A Day in the Life of a Lodge Chief - Tuesday
by: John Bisbee on
This is a continuation of the Blog Series entitled "A Day in the Life of a Lodge Chief." Today, we look at Tuesday!
I begin my Tuesday mornings at 5:25am, following the same schedule as Monday mornings. I’ll grab a quick bite to eat, then be ready to practice by 6:00am, give or take a few minutes. Tuesday’s are the days that I practice the least amount of time, usually around three hours. I will finish up with my practice session at around 7:00am or so, then chat a bit with my fellow music majors that arrive early, while also looking a bit at emails from the evening.
At 8:00am, I have a Choral/Instrumental Conducting class. This is our advanced conducting class, where we have the opportunity to conduct our University performing ensembles. I then move to Secondary Choral Methods at 9:00am, where we specifically focus on Middle School and High School Choral teaching. I was able to do five hours of practicum at Simle Middle School, and currently scheduled to complete five hours of Practicum at Legacy High School in Bismarck, ND! At 10:00am, I have a class named Brass Pedagogy, where we study how to properly play and teach brass instruments, such as the trumpet, trombone, and tuba. We have a ton of fun playing fifth grade level music! I sometimes have choir at 11:00am, but we normally use that time for sectionals with our women’s section. I will use this time, if I don’t have choir, to warm-up for my oboe lesson!
At noon each Tuesday, I have an hour-long private oboe lesson, where I focus on techniques and solo repertoire. I am currently working on three solos for a Junior Recital, tentatively scheduled for February 12, 2016! At 1:00pm, I have time for lunch/dinner, which I normally eat at my apartment, something small, like a sandwich. At 2:00pm, I have a rehearsal with our Oboe Ensemble, where we look at small group music! 3:00pm is set aside for oboe reed making, where my teacher spends an hour with us showing the proper way of making oboe reeds! I have made my own reeds for three years, and sell them to students in High School in the state of North Dakota!
If you think I had a break at 4:00pm, think again ;) I have a rehearsal in town, for the Bismarck/Mandan Youth Symphony Orchestra, starting at 4:45, running until 6:00pm. After that, I do have a class, entitled Learners with Exceptional Needs, beginning at 6:30pm, running until 9:30pm. Some Tuesday evenings, I will miss part of class to play oboe/English horn with the Bismarck/Mandan Symphony Orchestra! It is a great experience for me, to be able to perform next to my teachers and community members! We play professional level music, it is such a fun experience!
I usually finish up with rehearsal and/or my class at roughly the same time, and make my way back to our music department. It is usually 9:45pm. I will then practice a bit more, normally a half hour to an hour, then work on some homework! I will check my email again right before doing homework, then make my way back to my apartment! I’ll grab a quick bite to eat, then head to bed, normally at around 11:45pm or 12:00am. Tuesdays are quite busy!
John Bisbee
2015 Pa-Hin Lodge Chief