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!