Curriculum and Assessment Writing Team

"So how did you spend your Spring Break?" 

I wish I could say I took a cruise to the Caribbean or hiked the Appalachian Trail.  Unfortunately, that is not even close to how I spent my spring break.

I was supposed to travel to Orlando and spend several days with my former roommate from graduate school.  She traveled down from North Carolina with her choir to participate in a workshop.  I was so sick, I couldn't get up off the sofa.  Needless to say, I didn't make it.

That "break in the action" was supposed to gear me up for what was looming ahead....writing curriculum guides and test items for elementary music teachers in our district.  I was one of twelve teachers selected for this project.  The amount of work required to meet the deadlines is unbelievable.  Our group spent two entire days together writing during Spring Break.  We will reconvene for two more days next week.  In between, I am supposed to deliver curriculum guides for Quarter 1 and Quarter 2 along with a minimum of ten test items for review by our testing expert.

Can you guess how I'll be spending the rest of my Spring Break?

Good times......

Until next time...

First Coast Honors Chorus 2013

As my principal so elegantly stated in her blog post today, I am overwhelmed much of the time as well.  I am a woman, wife, mother, teacher, professor, swim instructor and everyone of those family members she mentioned in her post on the female side of the house....

However, today I was blessed to witness the culmination of weeks of preparation - rehearsals after school, rehearsals at home, more rehearsals today at UNF - all of that hard work came together in a fabulous concert for eight of my students that participated in the First Coast Honors Choir presented by the Jacksonville Children's Chorus.

It has been 3 years since I recommended any of my students for this choral enrichment opportunity.  For the past two years, I have been working three jobs year-round and did not have the time nor the energy to stay after school and properly prepare the students.  My experience has shown that they cannot learn the music at home with a rehearsal CD alone; teacher involvement is critical.  So, this year, I threw all caution to the wind and recommended the maximum number of students I am allowed to recommend.

I am so proud of my students from Chets Creek who worked diligently over the past several months and sang their little hearts out on the stage tonight.  The music had to be memorized and they performed four songs, two of which were in a foreign language.  A culminating work such as a choral concert is such a point of pride for me as their teacher. From the looks on the faces of their family members tonight, it was a point of pride for them as well.  Thanks, parents, for affording your children this opportunity! You're the best!

First Coast Honors Chorus 2013 on PhotoPeach



Until next time...

Hand of Blessing

Last week, one of my students left a gift for me in the front office.  Although it was Valentine's Day, I was not really expecting gifts from my students.  I have 47 classes attached to me and it is a rare thing for students to consider me when they are pondering a random act of kindness.

When I went down to check my box in the mail room during my lunch break, I found this lovely tube of hand cream that had been decorated by one of my students in a most creative way.  There was a tracing of her hand on each side and what she wrote was beautifully expressed by a 10-year old.

It said, "Mrs. Tamburrino, you deserve a hand!"

(which I gratefully received!)

The other side said, "High Five for being the world's best teacher!!!

Disclaimer ("Mostly in music")

Now, I'm all about integrating the Arts into the core curriculum and it happens regularly in my classroom.  My students scratch their heads when I begin teaching a mini science lesson, social studies lesson, math lesson or ELA lesson in the midst of their music lesson.  They would faint if they knew how many years I spent in school to be able to accomplish this feat!

Last week, a parent shared with me that her kindergartener exclaimed "Mom -- did you know that Mrs. Tamburrino can read?" at the dinner table and was very surprised by that fact.  I incorporated a book into my lesson that day and it evidently shocked her.  In a third grade musical rehearsal, I threw another curve ball while explaining the history behind the Revolutionary War, where Cumberland Gap is located, why Old Joe Clark was telling everyone "fare-thee-well" and concluded with a discussion on the Gold Rush in the mid-1800s.  Leave it to a medley entitled, "America Goes West" to spark historical conversation in the music room!!

Teaching music is an all-encompassing task.  I love it when I can deviate from what is expected and teach the unexpected.  It grabs them every time!!

Thanks, Abigale, for your random act of kindness towards me.  I greatly appreciate your thoughtfulness.

Until next time...

Zumba

Have you heard about the dance fitness craze called "Zumba?" My sister teaches Zumba at a local gym.  Toby Mac raps about Zumba in Mandisa's "Good Morning Song." Every gym worth its weight offers several Zumba classes during the week.  Zumba is hot!

Since we had a lean Christmas this year, I decided to use what I already had and expand my horizons at my local gym.  A lot of the fitness classes that are offered on a daily basis are offered while I am at work so I printed a schedule and considered which classes I would try over break.  I chose three very different fitness classes - Spinning, Boot Camp fitness and Zumba.  I thought Zumba would be fun because I have an aptitude for music, I love to dance and I enjoy Latin dance music.  Let's begin with the Spinning class....

If you're not familiar with Spinning, you are in a darkened room with music blaring on a specially-designed bike for uphill and downhill riding.  The class I took was at 5:45 a.m. and lasted 45 minutes.  I wasn't sure I would enjoy this experience, but I thought it would be a great opportunity to do some interval training and get ready for my day.  I rode 16 miles in 45 minutes and am not sure I will ever attempt this fitness activity again.  I guess I'm actually a beach-cruiser kind of gal.  I live in Florida and it is flatter than flat in my part of the state.

