Thirty Days Has September

Snares on the House on Summit Avenue

Calvin in the Center

Not Yet 50. . . 

One is Silver and the Other Gold

Birthday Boy with his Banana Boat

A Pretty Good Time. . .  wink

Back to School Pose

Another Party? How many parites does this guy get? 

Along with Andras Schiff in October, it's going to be a great concert year! 

Super mom helped Mary make this entire outfit. Sewing Day '17

September is coming to a close. Today is Bill's 50th birthday. He's taking it okay. I'm wondering if I should have married an older man.

I'll let you work that one out.

The USS Kotrba is sailing across the wide blue sea but I'm feeling mysteriously in control. I've got more students than ever this Fall, but I'm getting more help too. It all works out.

I'm starting the day at 5:30 a.m. I'm downstairs by 5:45 and start the I.V. drip of coffee. Also some really good vitamins. I'm writing in my journal, doing my devotion and when I can take it, a short meditation. Once a week or so I head on up and listen to Calvin practice. He's pretty independant but I still take notes at the lesson and keep him company. I feel extremely blessed. Every Monday afternoon I get to pick him up from school, spend an hour in the car, listen to an hour of his lesson, and drive the hour back down to Eastview High. I pack a snack, a dinner and another snack, all the drum line stuff, his piano scores, my piano scores, and a gallon thermos of water for marching band practice. I get to witness the next step at the piano with a kid I know pretty well. Wink. Paul is amazing and cheerful and very kind to let me observe. I work hard to keep as quiet as possible. I'm not perfect.

At 6:30 a.m. Bill and I start the breakfasts and lunches. We can't always eat dinner all together, so we try to all be in the kitchen in the morning. No devices. For that matter, I've been strict with myself--no lists, no notebook and no email until after Mary is dropped at school. Bill and Calvin leave at 7:00 and Mary and I head up for piano. She's doing a half an hour with me and half an hour independently after school. Also, a few nights a week I sneak in an extra twenty minutes or so with her after dinner. After piano I drop her at Blackhawk Middle School. She has her lists down--clarinet, lunch, book, backpack. . . she's a 7th grader extraordinaire. She's looking up her grades online every few hours. . . they are pretty good. Wink.

The SAM workshop is looming. Michiko Yurko is coming to work with students and teachers on Music Mind Games, her program. I'm super looking forward to getting to know her and getting NEW IDEAS for group class. After the workshop, my SAM Presidency is on the downhill. I'm ready to do my own thing. I need to focus on my own teacher training and take care of my own studio. Conor and Adrianna and I have a conference proposal cooking and I'm hopeful that Caroline Fraser is coming to work with me and the piano kids and some local teachers in May before the conference.

After I drop Mary at 7:45, two days a week I go exercise in a class. It's the only way my body will do an hour of work. There has to be a teacher telling me what to do. There has to be peer pressure to stay the whole class. Videos at home get shut off when the phone rings. The three other days are filled with meetings and lesson plans and teaching. Triaging the email. After the workshop, I'm hoping to do more pedagogy blogging. Here is a link to where you can sign up to get my pedagogy blog entries: https://www.kotrbapianostudio.com/subscribe-to-saras-notes-blog/

My studio is awesome. I've got 100% awesome families. So many highlights already this Fall--not the least of which was Preston coming in and reading aloud to me. From his Braille book. There is a story for every student. Awesome kids.

Choir is great. We have a new music director Ben. Everyone is excited about choir.

Calvin is taking his driver's test in two weeks. We are visiting Northwestern in Chicago over MEA break. Those are proably each their own blog. Heaven help us. I'll have to up the meditation effort.

Thirty days has September. They have been extremely full, but not frantic. It's been Bill's birth month. . . many, many parties. It's all good. 50 is 50 afterall. He's only four months older than me for the record.

Feeling blessed with family, friends, faith, music, health, and meaning.