Teach Me Orlando: Alex Glover's Student Teaching Experience: Spring Break Transformations

Two weeks ago, Freedom High School broke for Spring Break! I decided to spend most of the break back in New Jersey at school. It was 100% exactly what I needed at this point in my student teaching experience: I needed a rekindling of that musical flame, a new bit of inspiration. Visiting school, sitting in on rehearsals, and seeing friends reminded me why I do what I do and where I hope to end up one day in music. The visit really inspired me to go back to Orlando and continue work as a strong student teacher.

Then upon returning to Orlando, we had an amazing, transformational experience set up for the students who had not gone off on a fancy trip or cruise. On Friday, we met up with members from the choir departments at Timbercreek High School and Olympia High School to complete a workshop and concert with the Florida State University Chamber Choir under the direction of Dr. Andre Thomas. The workshop took place at the First United Methodist Church in downtown Orlando which is a space near to my heart. In my first trip to Orlando -- on tour with the Westminster Choir a year ago -- we performed at this church during our stay here.

Dr. Thomas did wonderful work with each ensemble for an hour and then the students shared a pizza dinner together, interacting with peers from other schools and members of the chamber choir. This was probably the best part as the students all got to get to know each other via the common thread of choral music. The FSU students offered insight into what pursuing a career in music could be like while the high school students reminded the FSU students that choral music education is a huge asset to education. To put a cap on the evening, the choirs all performed individually and then combined to sing a piece written by Dr. Thomas, "America Singing." Afterward, the students felt more inspired than they had been in quite some time, and were eager to get back to school the following Monday to continue working on their music.

I had the pleasure of chatting with Dr. Thomas during the dinner break and after the concert and he gave me quite a bit of encouragement. Making connections like this are one of the reasons I love what I do and being here: we are currently working on scheduling a time for me to come up to FSU to observe the choirs and conducting program and work more closely with Dr. Thomas. I look forward to the opportunity as he is one of the greatest conductors and music educators of our time.

For those of you who have been reading these blogs regularly and thinking to yourself "why doesn't he have more pictures," never fear, I have decided to include some from this amazing experience! Enjoy!