...no, it's not a kind of pasta, the latest pop star, or recently discovered Puccini opera...it's...
a kids' song!
And also the absolute cure for any kind of bad mood. Just follow the instructions, and be silly. (But really, it has a great beat.)
A tutita, a tutita, a tutita-ta.
A tutita, a tuitita, atuitita-ta.
Pulgares arriba.
A tutita, a tutita, a tutita-ta.
A tutita, a tuitita, atuitita-ta.
Pulgares arriba, codos atras.
A tutita, a tutita, a tutita-ta.
A tutita, a tuitita, atuitita-ta.
Pulgares arriba, codos atras.
Pies aparte.
A tutita, a tutita, a tutita-ta.
A tutita, a tuitita, atuitita-ta.
Pulgares arriba, codos atras.
Pies aparte, rodilla juntas.
A tutita, a tutita, a tutita-ta.
A tutita, a tuitita, atuitita-ta.
Pulgares arriba, codos atras.
Pies aparte, rodilla juntas.
Caderas arriba.
A tutita, a tutita, a tutita-ta.
A tutita, a tuitita, atuitita-ta.
Pulgares arriba, codos atras.
Pies aparte, rodilla juntas.
Caderas arriba, lengua afuera.
A tutita, a tutita, a tutita-ta.
A tutita, a tuitita, atuitita-ta.
Pulgares arriba, codos atras.
Pies aparte, rodilla juntas.
Caderas arriba, lengua afuera.
Ojos cerrados.
A tutita, a tutita, a tutita-ta.
A tutita, a tuitita, atuitita-ta.
Pulgares arriba, codos atras.
Pies aparte, rodilla juntas.
Caderas arriba, lengua afuera.
Ojos cerrados, désen una vuelta!
A tutita, a tutita, a tutita-ta.
A tutita, a tutita, a tutita-ta.
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
I could do other jobs.
Ok, so I'm a little weak on the titles lately. But I'm writing, so you've got to give me credit for that.
This has been an interesting "vacation" for me, in that it's been way longer than a normal vacation, so it's been a little taste of life in the US again, and not as a musician. Sort of. I'm not really working (8 hours a week doesn't count), but I'm not playing outside of the practice room either. I'm not gallivanting across state borders every other day to play random gigs and sub in commuter orchestras. And I'm not walking to my full-time orchestra job in the same hall every day. So, I'm doing something I haven't done since before I graduated from college--I am not working as a musician.
This has provided a few insights (always important to have insights!), the first being that I think I could work in another field and be happy. I mean, maybe. And I used to think that I had to be a musician or nothing. So that's nice to know. Like I think I could be the secretary at Peppermint Fence Pre-School and still find a satisfying life. (They had an opening, it crossed my mind). Or I could go back to school and get certified and be a Spanish teacher and really enjoy that. Or figure out how you become a translator, and really up the level of my Spanish and learn some other languages and do that. And these ideas are all kind of exciting to me; they make me think of the other parts of my brain and talents I would be exercising in these pursuits, or others.
But, at the same time, this two month period away from playing for money has shown me that I have it in me to be a horn player. (I've always been a big fan of the juxtaposition in my blog, have you noticed?) I have continued to improve completely on my own in the last 2 months, I have really solved some things and stayed committed in the practice room. I've worked on a lot of the self-s (self-discipline, self-confidence, self-acceptance, self-awareness, self-evaluation) that are so important to being a musician. And I've really enjoyed the process and the results! I've been to a few great orchestra concerts and gotten that rush at the thought of being up there, like I used to as a teenager. And that feeling alone is enough to keep you going for a good couple of years. I've also come to appreciate the logistic advantages of being a musician and see how I could make a really great life for myself with a decent orchestra job.
The freedom I get from the above insights combined is significant. I get to "keep up the good work" and continue to pursue my dreams, but I don't feel this unbreathable pressure to make it. I just really, really want to, which is different.
