Let the shenanigans begin!

So, since I mentioned "shenanigans," I thought I would give you a small taste of them immediately.

I am a substitute teacher. I've been working the last few weeks with 6th, 7th, and 8th grade orchestras.

Now, some of the 8th graders are pretty cool, so there's a handful of them that I write passes for to practice and chill in the orchestra room at the end of the day, so they aren't drooling over their desks or stabbing out their eyes or cursing the hands on the clock in study hall.

(Mind you, I am doing all of these things in the study hall I have to supervise. lol)

On Friday, at the end of the day, the band teacher and I went into the orchestra room, chatting as we went, and were suddenly stopped by this feat of awesomeness:

Me: Are you seeing this right now?

Band Director: Yep.

Me: I can't believe they got them to balance that way.

Band Director: I'm not sure if we're teaching middle schoolers or college kids.

The thing was like a house of cards, so we tore it down carefully.

Out of pure curiosity, I had to try this myself, so I tried to stack the chairs by the legs just to see how difficult it was. It was really tricky!

Welcome

Hello there!

Since you've stumbled upon my blog, let me introduce myself.

My name is Lauren. I'm a musician, which can mean a lot of things. For me, that means these things:

1) I am a singer.

Not so much this:

(Though I do like some of their music)

More this:

And this:

(There you go, that's me.)

2) I am also a pianist and violinist and do a lot with these instruments as well.

3) I teach music too. Mostly, I do private lessons, and I work with orchestras and choirs. My kids are all completely different, so it keeps my work interesting.

4) I compose and arrange music for soloists, chamber, and large ensembles.

5) I perform.

I also have other artistic interests, namely painting, drawing, and writing. I was going to be a children's author and illustrator long before I was a musician. (And I still might be someday!)

I thought it would be fun to share some of my musical endeavors, the other work I do to make those happen, my various musings, and the musical and artistic gems I find that interest or amuse me--hence "The Musical Life."

So however long you follow the twists, turns, and shenanigans of my life, I hope you enjoy your stay! It can get a little crazy, but it's my life. :)