Day 3/4

Good Evening Everyone!!

Thank God tomorrow is Friday. The past couple of days have been a blur of me freaking out and being all alone. I realized just how different music here is than it is in the states. For the past fifteen years I have been calling note values a specific term.

For example: (for the music geeks out there) If I am in 4/4 time and a note takes up the entire measure it is a......? Nope. Not a whole note, now it is a semibreve. Next question, if I am in 4/4 time and a note takes up two beats, is it a half note? NO! It is a minim. Let's keep going, shall we? If I am in 4/4 time and a note takes up one beat it is a...crotchet (Yep, that's right...a crotchet...I didn't misspell it). So since you are tired of this game...an eighth note is a quaver, sixteenth note is a semiquaver, a 32nd note (I just did theory homework with 32 notes in it..who even really uses those?) as a demisemiquaver, a 64th note is a hemidemisemiquaver (this one might be my favorite!), and finally a 128th note (for some reason they learn these here...) is a quasihemidemisemiquaver. (Did that just blow your mind? I know it blew mine).

They also use a rhythmic counting method that I have never heard before...it's not Gordon, Takadimi, number system, or Kodaly, even though it is awfully close to Kodaly. Lots of ta's and ti's...I have also taken a dive head first into the world of arranging as it is SO HARD to find good arrangements of TTBB music (all male music). Therefore I am arranging The Final Countdown, I'm Yours/Somewhere over the Rainbow (yes the Straight no Chaser version) and The Lion Sleeps Tonight (also the Straight no Chaser version). Please don't judge me for this, the boys wanted to do acapella music in which "their voices sounded like instruments". Boy should I be getting paid for this job.

That being said, I am teaching my first full lesson tomorrow to 5th and 6th years (if you are wondering what ages these boys are, please see post dated for August 28th). I will be doing a number of challenging things with the boys so I hope they are prepared to work. I am nervous because it is a different environment with different students and VERY different teaching styles. I will be teaching the Imperial March from Star Wars as well as Prayer of the Children (I included a link below to this beautiful song in case you have never heard it before).

Please wish me luck as I venture into a totally new world full of teenage boys in uniforms and accents that reuquire me to say "come again" and "I'm sorry?" about fifty times a day. It will be grand, brilliant, or perhaps even good "craic".......

My love,
J

Teaching in Ireland

It's the end of day two here. School is wicked different here than it is in the states. I will give you all a brief overview so if I use terms they will be understandable. I am teaching at Blackrock College, a posh catholic high school south of Dublin. So, here is the general gist of Irish education as a whole...If you don't care, skip to section B...

Section A:

Primary School (the most concise explanation I found was on Wikipedia):

• Junior Infants (Naíonáin Shóisearacha) (age 4-6)
• Senior Infants (Naíonáin Shinsearacha) (age 5-7)
• First Class (Rang a hAon) (age 6-8)
• Second Class (Rang a Dó) (age 7-9)
• Third Class (Rang a Trí) (age 8-10)
• Fourth Class (Rang a Ceathar) (age 9-11)
• Fifth Class (Rang a Cúig) (age 10-12)
• Sixth Class (Rang a Sé) (age 11-13) 

After primary school they begin secondary school which is split into two subsets of education

1) Junior Cycle:

• First Year (An Chéad Bhliain) (age 12–14)
• Second Year (An Dara Bliain) (age 13–15)
• Third Year (An Tríú Bliain) (age 14–16)

 After the third year students take their Junior certificate exams, which are standardized exams taken to ensure that the student has learned their compulsory subjects and are prepared to move on to The Senior Cycle. The exams are usually on 10 to 11 subjects. There is also an optional year called the Transition Year "which provides an opportunity for students to experience a wide range of educational inputs, life skills and work experience at a remove from the examination focus. The Transition Year is an optional one-year programme that typically forms the first year of a three year cycle. Transition year is not examined, but rather is assessed, and is intended to be a broad educational experience which assists in the transition from the school environment by encouraging creativity and responsibility for ones self. The main objective of the Transition Year is to promote the personal, social, educational and vocational development of pupils and to prepare them for their role as autonomous, participative and responsible members of society." (From the Education in Ireland website, I assume full APA is not necessary on a private blog?)

For students at Blackrock this year is mandatory and is an important part of their schooling process. After transition year, the students begin in their senior cycle, this goes as follows:

-The Senior Cycle: culminates with the Leaving Certificate Examination. Students normally begin this aged 15–17 the year following the completion of the Junior Cycle or Transition Year. The Leaving Certificate Examination is taken after two years of study usually at the ages of 17-19.