And as I was telling my Dad the other day in the lobby after an SPCO concert, worst case scenario, I continue doing all this stuff for the next however many years, and if I arrive at point in which I just am not going to make it, I become a manager at Target until I figure out the next thing, and I have no regrets. Really.
There are so many amazing things to be done in the world. I'm just choosing one of them.
This has been an interesting "vacation" for me, in that it's been way longer than a normal vacation, so it's been a little taste of life in the US again, and not as a musician. Sort of. I'm not really working (8 hours a week doesn't count), but I'm not playing outside of the practice room either. I'm not gallivanting across state borders every other day to play random gigs and sub in commuter orchestras. And I'm not walking to my full-time orchestra job in the same hall every day. So, I'm doing something I haven't done since before I graduated from college--I am not working as a musician.
This has provided a few insights (always important to have insights!), the first being that I think I could work in another field and be happy. I mean, maybe. And I used to think that I had to be a musician or nothing. So that's nice to know. Like I think I could be the secretary at Peppermint Fence Pre-School and still find a satisfying life. (They had an opening, it crossed my mind). Or I could go back to school and get certified and be a Spanish teacher and really enjoy that. Or figure out how you become a translator, and really up the level of my Spanish and learn some other languages and do that. And these ideas are all kind of exciting to me; they make me think of the other parts of my brain and talents I would be exercising in these pursuits, or others.
But, at the same time, this two month period away from playing for money has shown me that I have it in me to be a horn player. (I've always been a big fan of the juxtaposition in my blog, have you noticed?) I have continued to improve completely on my own in the last 2 months, I have really solved some things and stayed committed in the practice room. I've worked on a lot of the self-s (self-discipline, self-confidence, self-acceptance, self-awareness, self-evaluation) that are so important to being a musician. And I've really enjoyed the process and the results! I've been to a few great orchestra concerts and gotten that rush at the thought of being up there, like I used to as a teenager. And that feeling alone is enough to keep you going for a good couple of years. I've also come to appreciate the logistic advantages of being a musician and see how I could make a really great life for myself with a decent orchestra job.
The freedom I get from the above insights combined is significant. I get to "keep up the good work" and continue to pursue my dreams, but I don't feel this unbreathable pressure to make it. I just really, really want to, which is different.
And as I was telling my Dad the other day in the lobby after an SPCO concert, worst case scenario, I continue doing all this stuff for the next however many years, and if I arrive at point in which I just am not going to make it, I become a manager at Target until I figure out the next thing, and I have no regrets. Really.
There are so many amazing things to be done in the world. I'm just choosing one of them.
Saturday, January 19, 2008
Impact
With 2 months of vacation falling into my lap, I took it upon myself to find a job. I was hoping to get about 20 hours a week at the restaurant I used to work at, but nope, not hiring. So I turned to the incredible Craig’s List.
Incredible as it is, I found an ad for a temporary Spanish teacher position to give enrichment classes to three and four year olds in Wayzata (where I am). So I responded to the ad. Turns out I went to high school with the young woman that started the company, and the woman they needed a sub for went into labor two weeks early, coincidentally also on the day of my interview. So, I got the job, and a few days later found myself sitting in a circle with a bunch of toddlers, speaking Spanish to their blond-haired, blue-eyed smiling faces.
It’s pretty fun. They are very, very cute and we get to sing a lot (two things I love- cuteness and singing!). And I’m learning all kinds of things, like the word “cuadrado”, when I frantically realized right before going to teach the first lesson on shapes that I had no idea how to say “square” in a language I’m supposedly fluent in! My favorite moment so far was when I was teaching them family members, and I said PaPA and they repeated PApa and I said, no be careful, because PaPA means dad, but PApa means potato…That went over pretty well. When we returned to the PaPA flashcard a few minutes later one kid yelled out, “Potato!”
Although I have done a fair amount of teaching over the years, and have gotten a lot out of it, I maintain that I don’t want to be a teacher. I think it is one of the most admirable and valuable professions in society, but it’s just not for me. I also maintain that everyone impacts everything, and every opportunity is an opportunity to impact something or someone. And I always aim to make that impact positive.
