Bonjour tout le monde et Joyeux Noël!!!

Just wanted to give a quick update for everyone, though I know I’ll be seeing many of you very soon…yea! For anyone who’s interested, I’ll be available via cell phone from the 22nd of December to the 13th of January: 614.395.4722. I’ll be in Vegas from December 23-27, Columbus from December 28-31, and Colorado from the 1st of January till I head out on the 13th. However, Mike and I are heading up to the mountains for a few days at the beginning of the week, and we’ll be gone till the 4th of January. Whew…too much travel in too little time! Still, I’m glad to see everybody, and I’m thrilled that I’ll have more than 3 whole weeks in the states.

The last month has turned out to be very positive. I’ve done more teaching, and all of my reviews have gone very well. The director of the institute wants me to return to Geneva for next year so that I can complete the Diplôme. They dean has said that they can offer me a full scholarship to return, which is awesome and very generous; I’m particularly excited because it will be the first time that they’ve said yes to anyone from the US since the 1980’s. Still, I was hoping to only spend one year here, and there are many things to consider, so we’ll have to wait and see. Another positive idea is that they are allowing me to skip two of the courses that I am currently taking here so that I can pursue some independent study with other faculty. I am very grateful for this because it will maximize my time and allow me to really focus my studies. French continues to challenge, but I am getting better every day. Sometimes, when I’m talking to Mike late at night, I accidentally slip in to French…though it’s a little unnerving, I think it’s a good sign!

In the pictures above you can see some of the ladies from the eurhythmics class for seniors. On this particular day that I taught, they presented me with the most unique gift: a chocolate marmite. It’s difficult to see in the photo, but essentially it’s a chocolate cauldron, modeled after a similar device used in 1602. The marmite is a symbol of freedom here in Switzerland ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L'Escalade ). In the year 1602, France was attempting to occupy Geneva. One evening there was a raid, and a Geneven soldier dumped a gigantic marmite full of scalding vegetable stew down on the enemy. The marmite crashed upon their heads and defeated the enemy. Now, every year around the 12th of December, there is a HUGE celebration throughout all of Geneva to remember their liberation. The chocolate marmites are seen EVERYWHERE, and the ritual for breaking the marmite is awesome: at each party, the person who is the oldest joins hands with the person who is the youngest. Everyone declares: "Ainsi périssent les ennemis de la République! " while the two force their hands down upon the marmite; consequently they smash it to bits! Everyone partakes of the chocolate while singing folk songs that tell the story of the l’Escalade. Obviously, I was touched to receive the gift. On December 12, after an evening of performances at the institute we all stayed late for a party where we broke the marmite…it was a hoot! That weekend, everyone in the city celebrated together by wearing silly costumes or clothes from the 1600’s, drinking mulled wine, eating raclette, and watching the grand parade. Vive l'esprit de Genève!!!

Now I’m at Patrick’s to celebrate Noël with his family. As you can see from the picture above, the snow is beautiful and the view of the Alps is stunning. Patrick and I are enjoying music and Dalcroze games together, and I'm continually grateful for his friendship. I’m looking forward to my departure on Monday, though I’m not too excited for the early wake up and the subsequent 13 hour flight...blech.

Anyway, that’s all I’ve got for now. I wish all of you a very happy holiday season, and I look forward to speaking English with everyone in the coming weeks!!!

Love,
j

The Substitute...

Holiday Greetings to Everyone!

I’m afraid that my free time has been rather slim lately…which has rendered my blog untouched for over a month. Sigh…my deepest apologies to all the folks that have had to ask for an update. I’m a bad man, and I know it…

Life at the Institute continues to challenge and stimulate, though I must be honest and admit that I can’t wait for the 22nd of December when I get to come home for 3 splendid weeks. My days are always too long and pass by too quickly. Still, I’ve managed to squeeze in a few social events, including a party at my little apartment for Halloween. At one point, over 20 ghouls of various types were there; I can’t believe that we fit so many people in such a small space! Speaking of which, the folks here are truly fantastic; I’ve so enjoyed getting to know all of the other students at the institute. There’s a really nice mix of people, and though it’s hard to imagine, we all get along without too much drama! My friend Patrick celebrated his 51st birthday in grand style, and I helped him in Lausanne with the festivities. Over 50 people came to the event, where we had fondue, music, and lots of wine! In addition, I experienced my first European snowfall that weekend, which was absolutely gorgeous. Unfortunately, I left my camera at home, so I don’t have any pictures of it (grrrr!!!). However, I do have some snapshots from previous visits: one taken from the countryside near Patrick’s house (note the bells!) and another from the Cathedral in Lausanne at night…stunning, eh?