The Leaving "Certs" are like our SATs and are provided in three different categories:

The Leaving Certificate Programme - This is the most widely taken programme in which students must take at least five subjects, including Irish (with the exception of those entering the system after 11 years of age). Those intending to pursue higher education at a third-level institutenormally takes this examination and access to third-level courses depends on results obtained.

The Leaving Certificate Vocational Programme (LCVP) first introduced in 1989 is similar to the established programme detailed above, however there is an added vocational content and a concentration on technical subjects. Pupils taking the LCVP take five Leaving Certificate subjects (including two vocational subjects); a modern European Language and three link modules on Enterprise Education, Preparation for Work and Work Experience.

The Leaving Certificate Applied - The Leaving Certificate Applied is a two-year Leaving Certificate available to students who wish to follow a practical programme with a strong vocational emphasis. The primary objective of this person-centred programme is to prepare participants for adult and working life.While certification in the LCA does not qualify for direct entry to third-level courses, students who successfully complete the programme are able to proceed to many Post Leaving Certificate courses. The framework of the LCA consists of a number of modules grouped under three general headings: General Education; Vocational Education and Vocational Preparation

 
Part B:
 Ok, so now that I was long winded about Irish education, I feel I can talk about what I am teaching. My first day was terrifying and I felt so out of place the whole day. My cooperating teachers are very down to business and do not seemed too concerned with my growth and development which tends to leave me feeling in the way for most classes. It appears that I will have a good bit of freedom and will be thrown in by the end of the week (SCARY!). I have some ideas already, and I will be teaching mostly transition year students (also known as 4th year students), 4th year choir, and 2nd year choir. I am trying to pick out music for the two choirs but I don't really know their skill level which makes finding music very challenging.

The boys all seem pretty well behaved, but I noticed that teachers are rather strict in the classroom and the teachers get pretty sassy with their students. For example, today I heard teachers say:

-It's day one and you are already on my nerves.
-You are 6th year students and you are supposed to be setting an example, but clearly you have yet to rise to this challenge.
- When I am talking, no one else is talking. If there is any part of this that you don't understand please let me know.

I don't really know how to be like this with students, I am much better in an environment where people don't fear me but respect me because I am helping them realize their greatest potential. I believe all students should be given some freedom to grow as young learners. It appears that this happens less here than it does back home.

I have been given little direction during my first two days and have realized that in order to get the most out of this experience I must rise to the challenge and take a running start into the storm that lies ahead. I hope that the past three and half years of training have left me well prepared for the next ten weeks and I will find it in me to portray myself as a good enough musician.

Praying for guidance,
Jackie

Sundee

Happy Sundee everyone!

I hope that everyone is resting up today and getting ready for yet another work week. I just went for a run/walk through Herbert Park which is about a five minute walk from my apartment. I got about two miles in and my knees started to give out...which is terrifying seeing as I have the half coming up in two weeks (side note, I really miss my foam roller).

Tomorrow school begins! I'm slowly becoming more nervous about the thought of teaching here. I knew I would be in the classroom here, but I don't think it hit me until today that I will actually be standing in front of students in two days. I know it will be a great experience that I will walk away from it a better educator, but it's still a little unnerving.

Went to our local pub yesterday, which really is just like Cheers, and watched an all Ireland hurling semi-final. Hurling is insane and if you have never heard about it or seen how it is played you must Google it immediately. I had never given any thought to the speed in which sports are played, but after watching the way sporting events are played here, American sports look like molasses! The four of us got tickets for the all Ireland football (gaelic football, which is neither "grid-iron" football nor soccer) semi-final between co. Dublin and co. Mayo. That game is at Páirc an Chrócaigh (Croke Park) which was a stadium built only for indigenous sports. This mostly means that no British games can be played here because people here REALLY don't like anything British...at all. We are so excited to go to this game as it is such a tradition within the country AND co. Dublin is playing in the match.

I hope everyone finds a beautiful day in whatever part of the States they are in. In case any of you are not on Instagram or you don't follow me, I'll post some nice pictures of the park that I took on me walk this morning.

Love,
-j

Rain, Rain...All the day

First rainy day today. We went into Dublin this morning, walked around Trinity College and then found our way to Grafton Street. This is a large mix of different kinds of shops, bars, and restaurants just south of the River Liffey. Things in the city are incredibly busy because the Tall Ships Festival is stopping in city centre for three days. It is essentially a bunch of tall sailing ships that "race" from port to port. We were hoping to stop by and see it but the sheer number of people made it quite impossible to walk around. Thus, we came back and plan to go around the corner to the local pubs for dinner and drinks.