So after my once a week half hour lessons with these kids, I find myself thinking a lot about what difference I’m actually making in their lives, and what difference I want to make.
The truth is, with 30 minutes a week, these kids are not going to learn to speak or understand Spanish. They might learn a few words, a party trick or two for their parents to show off to their friends. But actual language usage? No way. But I think it can lay a groundwork for further language study or, more likely, an openness to other languages, and hence, other cultures, and other people. This I find exceedingly important in the USA today, especially with Spanish, given the increasingly negative attitude toward Spanish-speaking people in our country, due to misleading political commentary filled with not so subtle racist undertones and overtones.
So maybe in class we learn how to say “adios” and “hermana” and a few kids remember that. That afternoon they’re in the grocery store and they hear those words, which enter their little world because they dug out a space that afternoon in my class. Consequently, they turn their blond-haired head and see a little Mexican girl going out the door, saying goodbye to her sister. This grabs their attention. They continue to stare, as the sister keeps talking in Spanish to her “PaPA.” They don’t understand anything else that is said, but they begin to understand, in a way they couldn’t possibly articulate yet, about other languages, other countries, other cultures. Their little worlds get a little bit bigger. They continue to grow and always for some reason have an interest in Latin American Studies and International Relations. They develop an uncanny ability to bring the cultures together and break racial barriers. They come up with an incredible plan to solve immigration issues in which Mexico and the USA co-exist in partnership, where both countries are economically sound and socially decent. They win the Nobel Peace Prize.
OK, I guess I’m getting ahead of myself. But hey, you never know.
Or maybe their Dad walks in the door that evening and they yell “Potato!!” as they run over to give him a hug, making the whole family laugh uncontrollably and diffusing tension left over from a morning argument.
That would be pretty great too.
Incredible as it is, I found an ad for a temporary Spanish teacher position to give enrichment classes to three and four year olds in Wayzata (where I am). So I responded to the ad. Turns out I went to high school with the young woman that started the company, and the woman they needed a sub for went into labor two weeks early, coincidentally also on the day of my interview. So, I got the job, and a few days later found myself sitting in a circle with a bunch of toddlers, speaking Spanish to their blond-haired, blue-eyed smiling faces.
It’s pretty fun. They are very, very cute and we get to sing a lot (two things I love- cuteness and singing!). And I’m learning all kinds of things, like the word “cuadrado”, when I frantically realized right before going to teach the first lesson on shapes that I had no idea how to say “square” in a language I’m supposedly fluent in! My favorite moment so far was when I was teaching them family members, and I said PaPA and they repeated PApa and I said, no be careful, because PaPA means dad, but PApa means potato…That went over pretty well. When we returned to the PaPA flashcard a few minutes later one kid yelled out, “Potato!”
Although I have done a fair amount of teaching over the years, and have gotten a lot out of it, I maintain that I don’t want to be a teacher. I think it is one of the most admirable and valuable professions in society, but it’s just not for me. I also maintain that everyone impacts everything, and every opportunity is an opportunity to impact something or someone. And I always aim to make that impact positive.
So after my once a week half hour lessons with these kids, I find myself thinking a lot about what difference I’m actually making in their lives, and what difference I want to make.
The truth is, with 30 minutes a week, these kids are not going to learn to speak or understand Spanish. They might learn a few words, a party trick or two for their parents to show off to their friends. But actual language usage? No way. But I think it can lay a groundwork for further language study or, more likely, an openness to other languages, and hence, other cultures, and other people. This I find exceedingly important in the USA today, especially with Spanish, given the increasingly negative attitude toward Spanish-speaking people in our country, due to misleading political commentary filled with not so subtle racist undertones and overtones.
