Landing On My Feet, Teaching and Learning During a Career in Education (eBook)

James Kleiner (Autor)

eBook Download: EPUB

2023 | 1. Auflage
350 Seiten
Bookbaby (Verlag)
979-8-3509-2617-0 (ISBN)

Infos

The book is a memoir about James Kleiner's public-school teaching career. It includes recollections of his own education and mentors. 'Landing On My Feet, Teaching and Learning During a Career in Education' chronicles the challenges of his career as well as the many joys and inspirational moments he experienced.

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"e;Landing On My Feet, Teaching and Learning During a Career in Education"e; is a memoir written by James Kleiner, a career educator in the Connecticut public schools for 33 years. The book chronicles his own education and pays tribute to the teachers who mentored and inspired him. His story takes him through the challenges he was faced with and, ultimately, overcame through the years. In every case, he learns from these experiences and continues in the field, buoyed by many inspirational and joyful interactions with his students, colleagues, and co-workers. Throughout the book, there are many instances where he learns as much from his students as he has taught them.

Textauszug

13 -
Recollection V –
The Saxophone and the Class of 1966

J. David Abt had been appointed to the music faculty at Hicksville High School prior to my sophomore year. I was happy to hear this since most of us summer band members had enjoyed his direction of that group during the past few years. I owe much to those experiences for the simple reason that Mr. Abt saw something in me. He suggested at one point that I become a student conductor of the group.

As a result, he became the first of several conducting teachers I would have over the years. My first task was to conduct an arrangement of An American in Paris. Wow, George Gershwin! That was to be the first of several amazing experiences with Gershwin’s music over the years.

2

Early on during my sophomore year, after I had gotten clearance to start playing clarinet again after my punctured eardrum had healed, Abt called me into the music office and said he had a “project” for me for the upcoming weekend. He asked me to take home the brand-new tenor saxophone the school had just purchased and whether I could begin to learn how to play it. It had never dawned on me that a clarinetist could play the saxophone. And, of course, Abt and Pellerin had an ulterior motive for this—they needed another sax for the Jazz band, so why not me? And what the heck, it was nice and shiny and brand new!

Once I started to play this instrument there was no going back. I found the tenor sax challenging and fun. I loved the way it could be so expressive, especially when using vibrato. After a month or so I made my way into the Jazz band.

The Jazz band performed at the annual HHS Variety Show as well as other venues throughout the year. I also became a member of the high school sax quartet. It was a surprise to discover so much great literature for that combination of soprano, alto, tenor, and baritone saxes.

So here was another experience which would impact my future on many levels. Little did I know it would also give me another financial bonus later in life. During all of my musical experiences at HHS, I never once thought that someday in my future there would be others who would actually pay me money to play music.

3

It was an unexpected consequence also that I was enjoying playing in the marching band more than ever since I started playing the tenor. I know it was the way that sax fits into a band arrangement, often playing with the lower sounding instruments. I felt as though my sound was projecting outdoors in a strong way. But there was one time during a halftime show where I wished my sound, and myself, could somehow disappear on the spot.

One day during the marching band football halftime show, I was marching on the far left column of the band block. At one point I took a left turn while the rest of the band pivoted on a right turn. Of course, I had my head buried in the music right in front of my eyes. Flip folders were great, but they could also take your focus away from your marching. What I was doing at that moment was a big no-no.

My brain started to register that the band’s sound was fading away. My sound began to exhibit an ominous isolation. When I realized what had happened, it was too late. I picked my eyes up and realized that the other team’s stands and fans were getting closer. I noticed them smiling and cheering me on. At that point I was looking for a hole on the field to hide in. Panic ensued and I stopped playing, did an about-face, and ran to catch up to the rest of the band marching in the opposite direction. It seemed like the band was 100 yards away and that it took minutes to catch up to them. Panic was affecting my sense of time and distance. I finally blended back into the “Black and Orange” once again. And behind me in the distance I heard a mock cheer emanating from the visitors’ stands. I can’t tell you how many times I have relived those moments in my dreams over the years.

Despite this event, I give thanks to J. David Abt for introducing me to the saxophone, and Gerald Pellerin for his guidance. I absolutely love the saxophone to this day.