Classes are fine, though it’s absolutely astonishing how American Eurhythmics contrasts with Swiss Eurhythmics. Generally speaking, there are many interesting ideas on the table, and I’m learning a lot. However, the practical application of some of these concepts back home remains elusive; sometimes they way they do things here just wouldn't fly in the US, mostly because of cultural differences, I think. In addition because my experience with the Dalcroze method has been so different, there’s a lot of adjusting that has to be done before I can even do the exercises. Some days this is easier for me than others. As many of you know, I’m not much of a “whatever you say, sir” kind of guy; by the end of a class I like to know what, how, and why I’ve done the activities presented. Nevertheless, we’re executing all sorts of polyrhythms, canons, counterpoints, and cross rhythms that have me jumping around like a crazy-man these days. In one of my movement classes, we’re working with a form of modern dance called “contact dancing,” where you basically experiment with the ways in which you give or take body weight with another person. It’s pretty amazing, and the sensation of holding someone else’s body is remarkable. What’s even better is that everyone shares in the process, so even the 5-feet tall 100-pound girls are able to carry the guys around when they use the proper technique.

I’ve also been doing a fair amount of teaching lately; so far I’ve given 8 classes or so…all in French (yikes!). The first classes were fine and went off without a hitch. However, one day in October I was asked to replace a professor who had fallen ill. Unfortunately, I only had about 2 hours notice to write my lessons, and though I was feeling a little rushed, I felt confident that since the other classes went well, these would be just fine. Famous last words, indeed! Those 12 year-old kids took one look at me and realized that with my French being rather limited, they could have a field day with their substitute teacher…and boy did they ever!!! I’d been making good progress with the basic language concepts here, but honestly, I had no idea how to tell a child to quit climbing inside the windows, or get off the furniture, or stop hiding behind the drapes, or any number of simple disciplinary measures that would have been no problem had I been speaking English. At one point, I tried to do an exercise with tennis balls, and within seconds after I gave everyone a ball, the kids started lancing the balls at the walls, at the windows, and at one another!!! You can only imagine what the whole scene must have looked like: there I was standing at the helm of pre-pubescent monkeys virtually out of control with tennis balls flying every which way. Of course, I was mortified, but the kids were having too much of a ball (ba-dum-ching) to notice! What was even worse is that the parents who were in the classroom said nothing! I later learned that in Swiss culture it would have been insulting to me for the parents to step in and tell the kids to knock it off…sigh…I can laugh about it now, but in the moment, I thought I was going to kill every last one of them!!!

The other lessons I’ve given have gone very well…thank God! Again, though the language continues to be an issue for me, I’m still able to get the job done. Generally, I find that parents and kids get a kick out of having the “young American guy” teach their class, and they all giggle at my terribly ‘American’ accent. Courses with adults are going well too, and I’m excited to teach a class with the Senior Citizens in a couple of weeks. I hope to take a picture of them and post it soon…they are a riot!

Thanksgiving came and went without much a fuss. I ended up having scrambled eggs in the microwave and olive bread for my thanksgiving feast! Always the sweetheart, Mike makes sure that I have plenty of Americana here by sending me all sorts of holiday goodies and other essentials. I’ve got 3-D accordion-style tissue paper pumpkins and turkeys (you know, the kind your elementary school teacher used to decorate her room) and autumnal paraphernalia that adorn my walls, along with other essentials such as candy corn, mallowcream pumpkins, and real Q-tips. Also of note, my roommate finally arrived right before Halloween. As it turned out, the guy from Africa couldn’t make it, so in his place is Serei who comes from Cambodia. He’s very nice, though I don’t get to see him much because I am virtually never at my place. Next weekend I plan to go to an Asian Christmas party. I’m sure it will be a blast, though I’m not sure how singing American Christmas carols at an Asian party in a French-speaking country will go…

I hope that everyone is doing well and is enjoying the kick-off to the holiday madness. Naturally, I haven’t even thought about shopping yet…but of course, none of you are surprised to hear that. Of course, if there is something that you’d like from Suisse for Noël, I’m happy to take requests. I miss you all, and I can’t wait to see everyone soon…only 3 weeks left…yippee!!!

Greetings au Geneve!!!