So maybe in class we learn how to say “adios” and “hermana” and a few kids remember that. That afternoon they’re in the grocery store and they hear those words, which enter their little world because they dug out a space that afternoon in my class. Consequently, they turn their blond-haired head and see a little Mexican girl going out the door, saying goodbye to her sister. This grabs their attention. They continue to stare, as the sister keeps talking in Spanish to her “PaPA.” They don’t understand anything else that is said, but they begin to understand, in a way they couldn’t possibly articulate yet, about other languages, other countries, other cultures. Their little worlds get a little bit bigger. They continue to grow and always for some reason have an interest in Latin American Studies and International Relations. They develop an uncanny ability to bring the cultures together and break racial barriers. They come up with an incredible plan to solve immigration issues in which Mexico and the USA co-exist in partnership, where both countries are economically sound and socially decent. They win the Nobel Peace Prize.
OK, I guess I’m getting ahead of myself. But hey, you never know.
Or maybe their Dad walks in the door that evening and they yell “Potato!!” as they run over to give him a hug, making the whole family laugh uncontrollably and diffusing tension left over from a morning argument.
That would be pretty great too.
Saturday, January 12, 2008
Parking Lot Reflections
The thing about the US 'o' A is that you spend a lot of time in parking lots. Driving in them, parking in them, and walking in them. Almost every activity involves a parking lot.
I've found that time in parking lots is conducive to coming up with blog material. And being laid up with a sprained knee and the inability to walk is conducive to writing that material down.
It's interesting to be back for an extended period of time. Comfortable and disconcerting, familiar and eye-opening, enjoyable and depressing.
Let's start with the things I love about the USA, that I took for granted before I moved away.
***Young girls playing soccer. Tons of them. And they are really good. They are strong and fast and smart and having fun. Seeing this as I run around the track around the field on which they are playing makes me really happy.
***People actually talking about the issues in politics. Everywhere and everyone. And they know about the issues and they care about them and they are going to vote. It's refreshing.
***You can go to the grocery store at 3 in the morning because it's open and it's safe.
***This orchestra. Wow, they sound fantastic.
***You can get almost anything you want done. Fast. Gotta love it.
There are some other things but those are the biggies so far.
Now, the things I detest.
***Driving everywhere. It makes me feel ill, partly because gas is up to $3 a gallon, partly because the radio is just atrocious, and partly because the actual act of driving just gives me a stomach ache sometimes.
***The health insurance system (or lack thereof). Good thing my knee is getting way better way fast, otherwise I would be shelling out a hefty chunk of change.
***Did I mention the parking lots?
I've found that time in parking lots is conducive to coming up with blog material. And being laid up with a sprained knee and the inability to walk is conducive to writing that material down.
It's interesting to be back for an extended period of time. Comfortable and disconcerting, familiar and eye-opening, enjoyable and depressing.
Let's start with the things I love about the USA, that I took for granted before I moved away.
***Young girls playing soccer. Tons of them. And they are really good. They are strong and fast and smart and having fun. Seeing this as I run around the track around the field on which they are playing makes me really happy.
***People actually talking about the issues in politics. Everywhere and everyone. And they know about the issues and they care about them and they are going to vote. It's refreshing.
***You can go to the grocery store at 3 in the morning because it's open and it's safe.
***This orchestra. Wow, they sound fantastic.
***You can get almost anything you want done. Fast. Gotta love it.
There are some other things but those are the biggies so far.
Now, the things I detest.
***Driving everywhere. It makes me feel ill, partly because gas is up to $3 a gallon, partly because the radio is just atrocious, and partly because the actual act of driving just gives me a stomach ache sometimes.
***The health insurance system (or lack thereof). Good thing my knee is getting way better way fast, otherwise I would be shelling out a hefty chunk of change.
***Did I mention the parking lots?
Wednesday, January 02, 2008
The Best and Worst of 2007
In no particular order.
Best Gorditas: Guanajuato, Guanajuato. off Plaza Baratillo. Don't know what a gordita is? Click here. Wanna try one? Click here.
Worst Traffic Jam: Texcoco, Mexico. Cops, impound lots, bribes, fender-benders, un-fallible combi-drivers, and endless kilometers of traffic, this city has it all. But once you get to Lecheria it's smooth sailing!
Best Driver: BP. Hands down. What would I have done without him?
