So ,I’m a music teacher and every year we have what are called “walk through observations”. Basically, this means that 4 times a year the principal or vice principal comes into my class to assess my teaching. Fine. Sure. No problem.
Well, today I was doing an activity with my 1st graders called “Musical Groceries”. Basically, they make up a fake shopping list and then together we figure out what the rhythm of the words on the list is. To do that, a small group of students plays the beat on the conga drum while the rest of the students move around the room while chanting the word. It sounds weird but it’s a great way for the kids to figure out the relationship between syllables and rhythm.
They quickly get bored of walking the rhythm so I let them come up with their own ways of moving around the room.( skipping, hopping, etc) One student suggested they hop around the room like frogs, way down low to the ground. Okay fine.
Or it was fine until my vice principal walked in to do my observation only to find 20 seven year olds hopping around the room like a hoard of little hob-goblins, rhythmically chanting “BREAD! BREAD! BREAD!” while five other kids played ominous beats in a drum circle.
I have never seen anyone look so confused in my life and I really don’t want to know the rating I got on my observation.
Here’s my favorite thing about this video – according to Cage, 4’33" consists not of silence, but of the ambient sounds of the environment that the audience hears. It’s meant to call your attention to the lack of silence in any given space, to the noises around you (inspired by Cage’s attempt to use a totally silent, soundproof room, only to discover that in such rooms you can hear your own circulation). In his words, “There’s no such thing as silence.” Sound is everywhere! And the consequently amazing thing is, when you silence a recording of 4’33" and listen to it, it becomes a real performance of 4’33", because you’re listening to the ambient sounds of your own space.
Small village thinks illicit whiskey stills are its biggest problem until raiders show up and trash their everything. Death, destruction, etc. Raiders find whiskey still, get lit, pass out. Villagers murder them. Peace restored. Whiskey is king.
Shepherd lad spots fair maid skinny-dipping. Fair maid pleads for her virtue and/or clothing. Shepherd lad is complete gentleman, escorts her home with clothing and virtue intact. Fair maid demands to know what she has to do to get laid around here.
Plucky heroine’s boyfriend goes to sea, fails to return.
Plucky heroine dresses in drag and goes to find him. Plucky heroine discovers
boyfriend happily married to someone else. Plucky heroine shoots his head right
off.
Do Not Stop By The Local Weaver’s House, You Will Get So
Pregnant, Like, Super Pregnant, I’m Not Kidding, This Has Been A Public Service
Announcement.
Wealthy farmwife habitually searches her maidservants’ dorm
for SIGNS OF MEN out of concern for their virtue. Maids less concerned for
their virtue are having None Of It. Maids hide scarecrow in dorm, farm mistakes
scarecrow for prowler, farmwife decapitates scarecrow. Farmwife believes
herself a murderer. Maids now permitted to do as they please, virtue-wise.
Idiot son sent to market to sell cow. Scheming lass seduces
idiot son out of cow, pants, and even shoes.
Dad returns from business trip to find daughter Super
Pregnant, demands to meet the man responsible. Dad takes one look at man
responsible and tells daughter “okay, you’re off the hook, I would have banged
him too.”
Handsome stranger bribes fair maid to leave town with him.
Fair maid rejects various bribes until handsome stranger flat-out offers her
money, which she accepts. Handsome stranger turns out to be, to no one’s great
surprise, the actual devil. Fair maid regrets her life choices.
Gallant knight goes forth to slay dragon. Dragon eats knight, but has indigestion.
Steel Phoenix Studios 