(I hadn't originally planned to interrupt my North Island Tour series but circumstances have made it inevitable. I had hoped to have the series finished last week but I needed to focus & work on my teaching practice. For this post, I'll be focusing on what happened last week & this past weekend.)
Last week was the first week of Term 2 & students had come back to Riccarton High with plenty of stories about their two week break. However, a group of students who had gone to France for a school trip were unable to return because of the eruption of Mount Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland. Yeah, try pronouncing that word correctly; I've given up & so have most media outlets. I'm still surprised that the ash cloud from one volcano can cause so much havoc on air travel. Thousands of flights have been cancelled and/or delayed in Europe forcing many travellers to wait for days & weeks. For our students (two of which are in my class), they wouldn't arrive safely home until the following week.
From the first day back, it was business as usual, and I continued teaching my Year 13s about the Baroque Era. We spent the week learning about Concerto Grosso / Ritornello Form, and the creation Opera. For Concerto Grosso, I had them listen & analyse the 1st Movement of Bach's Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 in D Major, whereas for the opera lesson, they watched a DVD & had questions to answer. They worked hard & were attentive because I had announced that there would be a final quiz on the topic the following week.
For my Year 12s, I introduced their next unit, musical composition. I didn't get the opportunity to teach them last term because my associate needed the time to complete the previous unit. The first lesson was a little slow because I wanted to get the boring explanations out of the way before they started writing. After explaining the 4 elements of music (Melody, Harmony, Rhythm, Dynamics), I had them writing their own melodies with the help of electronic keyboards during the second lesson. Despite their objections, I had them present their melodies to the class. At least I didn't make them sing; that would have been cruel.
There were only Jazz Band & Ukulele Band practices last week because not enough students showed up for orchestra practice on Friday. The jazz band is getting ready to perform at the library in the middle of May, presenting songs such as 'Car Wash', 'Crazy Little Thing Called Love', and maybe 'Stairway To Heaven'. The ukulele band practiced a classic NZ song by Split Enz titled 'Six Months On A Leaky Boat'. The song got me thinking: didn't anyone think to pull into a port to get the boat repaired during those six months?
As always, I stayed after school on Friday to enjoy the party in the teacher's lounge. The theme for the week was summer, & some of the teacher were wearing flower dresses. Along with the alcohol, the food up for grabs were fruit, biscuits (crackers), and ice cream. The parties also give teachers the chance to talk to others about the week that just passed, and I chatted with several teachers about our adventures.
This past Sunday (April 25th) was ANZAC Day, similar to Canada's Remembrance Day, where Australians & New Zealanders commemorate the members of the Australian & New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) who fought at Gallipoli, Turkey during WWI. The commemoration now includes all those who died & served in military operations overseas. I decided to tag along with the army cadet corps I volunteer with to the ceremonies at Burnham Military Camp and another at Papanui Returned And Services' Association (RSA).
To attend the Burnham ceremony, I had to wake up & get dressed at 0400, and get picked up by a friend at 0450 so that we would be at the camp by 0515. The poppies here are bigger & slightly different than their North American counterparts. People had already started to arrive before we pulled up to the base. By the time the ceremony began at 0600, a big crowd had assembled around the main gates of the camp. The Dawn Ceremony draws its link to the Dawn Landings on Gallipoli back in April 1915. The ceremony is an hour long & the program is extensive, so I'll say that it's similar to a Canadian Remembrance Day Ceremony, with the laying of wreaths, guest speakers, national anthem, prayers, and one minute of silence.
I should also say that the loudest parts of the ceremony are the Minute Warning & Firing of Volleys. The Minute Warning happens at 0629 and is marked by the firing of a 5 inch artillery gun and trust me, you hear it. Everyone is tense before the loud BOOM! because the gun is fired unannounced & its location is close. The Firing of Volleys is done by a small Honour Guard who fire 3 shots from Steyr assault rifles. They're not as loud as the artillery piece but it still made me jump.
After the ceremony, guests were welcomed to eat breakfast at the main mess hall for $5. Because I was with the cadet corps, I got to eat for free because the corps was paying. There were poached eggs, scrambled eggs, beans, sausages, hash browns, bacon, pancakes, bread, and various spreads. I mostly ate the hash browns and bacon.
On our way to the Papanui ceremony, news had broken that an NZ Air Force Iroquois helicopter had crashed 40 km north of Wellington in rugged terrain near Pukerua Bay, killing 3 & seriously wounding one. The helicopter was to take part in a fly by during an ANZAC ceremony in Wellington. Because the aircraft didn't carry a black box, investigators will have to reconstruct events using the debris from the crash site & eye witness accounts which could take months.
At Papanui, there was a short parade through the streets, before the ceremony began at the 1000. The program was similar to the one in Burnham minus the loud guns. The girls choir from Riccarton High School (where I teach) took part in the ceremony by singing the NZ & French National Anthems, God Save The Queen, and God of Nations. After the ceremony, guests were welcomed to a reception in the RSA building where they served sandwiches and sold alcohol at the bar.
Upon returning home, I changed into less formal clothing & got to work, planning lessons for the following week.
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