How it all began...

In August I moved to San Juan, Puerto Rico. Since then my online existence has been minimal. I haven't really posted any photos or anything and think that maybe now is the time. Here is how it went.

How I got here...
This summer I went to the Clarinetfest to honor Elsa Verdehr. It was great and I met a lot of Elsa's former students and heard a lot of good music. Blah, blah....on to the good stuff!
On the last afternoon that I was there I went to lunch with Dr. Verdehr and some of her former students (along with my other former teacher Dr. Kimberly Cole). While there, Kathy Jones (clarinet prof from the Puerto Rico Conservatory of Music) came by to congratulate Dr. Verdehr and mentioned she needed someone to teach a sabbatical. At this point, I didn't know Kathy was from Puerto Rico. Dr. Verdehr offered me up and introduced me. Kathy asked me if I spoke spanish---and I was confused. I soon learned where this sabbatical position was. Dr. Cole told me that if they called, I had to go. This was seconded by Walter and Elsa. But I wasn't concerned, this stuff doesn't happen to me! (Or so I thought.)
Time passes. No call. I'm relieved/dissapointed and mention it to Elsa. Call comes the next day from my now boss. We talk some details and they offer me the job on July 27th..."When can you be here? Classes start August 11." I arrived on August 9th. Trabajo en el Conservatorio de Musica de Puerto Rico (CMPR) este ano.


The Weather
The most common question. How is the weather? Well, its pretty nice. When I first got here (before I bought my car) I wanted to die. The summer is extraordinarily humid. But now, I love it. The average is like 80 degrees. Right now at night it gets to like 74-76. During the day 81-84. Yeah it is nice, BUT we do get rain. I can't complain.
And yes, you can come visit.

My Students
I can't say enough about my students. They are all so great! I teach 9 clarinet students and coach 8 chamber groups. In total I am in contact with 35 students a week. I love it, which is a relief, as 10 years of college would have been a waste.
I have learned a lot, such as; wherever you set the bar--the students will rise to it, the best thing a teacher can be is honest, and music really is a universal language. I can't believe how grateful my students are, and it makes my job so rewarding to see them succeed. I can't wait to see what these students do with their skills. Its almost surreal that I get paid to do something I love so much.

Mi espanol...

Mira. Yo tengo 'Rosetta Stone' y estoy lo practicando. Pero nadie quieren hablar espanol conmigo aqui! Mis estudiantes quieren hablar ingles conmigo. Mis amigos quieren hablar ingles conmigo. Cuando yo hablo espanol con alguien (en la tienda, o cuando voy a comprar gasolina)--ellos hablan ingles conmigo! Este es dificil. Ayudame, por favor! Estoy apreniendo, pero apreniendo mas lento.

More to come...