Autumn has officially arrived here in Geneva, and the leaves are turning fantastic shades of red, orange, and yellow. I’m not exactly sure what type of trees they have here (I know I’m failing Mrs. Myers’ 8th-grade Leaf Project by admitting this...) but the leaves are ENORMOUS…almost the size of a dinner plate! The air is cool and damp…generally not the crisp, invigorating atmosphere of Colorado or New England, but I like it. Some mornings on my commute to school the lake is covered with a dense, gravy-like fog (Brouillards) that spills out onto the boardwalk. It’s pretty fantastic to view, which is good considering that I have about a two mile walk from my apartment to the IJD…some days I end up with 8 miles of walking or more! It reminds me of how lucky I’ve been to have lived in such beautiful places over the past 6 years…of course, who knows…with my luck, my next living arrangement will be in a basement apartment with no windows somewhere in the bowels of the Bronx?!?!? Mike sent me a care package the other day, and you can see some of the fun Halloween items in my kitchen…it’s great! I am particularly fond of the skeleton riding the bike…heh heh!

Today is a laundry day, which I’ve now discovered is probably going to double as Blog day. Unfortunately, the ‘every week’ blog goal will probably have to be pushed back to every two weeks….sigh. Still, it’s about all I can do considering that I am literally living and breathing Dalcroze for 15 hours each day…except for the superb moments when the WiFi internet actually works in my room and I get to talk to Mike and others back home. I live on the 6th floor of a rather large building of 117 residents. My apartment isn’t exactly all that I’d hoped it would be…for starters, I discovered that a “one-bedroom” apartment here means that you have one bedroom within a two bedroom SHARED living space. My roommate, who has not yet arrived due to Visa issues, comes from Africa, and I’m not actually sure when he’ll get here. On the one hand, the situation is actually pretty cool, because I know very little about African culture of any kind…on the other hand, I was looking forward to having a bit more private space, and as you can see from the pictures, there’s not much space to begin with. And then there’s the internet issue…the WiFi here works sometimes, but usually not well enough for me to make phone calls back home…grrr. Thank God for Mike and Brenda or I don’t think I’d be able to do much of anything online. Basically, I’m not in my apartment very often, so I’m sure it will all work out just fine. Finally, on a positive note, I’m living next door to two fantastic folks who are former graduates from the IJD, and they’ve been very helpful in getting me organized here.

Classes continue to go well…mostly. I sometimes get disgruntled with the approach of some professors here…when it comes to movement, there is not a lot freedom. Oftentimes, the teachers tell you exactly how they want you to move and “express” the music…which honestly is not my cup of tea and somehow seems antithetical to the Dalcroze work as I have come to know and study it. It’s interesting, too, because generally speaking there is a very negative vibe among the students when it comes to Plastique Animée (the visual analysis/representation of a piece of music). For me, this is a pity, because I have really learned to enjoy Plastique, but I can completely understand why students here would find it cumbersome and boring.
Still, the general vibe is excellent, and I’m learning a great deal from all the teachers here. My improvisation continues to grow and develop far better than I had expected, and solfège is getting better, day by day. One of the items that I find to be particularly challenging and eye-opening is the amount of emphasis placed on dissociation and association in the courses. Teachers will have you put one rhythm in your hands, another in your feet, and when they call “change,” you must change the rhythms immediately from hands to feet and feet to hands. Other times, they call “Hands, Hop,” and you must do the rhythm in your hands twice as slow…while you maintain the other rhythm in the feet. If they call “Feet, Hip,” then you must do the feet twice as fast. Rhythms of all kinds are juxtaposed with one another, including syncopations other knotty patterns. I’m sure you can imagine the complicated layering that takes place for exercises of this nature, especially when the changes come every other measure…yikes!!! Oftentimes, by the end of a course, I’m drenched with sweat and panting. It’s funny because I’m really starting to acknowledge my age…my stomach muscles are sore, and my bones constantly crack and creak…it sucks to get old!!!

Tomorrow is a rather big day for me, as I have my first experience teaching rythmique (Eurhythmics) to Swiss students who are 10-12 years old. The course I’ll be teaching is the 5th year class (generally speaking there are 6 years of rhythmique available), so it will be interesting to see how things go. I’m not so nervous for the actual teaching as much as I’m nervous about teaching au Français! We’ll see how it goes…the kids are very nice, so even if I end up stepping all over my tongue, it shouldn’t be too big of a deal. More fun to come!!!

Better Latent than Never....

So as expected, I’ve slacked off in my duties as the blog man...and as a result it’s difficult to actually recall the highlights of the last two weeks. Please accept my most sincere apologies. The biggest problem is that my schedule is obscene: with 19 different courses each week, all in a different language, by the end of the evening it’s all I can do to take a shower, talk to Mike (thank god for skype!), and hit the sack! I do feel buried under my work; but it’s all good!