Best Express Mechanic: Out-in-the-boonies, Guanajuato.
Worst Weather: TIE: Yucatan in June and Minnesota in January. For very different reasons. Why is that my work schedule put me in these locations at these times?!?
Best Island: Isla Contoy, off the coast of Isla Mujeres, Quintana Roo.
Worst Internet Cafe: Random street, Guanajuato, Guanajuato. Only-coin operated machines. Do you have change for bills? No. Does the machine take one-peso coins? No. Does it warn me when my time is about to run out? No. When I've used my only five-peso coin does it let me close my e-mail account, bank account, and Skype account pages? No. Could you do that for me then? No. Will I EVER come here again? No.
Worst Conductor: Five-way tie, but each in their very special ways. No names necessary.
Best Coffee: San Cristobal, Chiapas. Beans, that is.
Best Cappuccino: Cafe Tal, Guanajuato, Guanajuato (although the beans are from Veracruz).
Worst Drivers: TIE: Culiacan, Sinaloa and Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Neither quick nor astute decision making is a high priority in these towns.
Best Waves: Acapulco, Guerrero.
Best Sunsets: Mazatlan, Sinaloa.
Best Whale-Shark Swimming: Isla Holbox.
Best Tuna Melt: Still Mom's kitchen, Plymouth, MN. For the comfort food to really work, you have to be home. And tuna isn't that big in Mexico anyway.
Best Party: The Beach House in Chelem. 24 hours, almost, was it?
Worst Cantina: That one in Oaxaca. Does anyone ever really know the actual name of the Cantina they're in?
Best Blog Post: May Day. In my opinion.
Worst Book: Fingersmith. Someone will tell you to read it. Don't! (Sorry JD.)
Best Performance: Oaxaca City, Oaxaca. Cuarteto Ciurlionis. Works by Villa-Lobos, Piazolla and Grieg.
Worst Performance: The one I left at intermission.
Best Woodwind Quintet: TIE: Prairie Winds (Madeline Island) and Penta Musica (Morelia, Michoacan)
Best Long Weekend: Solo Trip to Xalapa. Concerts, Lessons, Running into Random Old Friends, and walking around one of the coolest cities in Mexico.
Worst Experience in an Airport: Mexico City. Waiting 12 hours (5 am to 5 pm) in the airport because I arrived way too early and couldn't change my flight. Hadn't slept the night before. Freezing the entire time. Drinking 9 cups of coffee at Wings to stay warm and awake.
Best Yoga Class: Merida, Yucatan. Great teacher, great space, great timing, great company. May it continue to bring peace to that part of the orchestral world.
Best Friday: Merida, Yucatan. Fish tacos and white wine with MT. Three dates in one day.
Best Cook: TIE: RM and MT. Thanks guys!
Best Shower: Cordoba, Veracruz. Hotel room of hotel I can't remember the name of. Huge. Knobs on opposite side of shower head. Good soap dispenser. HUGE.
Best Pop Song Reference in Rehearsal: JM, Heard it Through the Grapevine. Man that's a good song.
Worst Experience that's really the Best Experience: MAC (Monday Audition Club). Playing for your colleagues/friends is scary and depressing and difficult. And challenging and informative and powerful. Thanks guys.
Worst Run: Panoramic Hwy, Guanajuato, Guanajuato. High altitude + very little exercise for 2 months=very painful run.
Worst Gig: Patrimonio, "El Viaje de Terror."
Best Gig: Sleeping Beauty, Mazatlan, Sinaloa.
Best Buffet Restaurant: TIE: Cocina de Ana, Mazatlan, Sinaloa and El Midi, Guanajuato, Guanajuato.
Alright, I could go on for days, but I'll leave it at that.
My New Years Resolutions:
1) Stop biting my nails
2) Start writing on my blog.
Best Gorditas: Guanajuato, Guanajuato. off Plaza Baratillo. Don't know what a gordita is? Click here. Wanna try one? Click here.
