The Wizard and I...

So after many years of wanting to get back into performing, I finally bit the bullet last year and auditioned for Wicked by Showbiz. I have always loved this show and as soon as I saw the press release I knew it was my time! I am constantly inspired by my own students and I am always telling them to go for things and do what they love. So, I finally took my own advice! The audition process was extremely nerve wracking. I was number 72 of 160....... i  had to do a vocal and dance audition. I was really pleased with my vocal audition but bombed the dance ha ha! I clearly have work to do on my stage dancing and fitness. After a painful three week wait I finally got the wonderful letter offering me a part in the company as a backing vocalist. To say I was ecstatic is an understatement!
We had a few rehearsals before 2017 closed and I did really love them but I also felt really overwhelmed and quite nervous! It was so wonderful though to be working with a professional company, the sound from the music rehearsals was glorious! This year the rehearsal schedule is really amping up. I know I am going to find it hard at times working full time and performing but I know I am going to love it!

A Lion, three teachers and some awesomeness!!!

The festival of the arts 2017 began with 8 remaining weeks of the school year. Usually we would be winding down but we certainly were not this time! Our wonderful year 7 and 8 students end their year celebrating the Arts. Each student chooses a project based on their interests. This year we offered, photography, mosaic, guitars, sculpture, carving, weaving, movie making and musical theatre. Groups are usually around 10-15 students.Surprisingly we had over 40 students sign up for our musical project! Because of the numbers, we had three teachers to take the three disciplines, acting, singing and dancing. This was the first time we had attempted to do a "mini" musical and having three teachers and a lot of eager kids we knew it was going to be a good time!
We began with voice and dance warm-ups, drama games and generally getting everyone amped up! We settled on doing a shortened version of The lion King as we only had a maximum of 30 minutes performance time.
The students were so enthusiastic we had a fantastic selection of leads to cast and we also cast understudies ( We actually had to use our Pumba understudy 10 minutes before our show started).
Some of our students had never performed before and so were both excited but extremely nervous! Students helped design set, costumes and makeup. During this process students blogged their adventures and did homework on the characteristics of their characters. I was so impressed with the work the students did outside of rehearsal time, they were so onto it and you could read their enthusiasm! After weeks of prep we did our dress rehearsal to our primary school next door. They loved it and wished we had done the full show! :) Our final show was to a full auditorium, you could feel the nerves but equally the excitement too! We were so proud of their final performances, you would never have guessed we had some first time performers! Hopefully they stay enthused and carry on with the Performing Arts! It certainly was a huge learning curve, self esteem builder and an amazing experience for all of them!

2017......... What a year!!

So, I didn't make a single blog post in 2017!! That's not to say that I spent the year with nothing to write. It is in fact the exact opposite! The last school year I can only describe as a whirlwind!! It had many, many highs and also some really challenging times! During the summer break of 2016/17 the music department had a huge overhaul. This included huge renovations but also we became "Whare toi Whakaari" the home of the arts. Having my drama comrade with me sharing spaces was both new and challenging but also totally awesome! Making spaces work that haven't been used to their potential for tens of years was exciting to see. What was immediately surprising was seeing how the students reacted to the new interior! New carpets and a bright paint job makes a difference. I could see how the attitudes to the spaces changed. The delight of new cushions ( even though a colleague made a comment that they wouldn't be there by the end of the year!!) They were there!!!!!! In good condition having been carried around as comforters ( yes it is a high school) sat on for floor jam sessions and placed around our new window seats! Who would have thought those things made such a difference???? They do! Having a creative space to work that looks inviting and homely really has brought out the best of all of us this year!!
I will mention a few highlights or my 2017 summary will be 50 pages long. One of my biggest proudest moments this year was my Musical Theatre showcase. This was the first time we have done an NCEA only music performance night. I had studied this genre a lot with my year 13's this year and they loved it! It was their idea to do a full "Musicals" showcase and it was magical! I was bursting with pride seeing the display of professionalism and talent! We buzzed for days after and it is definitely something I want to do each year! We also had another fantastic year at the Shakespeare festival and our international evening was wonderful again!

So now we wait for the start of the 2018 year! Its going to be another biggie with school rebuild in full swing! It is going to be a hard year for teachers and students changing classes and going into new buildings! Despite the stress I know that the rewards will be huge! #hornbypride

The seniors have left the building.......

I can't actually believe that 2016 is almost over and I have seen off another 13 music!! It has been a super small class this year and although we didn't quite get all of the results we wanted (they would agree), as always they have been a big part of the music department and I will miss them! Hornby kids are special, we say it a lot but Hornby really is family. As migrants to NZ from Englnad ( almost 10 years ago ) I have but a small whanau of 3! The Hornby crew are an extended part of my whanau and I think of the students as #myotherkids. It is a privilege to be part of a young persons life, to watch them grow into young adults and to encourage them along the way! The year 13's this year have taught me alot! They have taught me about wonderful Maori culture and made me feel like part of their whanau! Kapa Haka will not be the same without them! They have also taught me that sometimes our children just need an ear to talk to, a shoulder to cry on and a simple hug!

A new vision!

As Hornby High school moves into the realms of the big rebuild we are starting to look at the vision of the school. Our board of trustees presented their ideas of our vision after school on Monday, along with afternoon tea which always goes down well with the Hornby crew.
Learn, Create, Share is where we want to take our students, being creative in whatever they do
 ( creativity is not exclusive to the Arts but to be creative in all subjects.) The toughest part of that equation is the sharing part. I find my wonderful musos learn and create in their comfort zones well and work hard. The scary part is the sharing. The performing and giving their all on stage! Now, we have become better at this and I have seen the confidence levels grow in my musicians. We are still not quite at the point though where my students will do this freely without me nagging them! ( with the exception of Jacob and Siaosi if they happen to read this) How do I get them to this point.......  I am not sure. I can do all the encouraging in the world but there still has to be more! Project based learning is an avenue we are beginning to look at and I have started thinking about this for 2017. Cross - curricular projects which engage our students and connect our subjects! Is this the answer??? I don't know but as a teacher in the 21st century I want to give it a go, I'm excited to try it and am keen to get it started!!! More to come on this subject......... :)

Back to school.............

We gotta go back, back, back to school again!!! Who doesn't love Grease 2. So I can not believe that we are going into the final term of the school year! This year has been the fastest one yet! The next 4 weeks are going to be mayhem as we have 4 weeks left with seniors. Deadlines are approaching and the pressure is on! This term is an exciting one also as the music and performing arts areas are to be refurbished over the holidays! Its a perfect time to get rid of stuff and prepare our teaching environments for an overhaul! The students are really excited and are all keen to help move and pack things which is wonderful ( I wonder if they are as pro-active when tidying their bedrooms) lol! Its an exciting time and am enjoying looking at new classroom furniture and ways to bring colour to the spaces!

Last week of term is upon us.....

So, the week is not over yet but I thought I would reflect on the terms madness early!! This penultimate term always seems to fly by. This time it has actually flown and as usual its a mad dash panic to get everyone through the last assessments. My highlights of the term have been getting back into Kapa Haka, I missed it so much and have really enjoyed learning again and being part of the special kapa whanau. We have a performance in the holidays so can't wait for that! Secondly my wonderful Voices with Soul. Such an amazing group of young singers and just generally awesome humans!! We had so much fun at the Voices festival again, they always make me proud and we received two awards for "pop performance" and "emotional plan". It was lovely to do a song dedicated to Krystal. She would have loved singing her beloved Justin Bieber! Great highlights and just a few reminders of why I love this job!! So, 3 days to go, one performance gig, two assemblies and some sad staff farewells, then relax............