It’s been a busy day!
First, I actually left my house at 8:30 in the morning to meet with the new principal of the Visual & Performing Arts (VPA) middle school in St. Louis’ Magnet school system. For about 12 years I worked there part time teaching Harp. I had 10 students per class, with 3 classes (6th, 7th, & 8th grade). During the time I was there I had some really awesome kids, some of whom still keep in touch with me from time to time, & some who continued their studies with me at the VPA high school, & are currently studying Harp in college (Ball State, Webster University, Lincoln U). Sadly, the program began to fall apart, as we got a new principal who had no interest in the arts & set out to remove the “smart through the arts” emphasis. I quit, as it was a miserable environment. So now there is a new principal, who attended the VPA program years ago, & his big goal is to get the school back on track. He would like to start my Harp program up again, among other things. We had a nice visit.

Then I played at the nursing home, then at another event. I knew I’d be out & about for awhile, so I brewed up a strong batch of Tardis & then iced it down. I carried it around with me all afternoon in my venti sized double walled starbucks cup with a straw. It stayed nice & cold, & it is delicious as an ice tea, SO good. Leif agrees, he had some too.

Fuzzy_Peachkin

Sounds like exciting stuff in the works! Music is essential!

High Adventure

School without the arts should be a crime! I try to work in art and music as much as I can with my first graders, but there is no formal curriculum. Sad!

Terri HarpLady

St. Louis’ VPA program was really awesome at it’s highest point, with 2 elementary schools, a middle school, & a high school that all included a wide array of arts. At the elementary everyone learned to play an instrument, & got a chance to try out various other arts. At the middle school they could choose 2 arts: music (vocal, string, band, harp, piano), dance, theater, audio visual, 2 different art approaches (one more focused on sculptural mediums like clay, the other more focused on drawing, painting). We had the top jazz band, flags & stuff like that in the district. The high school included all that, plus a fashion design program & who knows what else. All the music teachers were top notch musicians, performing locally on the jazz scene, or as soloists, or as part of some ensemble or other. I won’t go into the many reasons the programs have gone downhill, but it is a shadow of itself & a shame.

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

Comments

Fuzzy_Peachkin

Sounds like exciting stuff in the works! Music is essential!

High Adventure

School without the arts should be a crime! I try to work in art and music as much as I can with my first graders, but there is no formal curriculum. Sad!

Terri HarpLady

St. Louis’ VPA program was really awesome at it’s highest point, with 2 elementary schools, a middle school, & a high school that all included a wide array of arts. At the elementary everyone learned to play an instrument, & got a chance to try out various other arts. At the middle school they could choose 2 arts: music (vocal, string, band, harp, piano), dance, theater, audio visual, 2 different art approaches (one more focused on sculptural mediums like clay, the other more focused on drawing, painting). We had the top jazz band, flags & stuff like that in the district. The high school included all that, plus a fashion design program & who knows what else. All the music teachers were top notch musicians, performing locally on the jazz scene, or as soloists, or as part of some ensemble or other. I won’t go into the many reasons the programs have gone downhill, but it is a shadow of itself & a shame.

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

Profile

Bio

I’m so excited to have found this community! I’m a self-employed Harpist (acoustic & electric – Originals, Classical, Rock, Jazz, etc) & Singer/Songwriter. My days & nights revolve around teaching at home, playing gigs, gardening,& fixing awesome food to eat. My schedule is different everyday, but I just go with the flow, & I sip a lot of tea!

My love of Tea began with Herbals back in the 70’s. One of my favorites was a licorice blend from House of Hezekiah, an old tea shop in Kansas City. There was also a tea with mint, rose petals, chamomile, etc called Nuclear Casual Tea.
In the 80’s I gave up caffeine, chocolate, alcohol, (& a few illicit substances…), and brewed medicinal blends & tinctures to support 4 pregnancies (all children born at home). In the 90’s my love affair with green teas began when I discovered ‘The Republic of Tea’. Their beautiful teas & packaging inspired my original song, “TeaMind”, from my CD “Zen Breakfast”. If you’d like to hear the song for free, drop by my website.

In general, I drink my teas straight, but occasionally I add a pinch of Stevia & maybe some coconut or almond milk (I’m allergic to dairy, gluten, & various other things & avoid most sweets.)

I’ve explored a variety of teas:
Whites tend to be a little bland…sorry
Oolongs – wonderfully sensual
Roobios – I’m not a fan in general
Puehr – a fairly new direction for me
I’m not a huge fan of flavored teas, but I do make exceptions, & I’ll try just about anything once.

And Black Tea, Oh how I love thee!!
I am on a quest for the most wonderful breakfast cup! I will find you, my Love!

Location

St. Louis, MO

Website

http://www.harpsinger.net

Following These People

Moderator Tools

Mark as Spammer