Still, things are going well here. My classes are intense but the environment is excellent. Generally, the professors give a fair amount of work, and honestly, if I was working here I’d be in a bad situation! Right now I’m taking a lot of extra classes to “experience” the various profs and see how they use the method. For instance, I’m working with Gabi Chrisman, who specializes in working with senior citizens (among other things). It’s amazing to see what she is able to do with these folks…in this class there is a woman who, at 90 years old, moves and gestures to the music like it’s nothing. I love it! Especially for me, it’s always fun to work with older ladies, but when I get to play the role of the “young foreign guy” it’s even more amusing. They love to hear me fumble over my French, and they all giggle at my accent. It’s really charming! But what’s great is that I can be in the course and observe what takes place and also have the opportunity to teach them. Working with the elderly using music and movement is a completely different experience than working with kids or adults. Another great aspect is that in addition to taking in a physical and mental challenge, they are overjoyed to there and share in a social environment. I’m sure there will be more to come on this front.



This next paragraph is more for all my Dalcroze/music friends, so if sounds like gobbledygook, the just skip it!!! So, my core Dalcroze classes (eurhythmics, solfège, and improvisation) are going well; however I’m finding a real difference in the execution of some of the classes here. Generally, the classes move very quickly; once a topic is introduced, students have a short time to figure things out and then they move on. Afterwards, they’re expected to practice the movement or the concept on their own time. Also, the movement is often both the means and the end of the topic. For instance, yesterday I took a class on twice as fast, twice as slow. We moved through several activities to explore the topic and afterwards the class was over. We didn’t discuss the concept with a piece or the ramifications of how things felt. Perhaps the movement is enough as is…it’s too soon to tell, and since my French isn’t good enough, I can’t ask and get the answers I want. For me, this is a significant departure from how I’ve come to know Dalcroze pedagogy. Still, it is interesting to know how people view the work from different perspectives and explore many ways of knowing the material. Especially in these classes, I’m excited because I can get MANY ideas for exploring the Dalcroze subjects when I return to the US. Of course, there are also the professors who teach in a manner more similar to what I am accustomed to back home, which puts me a bit more at ease! Right now my improvisation classes are my favorite. Here, we have only 3 people in each class, so even though the classes are a bit on the short side (45 minutes), we get a lot of specific attention, which I think is really helpful and a good model. Solfège gives me fits because the music is all advanced chromatic harmony (normally we sight-sing Poulenc, Wolf, and Faure), and it’s all in fixed do…yikes! There is not the same emphasis on the do to do scales like back home. Again, there are lots of ideas and new ways of thinking to digest, and at the same time I am so very grateful for the excellent education I’ve received from Longy and co.!



So on a completely different note, I went to my first public baths here in Geneva. It was an eye-opening experience, indeed. The baths have completely mixed genders, and both men and women parade around in their birthday suits. I saw more bare butt than I ever seen in my life! I’ll have you all know that I kept my trunks on the whole time (as did my friends). We found that most of the people there ought not be showing quite so much of themselves, and naturally we didn’t want to offend….ahem. The pictures above are shots taken from the outside of the baths (I didn’t think it was appropriate to take pictures inside!!!) along with some shots of Lake Geneva and my friend Marie who went there with me. It’s easy to find time on the weekend to enjoy the city because the IJD closes on Friday evening at 8:00 and doesn’t open again until the Monday morning. INCREDIBLE. It’s going to force me to change my practice regime a bit because I do my best work late at night (no comments, thank you very much!). Finally, I had to include a picture of the cholocate monkeys and kangaroos....aren't they amazing!?!?!?



This weekend I am at Patrick’s for some R &R in the country. I have to be careful when I’m with him because he loves to eat very rich food….like fondue. Of course, I love fondue, but as many of you know, cheese doesn’t agree with my digestive system AT ALL. So being a vegetarian who doesn’t eat cheese is terribly unusual and difficult to manage when eating out here in Switzerland. So last night while Patrick and his partner ate fondue, I ate a cheese-less pizza with a fried egg on it. I should have taken a picture. The pizza parlor was happy to accommodate me, though the waiter did look askance when he finally understood my request. But the dinner was nice, and I’d never had an egg on my pizza before, so everyone got to try something new! Tomorrow, we’re going on a wine tasting adventure…we begin at 10:00 am…woowho!!! I don’t know if I’ve ever had wine for breakfast, but hey…I’m game!!! Patrick has been such a wonderful person to know here. He’s really made my experience more enjoyable, and I’m truly grateful for his friendship. On a completely different note, I'm very excited to say that I'll finally take my apartment this Tuesday...it will be great to finally have a place to call home.



Thanks for reading, and please keep the emails coming…it’s great to hear from everyone back home!!!

Attention all customers, please make way for the stupid American in the bakery!!!