Worst Traffic Jam: Texcoco, Mexico. Cops, impound lots, bribes, fender-benders, un-fallible combi-drivers, and endless kilometers of traffic, this city has it all. But once you get to Lecheria it's smooth sailing!
Best Driver: BP. Hands down. What would I have done without him?
Best Express Mechanic: Out-in-the-boonies, Guanajuato.
Worst Weather: TIE: Yucatan in June and Minnesota in January. For very different reasons. Why is that my work schedule put me in these locations at these times?!?
Best Island: Isla Contoy, off the coast of Isla Mujeres, Quintana Roo.
Worst Internet Cafe: Random street, Guanajuato, Guanajuato. Only-coin operated machines. Do you have change for bills? No. Does the machine take one-peso coins? No. Does it warn me when my time is about to run out? No. When I've used my only five-peso coin does it let me close my e-mail account, bank account, and Skype account pages? No. Could you do that for me then? No. Will I EVER come here again? No.
Worst Conductor: Five-way tie, but each in their very special ways. No names necessary.
Best Coffee: San Cristobal, Chiapas. Beans, that is.
Best Cappuccino: Cafe Tal, Guanajuato, Guanajuato (although the beans are from Veracruz).
Worst Drivers: TIE: Culiacan, Sinaloa and Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Neither quick nor astute decision making is a high priority in these towns.
Best Waves: Acapulco, Guerrero.
Best Sunsets: Mazatlan, Sinaloa.
Best Whale-Shark Swimming: Isla Holbox.
Best Tuna Melt: Still Mom's kitchen, Plymouth, MN. For the comfort food to really work, you have to be home. And tuna isn't that big in Mexico anyway.
Best Party: The Beach House in Chelem. 24 hours, almost, was it?
Worst Cantina: That one in Oaxaca. Does anyone ever really know the actual name of the Cantina they're in?
Best Blog Post: May Day. In my opinion.
Worst Book: Fingersmith. Someone will tell you to read it. Don't! (Sorry JD.)
Best Performance: Oaxaca City, Oaxaca. Cuarteto Ciurlionis. Works by Villa-Lobos, Piazolla and Grieg.
Worst Performance: The one I left at intermission.
Best Woodwind Quintet: TIE: Prairie Winds (Madeline Island) and Penta Musica (Morelia, Michoacan)
Best Long Weekend: Solo Trip to Xalapa. Concerts, Lessons, Running into Random Old Friends, and walking around one of the coolest cities in Mexico.
Worst Experience in an Airport: Mexico City. Waiting 12 hours (5 am to 5 pm) in the airport because I arrived way too early and couldn't change my flight. Hadn't slept the night before. Freezing the entire time. Drinking 9 cups of coffee at Wings to stay warm and awake.
Best Yoga Class: Merida, Yucatan. Great teacher, great space, great timing, great company. May it continue to bring peace to that part of the orchestral world.
Best Friday: Merida, Yucatan. Fish tacos and white wine with MT. Three dates in one day.
Best Cook: TIE: RM and MT. Thanks guys!
Best Shower: Cordoba, Veracruz. Hotel room of hotel I can't remember the name of. Huge. Knobs on opposite side of shower head. Good soap dispenser. HUGE.
Best Pop Song Reference in Rehearsal: JM, Heard it Through the Grapevine. Man that's a good song.
Worst Experience that's really the Best Experience: MAC (Monday Audition Club). Playing for your colleagues/friends is scary and depressing and difficult. And challenging and informative and powerful. Thanks guys.
Worst Run: Panoramic Hwy, Guanajuato, Guanajuato. High altitude + very little exercise for 2 months=very painful run.
Worst Gig: Patrimonio, "El Viaje de Terror."
Best Gig: Sleeping Beauty, Mazatlan, Sinaloa.
Best Buffet Restaurant: TIE: Cocina de Ana, Mazatlan, Sinaloa and El Midi, Guanajuato, Guanajuato.
Alright, I could go on for days, but I'll leave it at that.
My New Years Resolutions:
1) Stop biting my nails
2) Start writing on my blog.
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