the sound of music
11:00 last night: Mary: It’s on like Donkey Kong. Mrs. Riser said Mrs. Hefner is going to pick out a song from her collection.
7:30 worked myself into a fury – yet again – over the whole music situation.
7:55 Stormed over to the music room, bowling over several unfortunate chibis (and also Courtney ^^;) who happened to be in my path. Was perfectly civil, calm, level-voiced, and polite. “Mrs. Hefner, I heard that you were going to be replacing one of our songs?” “No, not right now, we’re keeping them the same, but I haven’t had a chance to look over them yet.”
9:10 Called out of art class at Mrs. Hefner’s bidding. “The song ‘This Time of Year’s soundtrack’s vocals are too loud.” “Well, I told you when I gave you the cd that they weren’t professionally done, but this is all we have to practice with. I also mentioned that by the time graduation rolls around, we will have a professional recording of the song.” “And on ‘Time of Your Life,’ that song is just too high.” “… well, I guess that means I’ll have to transpose it.”
12:00 Laura and I go to find Doc or Mrs. Bryan. We are intercepted by Mrs. Riser, who tells us that hey, it’s only five minutes, it’s not that big a deal. More inserts later.
12:35 It is now officially a music Fiasco.
2:30 I leave the school. At some point, Laura has a talk with Doc.
bUtteRfLyz07bAbe: so i went and talked to doc
bUtteRfLyz07bAbe: 'diplomatic doc'
DeborahSama: what did he say?
DeborahSama: other than the usual ambiguity
bUtteRfLyz07bAbe: just
bUtteRfLyz07bAbe: ...can
bUtteRfLyz07bAbe: yeah
DeborahSama: eh?
bUtteRfLyz07bAbe: can the songs
DeborahSama: ...
DeborahSama: wait,
DeborahSama: you mean, can like, have the soundtracks canned? or can as in, just forget about them all?
bUtteRfLyz07bAbe: forget them
DeborahSama: both of them?
bUtteRfLyz07bAbe: thats how he acted
DeborahSama: ...
bUtteRfLyz07bAbe: i asked him to come speak to us tomorrow at the meeting
bUtteRfLyz07bAbe: i told him
bUtteRfLyz07bAbe: that he would make his announcement,
bUtteRfLyz07bAbe: we'll see how he handles the pressure
Mrs. Hefner has complained to the Fine Arts class and also commented (read: whined) to me that she wasn’t really involved in the process this year. Surprise surprise, this year our Senior Music Committee was actually competent enough to do the job properly and quickly. We did the effing job. I provided her with the sheet music and karaoke when they were available, made the karaoke cd of the other as best as I could, and gods know what else. We did what we were supposed to, meaning she didn’t have an excuse to but in and have her say so. This is apparently not making her happy, since she wants to be in charge but have everyone else do the legwork, as I experienced during the Christmas play. Since she didn’t have any legitimate complaints, now it seems she has to make some up.
Mrs. Hefner had the lyrics for 4 months. We decided on the songs between renaissance and Christmas. That’s about 4 months. She’s had the lyrics for just as long. At that time, she said “that’s fine.” If she had any complaints about the song, for FOUR BLOODY MONTHS, during break and lunch, I sit at the table just outside her door. Every day she walks by me at least twice. On rare occasions we even greet each other. She could have mentioned at any time that she had issues with the songs; then I would have had an opportunity to call another meeting, find some more songs, and get those prepared as well. Instead, she waits until the day before the practices start. How much time does that give me? Not bloody much.
And actually, it doesn’t matter if we find any new ones or not, because it’s obvious that the Senior Music Committee doesn’t mean shit. Rather than selecting songs to sing, as long as the sponsors and Mrs. Hefner approve, it should be noted that Mrs. Hefner picks the songs but may entertain our suggestions.
Mrs. Riser mentioned that Mrs. Hefner had other things to worry about the senior songs. You know, I’m sure that we aren’t very high on her priority list. She isn’t important to me either, and yet I managed to keep her well informed on what was going on with the music. Every time I got an update, I told her, Mrs. Riser, and Mrs. Bryan. The sheet music, the karaoke tracks, the original tracks, the bloody copyright waiver from Better Than Ezra, it was all taken care of.
And I didn’t volunteer for this job, as I’m sure she’ll say she didn’t. I was voted into heading the “Music Committee,” and even though I have other more important and enterprising and certainly less pain-in-the-ass-inducing activities I could have been doing, I performed my responsibility. I don’t give a damn about her opinion, but I still did my duty and reported every little bitty update to her after I took care of what she needed to be done. The fact is that whether she cares about us or not, the senior songs are her responsibility too, and she should have had at the very least the decency and responsibility to go over the songs at some point during those four months and let us know with enough warning to get some songs in their stead.
Mrs. Riser also mentioned that “it’s not that big of a deal.” If it’s not a big deal, then why are the teachers making a big deal out of it?! It’s our graduation. We’re only (hopefully) going to have one high school graduation. Just let us have our stinkin song.
I'm sick of the diplomacy and politics and incompetant, whining, second-infancy-stage teachers who are allegedly our 'betters.'
I will be civil and calm and polite for the remainder of the year during "singing practice," somehow I swear I will.
But all of this is really getting on my nerves. I just may end up doing something uncharacteristically drastic to/at/through a teacher. Warning to my classmates: keep all sharp, pointy, and remotely dangerous items out of my grasp for the next 9 wednesdays. I just may end up impaling someone otherwise.