4

During the first few weeks of my senior year, I was frequently in touch with my guidance counselor. We had been exploring potential schools to attend for music education. The State University of New York had two well-known schools for Music Ed., Fredonia and Potsdam. We set up auditions for both schools, both of which took place in New York City. I also chose Hofstra University on Long Island as my third school of choice. The audition there was the first one I took in October.

The SUNY schools followed within a couple of weeks. Having played so many adjudications over the years, I felt prepared to deal with any nerves that would occur during these auditions. I felt that I played well at all three and so the wait began to see if I was accepted.

My school schedule that year was something out of a dream. My mornings consisted of band rehearsal and Music Theory and Music History classes. It was after lunch break that I had World Problems, Advanced Algebra, and Literature. Even with the academics I was blessed with superior teachers who understood where I was going in my career and gave me a certain leeway when it came to being pulled out of class for music sectional lessons.

I was usually nervous about asking my Advanced Algebra teacher, Mrs. Clogher, if I could be excused from her class. She would inevitably say “Oh, go play your horn!” I didn’t blame her for being upset, since I was struggling to pass her class most of the year. But I did ultimately pass with a 68 on the Advanced Algebra Regents Exam. I passed by the skin of my teeth!

My music theory teacher was Tom Buttice, who was the HHS strings teacher and orchestra conductor. His approach to teaching music theory was sprinkled with humor and encouragement. He had amazing patience. I never forgot his approach to teaching us. I made a mental note. His class was challenging for me, especially getting used to sight-singing using solfeggio syllables. We drilled hard, and as the year went along, I got the hang of it. Having a good ear didn’t hurt. I could actually read a choral score and sing my part. And I know that task was made much easier by sight-singing with Mr. Buttice. Many thanks to him for not losing faith in all of us in class.

Music History was taught by Charles “Chuck” Arnold. I found his course to be fascinating. Starting with studying music of the Middle Ages and right up to the present day.

I was fortunate to have been a serious classical music listener ever since junior high. Many of the works we studied from Mozart’s era and beyond I had already heard. I oftentimes thought I was a music history expert.

And that certainly included the day Mr. Arnold played a recording of a Baroque orchestra. Almost immediately I began to hear some snippets of melodies that were ringing bells in my brain. I was hearing fragments of tunes written by the Beatles! After a few minutes of hearing this, I had a revelation. The Beatles had stolen some of their melodies from Baroque composers! I wondered if anyone else in the class was struck with this thought.

Of course, my music historical awakening was blown away when Mr. Arnold held up the record jacket, which said The Baroque Beatles. I felt like an idiot and my ego took a huge hit. But I did go out the next week and buy the album. I thought it was so cool!

And while I am on the subject of Chuck Arnold, another incident involving him and me had a profound effect on my musical career. One day I was walking by the choral room and all of a sudden an arm reached out of the door and grabbed me by my arm. I somehow instantly knew it was his hand, since I had spent a significant amount of time watching in awe those hands play the piano.

His words at that moment were “Jim, if you are serious about going into music education, you had better start to sing. Consider joining the summer chorus.”

“Okay, Mister A, I will do that,” I answered with a startled voice. The more I thought about his suggestion, the more I was glad I had committed to do that.

That summer I became a member of the Summer Mixed Chorus. A few of my music buddies, including Rich and Ralph, joined me in the group. At the first rehearsal I looked around and was pleasantly surprised. Nothing against the ladies in band, but my immediate thought was Wow, so many lovely ladies in this group. That was a typical high school male reaction, right? But seriously, I would come to realize that the experience in this chorus would be a huge help during my next level of music education.

5

In New York, All-State Music Festival came around in December. My violinist friend Janet and I rode up to the Kiamesha Lake Resort in the Catskill Mountain area of upstate. Upon arrival we were greeted by members of NYYSMA, who helped us get checked in and settled. Rehearsals began at 9:00 am the next day and would continue all through Thursday and Friday.

I had received the band music over the summer, so I felt prepared. The first order of business was an 8:30 audition between myself and another student from another Long Island high school. We were being auditioned to see who would play solo chair in the first clarinet section. We...

Produkt-Details

• Erscheint lt. Verlag: 8.11.2023
• Vorwort: Peter Loel Boonshaft
• Sprache: englisch
• Themenwelt: Literatur ► Biografien / Erfahrungsberichte
• ISBN-13: 979-8-3509-2617-0 / 9798350926170