Here are some photos: the Conservatoire du Geneve, inside the foyer of the L'Institut Jaques Dalcroze, L'Institut Jaques Dalcroze, and again back to the foyer inside. (PS Please excuse the truck in picture 3...and in case you're wondering, the title on the truck is not what you think...)

So on Tuesday, I go to the Manor, a huge 6 story commercial center which is sort of similar to our Super Target back in the states. The place is packed with people, and I’m trying to negotiate how I will plan to survive in a country where 10 medium/small eggs are about $3.30 and pasta sauce is about $5.00 for an 8 oz jar…yikes! Anyway, I staggered up to the boulangerie (bakery) and ask for the price of a loaf of bread. (I will state here and now that my French is marginal at best). The woman points to the bread and says the price. Naturally she says it about 80 km/second, so I ask her to repeat herself. She shouts back: “Trois Franc cinquante !!!” I swear, the entire store stopped what they were doing to look the “situation” in the bakery. Some man proceeds to yell across the aisle: “She said, ‘Three dollars and fifty cents!!!” Now, I realize that turtles truly do have advantage over humans with their ability to pull themselves inside their own shells!!!

Other than that things have been fine, and people are much more patient with foreigners here than in the US. There was another laughable moment at the bar when I went drinking with two of my friends here, Pablo and Stephanie. I had already had a few glasses of wine, and when it was time to pay the bill, I asked in most polite French: “L’addition, s’il vous Please!” The waitress laughed and laughed, and my friends have not yet forgotten my slip up.

L’institut is quiet because today is the Fete du Geneve…an annual event where all of the Swiss take the day off and celebrate their city. I think it’s a great idea; perhaps we can do the same thing back home and have the Fete du Federal Heights? We’ll see, but it doesn’t sound nearly as exciting. In an effort to save on time and money, I’ve moved into a VERY small room here in the L’institute. It would cost me over $30 and 4.5 hours each day to travel back and forth from Patrick’s house. So, I’ll stay here during the weekdays and Froideville on the weekends until my apartment becomes available at the end of the month.

This week has been all about orientation for the Conservatoire du Geneve (where Franz Liszt taught and performed) and L’institut Jaques-Dalcroze. I am excited to start classes and get going on my Dalcroze life. Each week, my schedule includes 4 classes of Eurhythmics, 3 classes of improvisation, 3 classes of solfège, 2 classes of pedagogy, 2 classes of movement, 2 classes of Plastique Anime, and 1 class of French. It’s a lot. But it will be good, and I’m stoked.
So, now I will practice…which is the best part of being back in “student life”. Chopin, Beethoven, and Copland for as much as I can stand it…yea, me!!!

Yea, Patrick!

So, last year I was in Geneva for a concert at the 2007 International Congress for Dalcroze, and I met Patrick in one of my classes. We stayed in contact afterwards, and I am thankful for our friendship for many reasons, not the least of which includes the fact Patrick is letting me stay in his house! He lives in a little village called Froideville. You can check out a picture of his place via satellite if you want:

http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&rls=com.microsoft:*:IE-SearchBox&rlz=1I7DKUS&q=Chemin+de+la+Fauvette+8+1055+Froideville+VD&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=X&oi=geocode_result&resnum=1&ct=title

Literally, the name of the town means City of Cold. Patrick says that throughout the year, winters here are substantially harsher because Froideville is about 2000 ft. higher than Geneva. The view of the Alps are stunning from his back porch....though the picture above isn't very good...drat!

Among many things that make Swiss life different, the bathroom and toilet are in different rooms within the house. Also, the Swiss prefer that men always sit down when they visit the loo (see picture above). Suffice it to say that the Swiss are "tres propre!" (very clean!)

Patrick teaches at a school in a neighboring village. I visited his classes in ryhthmique (eurhythmics) yesterday and was very impressed (classroom and salle du rythmique pictures above). In class, the students were very polite...afterwards, with no prompt from their teacher, they all lined up to say "Merci, monsieur...au revoir!" and then every child shook my hand. It was very impressive...of course, when the day was over, I rode the bus home with several of the kids...they definitely have a different face when the teacher is away!!! But it seems good...they are kids who love their life. Again, I have never seen a school so clean...

So, again, I thank Patrick for all his help...he's a great friend, indeed!

My flower is now plucked....

Greetings everyone!

So now, after 5 days I have finally organized myself enough to set up a blog. I know, I know...this is probably far too technologically advanced for someone of my inadequate abilities at the computer. Though my favorite form of written communication will always involve a pen, I will make a feeble attempt at joining the X-ers who have succumbed to the post-modern age!