11:00 last night: Mary: It’s on like Donkey Kong. Mrs. Riser said Mrs. Hefner is going to pick out a song from her collection.
7:30 worked myself into a fury – yet again – over the whole music situation.
7:55 Stormed over to the music room, bowling over several unfortunate chibis (and also Courtney ^^;) who happened to be in my path. Was perfectly civil, calm, level-voiced, and polite. “Mrs. Hefner, I heard that you were going to be replacing one of our songs?” “No, not right now, we’re keeping them the same, but I haven’t had a chance to look over them yet.”
9:10 Called out of art class at Mrs. Hefner’s bidding. “The song ‘This Time of Year’s soundtrack’s vocals are too loud.” “Well, I told you when I gave you the cd that they weren’t professionally done, but this is all we have to practice with. I also mentioned that by the time graduation rolls around, we will have a professional recording of the song.” “And on ‘Time of Your Life,’ that song is just too high.” “… well, I guess that means I’ll have to transpose it.”
12:00 Laura and I go to find Doc or Mrs. Bryan. We are intercepted by Mrs. Riser, who tells us that hey, it’s only five minutes, it’s not that big a deal. More inserts later.
12:35 It is now officially a music Fiasco.
2:30 I leave the school. At some point, Laura has a talk with Doc.
bUtteRfLyz07bAbe: so i went and talked to doc
bUtteRfLyz07bAbe: 'diplomatic doc'
DeborahSama: what did he say?
DeborahSama: other than the usual ambiguity
bUtteRfLyz07bAbe: just
bUtteRfLyz07bAbe: ...can
bUtteRfLyz07bAbe: yeah
DeborahSama: eh?
bUtteRfLyz07bAbe: can the songs
DeborahSama: ...
DeborahSama: wait,
DeborahSama: you mean, can like, have the soundtracks canned? or can as in, just forget about them all?
bUtteRfLyz07bAbe: forget them
DeborahSama: both of them?
bUtteRfLyz07bAbe: thats how he acted
DeborahSama: ...
bUtteRfLyz07bAbe: i asked him to come speak to us tomorrow at the meeting
bUtteRfLyz07bAbe: i told him
bUtteRfLyz07bAbe: that he would make his announcement,
bUtteRfLyz07bAbe: we'll see how he handles the pressure
Mrs. Hefner has complained to the Fine Arts class and also commented (read: whined) to me that she wasn’t really involved in the process this year. Surprise surprise, this year our Senior Music Committee was actually competent enough to do the job properly and quickly. We did the effing job. I provided her with the sheet music and karaoke when they were available, made the karaoke cd of the other as best as I could, and gods know what else. We did what we were supposed to, meaning she didn’t have an excuse to but in and have her say so. This is apparently not making her happy, since she wants to be in charge but have everyone else do the legwork, as I experienced during the Christmas play. Since she didn’t have any legitimate complaints, now it seems she has to make some up.
Mrs. Hefner had the lyrics for 4 months. We decided on the songs between renaissance and Christmas. That’s about 4 months. She’s had the lyrics for just as long. At that time, she said “that’s fine.” If she had any complaints about the song, for FOUR BLOODY MONTHS, during break and lunch, I sit at the table just outside her door. Every day she walks by me at least twice. On rare occasions we even greet each other. She could have mentioned at any time that she had issues with the songs; then I would have had an opportunity to call another meeting, find some more songs, and get those prepared as well. Instead, she waits until the day before the practices start. How much time does that give me? Not bloody much.
And actually, it doesn’t matter if we find any new ones or not, because it’s obvious that the Senior Music Committee doesn’t mean shit. Rather than selecting songs to sing, as long as the sponsors and Mrs. Hefner approve, it should be noted that Mrs. Hefner picks the songs but may entertain our suggestions.
Mrs. Riser mentioned that Mrs. Hefner had other things to worry about the senior songs. You know, I’m sure that we aren’t very high on her priority list. She isn’t important to me either, and yet I managed to keep her well informed on what was going on with the music. Every time I got an update, I told her, Mrs. Riser, and Mrs. Bryan. The sheet music, the karaoke tracks, the original tracks, the bloody copyright waiver from Better Than Ezra, it was all taken care of.
And I didn’t volunteer for this job, as I’m sure she’ll say she didn’t. I was voted into heading the “Music Committee,” and even though I have other more important and enterprising and certainly less pain-in-the-ass-inducing activities I could have been doing, I performed my responsibility. I don’t give a damn about her opinion, but I still did my duty and reported every little bitty update to her after I took care of what she needed to be done. The fact is that whether she cares about us or not, the senior songs are her responsibility too, and she should have had at the very least the decency and responsibility to go over the songs at some point during those four months and let us know with enough warning to get some songs in their stead.
Mrs. Riser also mentioned that “it’s not that big of a deal.” If it’s not a big deal, then why are the teachers making a big deal out of it?! It’s our graduation. We’re only (hopefully) going to have one high school graduation. Just let us have our stinkin song.
I'm sick of the diplomacy and politics and incompetant, whining, second-infancy-stage teachers who are allegedly our 'betters.'
I will be civil and calm and polite for the remainder of the year during "singing practice," somehow I swear I will.
But all of this is really getting on my nerves. I just may end up doing something uncharacteristically drastic to/at/through a teacher. Warning to my classmates: keep all sharp, pointy, and remotely dangerous items out of my grasp for the next 9 wednesdays. I just may end up impaling someone otherwise.
posted by Deborah at 10:02:00 PM