I went to Blackrock yesterday in order to explore the area and to take a look at the school. It is BEAUTIFUL. The grounds are incredibly fast and there are about twenty rugby fields to play on. The school looks very majestic and the 'castle' (where the boys board) was outstanding. We weren't able to get inside the building so we will have to do some exploring on Monday but the trip down was well worth it just to see the vast expanse upon which the campus lays.

I hope things in the states are well for everyone!
Feel free to drop a comment or email, its nice to hear about everyone.

My love,
Jackie

This is crazy.

So my meeting with Marie and Joe was lovely! I learned a great deal about was partition was like and how a single island could be both two separate countries but still "Ireland". It appears that most everyone refers to both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland as just Ireland. Those living in Northern Ireland are allowed to carry both Irish passports and UK passports, but they still identify mostly with their Irish heritage. I was also brought up to speed on football (not American football, which here is "neither American nor football"), Irish hurling, rugby, and Gaelic football.

My roommates and I then went to Temple Bar, a South Side if you will, and had a few drinks. RED ALERT** the craft brew tradition does NOT exist here!!! The only 'craft' they sell are American craft beers like Magic Hat and Victory. I even went looking for a bar that advertised a great selection of Irish Craft beers and found that there were only ten selections on drought two of which were Guinness and Smithwicks. It was certainly not Hough's impressive tap wall.

It appears that everyone I meet is shocked that I am not rolling in money like Kim Kardashian (they are also shocked when I speak in full sentences), surprised that I am not like the guests on Maury or Jerry Springer, and most importantly...they are amazed that not everyone in the US acts like the fine people on the Jersey Shore everyday. This moment was when I realized the implications 'reality' TV has on the social image of the United States. The rest of the world sees us as our 'reality' TV portray us...this was certainly hard to swallow.

The best part of the night was when my roommate Kat approach four young gentlemen about a question we had and upon talking to them found out that all four of them were in seminary school. That's right...all of them were studying to be Priests. We talked with these polite gentlemen for a number of hours and even took a picture and instead of saying 'cheese' we were prompted to say 'celibacy rules'.

How about that for a first night out in Dublin....

Sláinte (Cheers and Good Health)
J

day 2

Day two is now halfway over. I am really enjoying Dublin, the buildings are all small and the area is not very densely populated which makes traveling within the country easy and not overwhelming. Despite prior belief...there is coffee...just about everywhere. It isn't commonplace coffee, but it gets me through the day just the same.

The one thing that is different than what I had expected, the people are not as nice as I thought they would be. Usually when I ask questions oon the street I get a rather quizzical look followed by a response laced with "ugh, silly Americans".

I am headed into city centre today in order to get a map. It is very strange how accustomed I have become to using my phone as a way of finding places and for pretty much everything. After having a smartphone it is really hard to go back to not having one. I am also meeting Jordan's dissertation chair today! Her name is Marie Martin and we met during her stay in Pittsburgh. Jordan had given her my information and her husband and her decided to come to Dublin for the day. I will be meeting them in a few hours and look forward to spending some time with them and getting the Irish scoop.

P.S. any ideas on how to get it home?

Sunset in Dublin

8:50 and all is well in Ballsbridge. Enjoying the sunset as we watch the cricket team pack up and call it a night. I discovered the DART today and found the local full-service grocer.

Life is good. Tomorrow, is Dublin

Found my way

Good Morning everyone! It is 6:25 a.m. your time and I hope everyone has a wonderful start to their day. Made it do Dublin, found my roommates, and found my apartment...with some wrong turns along the way...but we all made it! Side note: at the end of our flight, we all received blueberry muffin tops. If that isn't an omen of good luck towards me, I'm not sure what is.

Ireland is just as green as you think it is and has just as much farmland as you speculated. For example, when we landed at the airport, there were cows grazing in the field located directly next to the landing strip.

Cars drive on the other side of the road, (the gas pedal is still on the right), and no one appears to be in a hurry for anything. I am clearly an American and draw attention to myself quite frequently without really trying.


My final note is that it is wayyyy harder to understand people than I had anticipated.
Pictures to be posted later.

Peace, Love, and Muffin Tops

Depature Day

Greetings! I wanted to create a blog so everyone could keep tabs or take the time to blog with me.

Thank you for all the love and support from everyone as I prepare to take my two month journey to Dublin.

My love