Next, I decided to try Boot Camp fitness.  This class is designed to help strengthen your frame and build flexibility with a little cardio thrown in for good measure.  The instructor of this class was a track star who is trying to turn pro.  She did 45-minutes with us, trained local firefighters for an hour thereafter and then did her track workout.  Need I say more? I opted for 5-pound weights and a step at medium height.  The abdominal work we did on the mat which was placed on top of the step was killer, but she complimented me on the strength of my abs at the end of the class.  I told her it was probably years of singing and deep breathing...

And then there was Zumba.  The first class I attended was taught by a substitute.  This girl didn't have one ounce of fat on her body but she did have a very thick foreign accent and more energy than I have ever had on any day in my entire life.  If you weren't sure what to do, she would stand in front of you as if she were a mirror and model what you should be doing.  If you weren't kickin' it, she'd let you know that too.  She had a great sense of rhythm, which I appreciated, and got my heart-rate up where it needed to be for a great cardio workout.  I liked her.  I would go back and take her class again.

Today, I decided to try another Zumba instructor just for fun.  This one reminded me of a Puerto Rican hoochee-momma.  She knew every lyric of every song in Spanish.  She clicked and crowed every ten seconds and rolled her tongue like only a Spanish-speaking individual can.  I salsa'd, samba'd and cha-cha'd my way through an hour-long class.  I moved portions of my body I never knew could move in that way.  (There's a reason why three out of the four girls in my family were given dance lessons as young children.  I was not one of them.)  I had the most fun watching one lady in the back who was fully clothed in workout gear and did nothing but stand spread-eagle in the back with her hands waving in the air the entire time.  I'm not sure if she was praising God or worshiping Mother Earth, but she wished us all well at the end of the class and I assume she will return to repeat the experience next week.  It's probably best that this class is offered while I am at work.

I learned a lot about myself over the course of this experience.  First of all, a 52-year old can't move like a twenty-something, slippery shoes with orthotics in them work best for Zumba fitness and I can pump iron with the best of them, when called upon to do so.  I hope you've enjoyed your time off.  I certainly have.

Until next time...

Landfill Harmonic

In His Word to us, God promises to make "beauty out of ashes," both in us and through us.

The students of Favio Chavez are accomplishing this and more...



I am humbled and have come to realize just how blessed I am at my school.

Until next time...

Sad Day at Sandy Hook

How does one respond to what transpired a week ago in Newtown, Connecticut?

While we were enjoying our annual visit with Auntie Claus, terror was visiting a small elementary school up north and we felt it thousands of miles away.  How do you bury your child after such a senseless act of violence and move on? How do you show up for work in an elementary school after the horror you have witnessed? I do not know.

What I do know is that even though we are currently on holiday break, my principal has put out a "call to arms" for all faculty and staff before our return in January.  Emergency plans have been re-tooled and I have a new security assignment as of January 2nd.  I have always felt that our school was a safe place to learn (and work), but who is really to know?

My heart goes out to everyone touched by this tragedy.  I have prayed for the families of those who lost loved ones.  I have prayed for our own safety at work.  I have read information provided to me by my superiors so that I can adequately address this subject with my students, should the need arise.  Although I do not feel equipped to try to make sense of a tragedy of this magnitude, I will do my best to provide comfort and emotional support wherever needed.  My heart aches for students, teachers and administrators who must report for duty knowing that it could happen again at any time and in any place. But for the grace of God, there go I...

Until next time...

Winter Concerts 2012

This week was a banner week for me.  Having conducted SIX programs myself last week, I decided to enjoy several of my colleagues' music-making this week in the spirit of the season.  

On Monday evening, I attended the Fletcher Middle Band Concert.  I was invited by a former student. This kid took his recorder study very seriously.  He stopped by my classroom almost daily to share his progress with me throughout his entire 5th grade year.  The most interesting thing about this is that I don't teach recorder in fifth grade; only in fourth.  As if on cue, he dropped by Chets Creek two weeks ago and informed me that he was currently playing the trombone in the middle school band and wanted me to come to his concert.  I e-mailed his band director to get the particulars regarding his performance and wrote it down on my calendar. I was determined to be there.  Most of my students feed to Kernan Middle School, and I was so proud to see that I had a tuba player, several flute players, numerous saxophone and clarinet players and a percussionist  - TWELVE in all in the Fletcher Middle band!  Approximately 30 students headed to Fletcher last year from Chets Creek; almost half of them are in the band.  I was blown away.

On Tuesday evening, I attended the Kernan Middle School Winter Concert.  I was blown away again!  THIRTY-FIVE of my former students were scattered among the numerous performance groups that played and sang that night.  There was a beginning band, a concert band, a jazz band, a chorus and a recorder ensemble.  Some of them were pulling double-duty playing instruments from completely unrelated instrument families in more than one ensemble. The energy in the room prior to the performance was so strong you could feel it.  Administrators, teachers, parents, grandparents, siblings - you name it - filled the room to capacity. The best part is that this program has only been in existence for a little over a year.  The musicians on the stage were so professional in the way they presented themselves and in the way they performed.  I was deeply honored to be sitting in the audience.

On Thursday evening, I attended my third "Winter Concert" of the week at LaVilla School of the Arts.  My niece and two former students sang in the 6th grade treble chorus and it was fabulous.  I could hardly believe that a sound so pure and so clear was being produced by a group of 11-year olds who just began their journey at LaVilla four months ago. I was also surprised by the sheer number of performance groups housed in the vocal department.  There are so many, they have to divide the concert in half.  Last night, we saw Act One. Tonight, Act Two will take the stage and all vocal students must return to support their peers and write a critique of the performance.  It was such an amazing experience, I can't wait to return for their spring concert!

Amber and Katie

Vocalists Extraordinaire!!

Until next time...