couple of the students a chance to lead the song and the game, which they liked a lot. Unfortunately, the bell rang before they had the chance to ask me many questions about myself at the end, so I’ll try to leave some time next Wednesday. The teacher and I talked about next week’s lesson plan as the kids ate, a little about New York, a little about each of our country’s elections. If you don’t already know, Italy’s government recently collapsed, which seems to happen a lot, and the teacher said that makes teaching hard because she always has to be researching the new laws.
Anyway, that was a very long way to say I had a lot of fun, and I bet next week will be great. At the end of class, one of the kids who was particularly good at understanding English gave me a little valentine’s day card with my name on the front and a heart with “Very Fantastic! Thanks!” written on the inside. I was floating on air for the rest of the day.
The other cool thing I did (and I have pictures for this one!) was to make paper at Il Papiro. That’s one of those crazy stores with all the hand-made paper that costs way more than you can afford but you want anyway because it’s so nice. NYU had a small event – only 7 people went – to witness and take part in the tradition of papermaking. First the man gave a demonstration and then we each took turns with the apron and strange tools to make our own, which we were to pick up the next day. This story I will tell through pictures:
There is a pool of strange purple glue that is the papermaking canvas. You choose a color and hit the paintbrush to make splatter paint on the “canvas”. Yes, like Jackson Pollack.
After that, there are a few tools you can use to make the paint do more than just make blobs. You can draw with the other end of a paintbrush, which is used to make the flowers and hearts, but I liked this rake the most. It makes streaks through the design, and that’s what I was feeling.
Then you carefully put the paper on the glue-paint-thing, then remove it by dragging it along a pole that wipes off the glue, leaving only the paint.
Then you smile for the camera with your paper!
I also decided that while I was there, I might as well get a really nice pen because I’ve always really wanted one. I’m not sure why. They’re really cool, but I need more of a reason than that to buy something so expensive. So I went even more expensive and bought a set with ink and a holder and everything. I have a blank notebook to record ideas I need to draw and can’t write, a souvenir from Venice, but the pencil is already smudging, so I figured it’s time to learn calligraphy. I actually have no desire to write in calligraphy, especially since I sort of have to teach myself, but it’s been working out fine for me so far.
If you don’t know what the drawing is, that’s fine. It probably won’t come into existence for another half-decade at the very least.
In other news, my terrible Music Theory II teacher has been replaced, and we get to meet the new guy on Monday. He was recommended by the Aural Comprehension teacher who has enjoyed universally great reviews from his students. Things are looking up in that respect. Not only that, the Music History II class is trying to arrange a trip to Prague to study, which would be quite amazing because I won’t be able to go to Prague otherwise. NYU has another campus there, so it shouldn’t be too hard if we can all come up with the money.
Music Announcements
The Bowery Poetry Club gig looks to be set for September 25, 2008, from 6:00-7:30, and will probably be the New York premier of Guest Artist and another piece I have been working on, Sense of Urgency. It’s almost time to start reserving tickets, but because internet has been down, I haven’t yet received the final confirmation. The same goes for the Jazz at Pearls gig, who may or may not have written me back yet.
The film I’m scoring in private composition class is a 1929 silent German film called “Panora’s Box.” I’ll probably perform it with my teacher’s other composition students on the NYU in Florence campus at the end of April.
Guest Artist is really starting to shape up in a full-fledged piece. At the pace I’m working, it should be finished shortly after Mom visits for spring break, so in a month or so.
