I've been so busy living life that I haven't had much time to write about it. But since I woke up at 4 this morning and couldn't go back to sleep, I thought it would be a perfect time to post another blog entry. I know many of you are tired of checking in and seeing the same thing day after day...so here's the next chapter!
Shortly before Christmas I put an ad in the paper offering private music lessons. One of the calls I received in response was from a young woman, Jessica, who is the Executive Director of Odyssey After School, a non-profit after-school enrichment program for kids in grades 1-6. Jessica had written and been awarded a grant for a music program which, according to the terms of the grant, was supposed to start in January. But she hadn't found a teacher yet. I got the call and visited the facility on the last day they were open before the Christmas holidays and loved what I saw! This is no simple babysitting service. It's truly a quality program in a beautiful facility (former elementary school), with highly qualified and caring staff.
Jessica and I visited and I toured the campus. We both felt that it was a really good fit, so on the first day back at school in January, I had an official interview with Jessica, Wes and Nikki, the administrative staff. We all felt very comfortable with each other and decided it was a "go." Of course, when you're working with children, there are the necessary background checks, so we had to wait for all that to be completed. But it all came through in short order, and within a week I was established in my office next to the central office and began planning music lessons for the kids.
The music program is specified to introduce the children to Music Around the World, so each time I teach a lesson, I provide a theme. On a very large wall map we point out the country that we're highlighting, and in the hour I have each class of 12-13 children, we do music activities and an art/craft project from that country. Just up my alley! I'm having a blast, and the children seem to be really enjoying it as well.
This inconspicuous entry opens the door to an amazing program:
About 160 kids from grades 1-6 come after school every day. Grades 1-3 walk over from the new elementary school next door, and grades 4-6 are bussed over from their schools a little farther away.
They're greeted warmly by their Odyssey teachers, and the first order of business, of course, is FOOD!
Each day they receive a healthy snack to provide energy for the activities to come:
Here are Miss Nikki and Miss Shelly ready for the arrival of the hungry horde:
Then the kids have activity time, either outdoors on the playground if the weather is nice, or in the gym. Afterward they spend time in their individual classrooms, with their teachers helping them with any homework assignments they may have from their regular school day. And the last hour of the day is enrichment time. That's where I come in. In addition to music, there are all kinds of other activities available (sewing in a whole classroom equipped with sewing machines, cooking, gardening, caring for animals....there are chickens, guinea pigs, rabbits, etc.). There are also frequent field trips to local places of interest: the library, tennis courts, walking trails, etc. On days when the regular school has early release, the Odyssey program goes from noon to 6 p.m. Then the children get to take longer field trips, such as bowling or a movie.
The first thing I did was put up a bulletin board to let the children know that the music program was about to begin:
Here are a few shots of me working with first and second graders on rhythm activities, as we talked about the Brazilian rain forests:
And the colorful tree frogs the kids made to live in the rain forest:
And here are a few photos of the facility:
The main office:
The library/ media center, complete with reading loft:
My favorite... The chickens!
These girls are Rhode Island Reds, the same kind we used to raise in Montana when our children were small. They lay beautiful brown eggs, which the children get to gather, but the staff get to take home. Delicious!
Mr. Wes, the Program Director, is a favorite wherever he goes:
So that's where you'll find me on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons. It's a great place to be! As I work with the different age groups, the plan is to provide rhythm activities for first and second graders, keyboard skills for third and fourth graders (we'll soon be purchasing keyboards) and strings (probably ukuleles to begin with) for the fifth and sixth graders. We're already making plans for the expansion of the music program for next year...perhaps a beginning harp curriculum!
Odyssey is a terrific place to work. I've always loved working with kids; they have such a fresh way of looking at the world!
Well, it's almost 6 a.m. now, so it's time to see if I can catch a few more winks of sleep before the day begins in full force. Just as some of you are getting up! Have a great day!
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