Dusseldorf International seems as good a place as any to update this blog. So far my German is passable, meaning that nobody has switched to English on me unless I've asked them to. And the Euro leftover from whenever I was last here (last September, I think) was enough to buy me a macchiato and some mineral water to go with my granola bar. This should hold me until passing customs and hitting up an ATM in Munich. Feeling pretty charmed at this point, a feeling I'll try to hold on to when it comes time to haul my luggage onto the train for Salzburg. It's not bulky, just heavy with the books. I wouldn't ordinarily be caught dead carting two pieces of luggage as I normally pack for any trip in just a carry-on. I want to hang a sign around my neck that says "Not *that* American. I'm moving!"
I promised an update on course prep and navigating Cold War music history. The short version is: identity. The long version will have to wait for another (read: better rested) day.
Tschuss!
Thursday, January 31, 2013
Saturday, January 5, 2013
Let the countdown begin...
By the numbers: In 25 days I will get on a plane at LAX where the temperature will probably be 70 degrees Fahrenheit and about 17 hours later (if the fates are with me) I will arrive in Salzburg with a temperature of more like 35 degrees Fahrenheit.
What this all adds up to is that I'm working intently on course prep while I can still think clearly and creatively. (And digging out, or purchasing, all the sweaters... all of them.) The seminar and pro-seminar at two different Viennese universities actually do not present much of a design challenge. One 90 minute meeting per week for 12 weeks in which I must be careful to provide both breadth and depth re: the course topic... conceptually straightforward and discussion driven with independent final projects. The challenges of teaching in Vienna will occur more on a daily basis, in the personal dealings with students, finding a groove, surmounting any language barriers, working through different cultural expectations, etc. At least, with Leonard Bernstein and "American Music" as the two topics, I'm working with music I love and which tends to keep students intrigued. It also helps that I've taught some version of both classes before.
Teaching in an experiential learning program for American students in Salzburg, though, requires some strategizing. How do I make the most of where we are? How do I frame a discussion about music during the Cold War when we're not even sure it's over? How do I make sure the non-musicians can follow the discussion without boring the musicians? How do I help my students make sense of so many different musical styles and the politics surrounding them? (Scratch that, how do I make sense of it all?) There is no master narrative to work with (or more likely against).
I think I have a solution... a thread to follow through the labyrinth, if you will. Stay tuned...
What this all adds up to is that I'm working intently on course prep while I can still think clearly and creatively. (And digging out, or purchasing, all the sweaters... all of them.) The seminar and pro-seminar at two different Viennese universities actually do not present much of a design challenge. One 90 minute meeting per week for 12 weeks in which I must be careful to provide both breadth and depth re: the course topic... conceptually straightforward and discussion driven with independent final projects. The challenges of teaching in Vienna will occur more on a daily basis, in the personal dealings with students, finding a groove, surmounting any language barriers, working through different cultural expectations, etc. At least, with Leonard Bernstein and "American Music" as the two topics, I'm working with music I love and which tends to keep students intrigued. It also helps that I've taught some version of both classes before.
Teaching in an experiential learning program for American students in Salzburg, though, requires some strategizing. How do I make the most of where we are? How do I frame a discussion about music during the Cold War when we're not even sure it's over? How do I make sure the non-musicians can follow the discussion without boring the musicians? How do I help my students make sense of so many different musical styles and the politics surrounding them? (Scratch that, how do I make sense of it all?) There is no master narrative to work with (or more likely against).
I think I have a solution... a thread to follow through the labyrinth, if you will. Stay tuned...
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