More progress

My website is almost ready to go public. Note to others who decide to try and design their own web-page for the first time: How much is your time worth, and how much are you prepared to waste before asking for help????

I have a colleague who is a musician (we have played duo and dueling pianos together, on a number of occasions) who is also a web designer and he has done an excellent job for a very reasonable price. Tozan Delman is someone I would be very happy to recommend for this task.

My webpage address is http://www.harmonichealth.co.nz and there you will be able to see about my company, about what I am offering, plus a link back to here to get updates on my activities.

I have a phone conference planned for next Tuesday with a retirement provider. Watch this space.....

On a more personal note, I have seven farewells planned for next week.

1. My family are coming for the weekend from Auckland and New Plymouth to say goodbye
2. My Arts colleagues here at the Faculty of Education, Waikato University are taking me out to lunch Monday
3. My church homegroup is taking me out to dinner Tuesday night.
4. I present my final performance at 12@12 Wednesday midday to colleagues and students
5. My Faculty formal farewell is Wednesday afternoon 4:30
6. The Hilda Ross Glee Club are taking me out for coffee after our final rehearsal next Thursday
7. My final class next Friday are giving me a poroporoaki (formal farewell).

There is a bit of a sense of attending my own funeral. Why do we not say these things to each other at normal times, instead of waiting for special occasions??

The young@heart choir is coming to New Zealand!!

I opened up my Sunday Herald newspaper and this page jumped out at me!! How exciting and how frustrating because I won't be here! This choir is the epitome of how effective a singing programme can be for enhancing and enriching people's lives. The performances, the brain stimulation of learning and remembering words, the euphoria of going onto that stage, the camaraderie, the life experience of going places they would not go by themselves, the unity of purpose, the inevitable losses that come with working with people at the latter stages of their lives, and the emotional journeys that these engender. Such big experiences, such empowering life experiences. Congratulations to the Summerset company for taking this initiative

Women in Leadership presentation

I was invited to be a keynote speaker at a recent day-conference here at the University of Waikato. The topic for the conference was "Finding your voice".

I think that there was an expectation that I would give them a good singing session, to fire off the endorphins and give them a light vocal exercise to start the afternoon session. However I valued the opportunity too much to just do that, and talked about the use of voice and what effect it has on how we are perceived. I illustrated, gave them exercises to do, did some singing (good speaking voices use the resonation that is used in singing) and took questions. Along the way much laughter, especially at some of my demonstrations. This is strategic, learning is significantly more effective, when people are having fun. I left promptly to go and take a singing session with the Rest Home at Hilda Ross, and then returned to the conference.

Margaret Wilson (ex politician, and now law professor here at Waikato University) chaired the session, and shared stories of how she used her voice when speaker of the house, to keep order. In summing up at the end of the day, she enlarged on that, re-enforcing all that I had said and done. At the post conference drinks time there were many people who wanted to talk to me about working with them, their team etc. I have subsequently had an email from an Associate Dean to come and talk with engineering students about use of voice. Unfortunately I am not available any of the times mentioned, but this is a whole new area where I have future possibilities.

So many opportunities

I am now in negotiations with two retirement providers. I spoke with 60 final year MMP students (teacher trainees who do most of their study via the computer, but come on campus for block courses) yesterday about being available for: singing lessons, help with school choir, help with use of voice as teacher, face-to-face and via skype. I enjoyed socialising with them last night at the Sahara Tent, and had good conversations with interested students. My list of singing students for next year grows each month.

Today I go to speak at a Women in Leadership conference being held here at the University of Waikato. The Hilda Ross Glee Club is going to come and entertain at lunchtime, and then I am going to talk to the conference about use of voice, and I am sure the same things will come up with them as came up with the trainee teachers; how to preserve your voice, sound authoritative, affect display, and of course we will do some singing, because it will make them feeel good, and help them to remember my messages.

I am also going to talk with the professional studies people here in the Faculty of Education about me coming and guesting in one of the years of the student teacher's study, to give them these messages sooner. Anectodally, and from my own experience, so many of them do not understand how they sound, and how they can sound better, more effective, and be more aware of the tool that their use of voice is in the classroom.

I got the scholarship!!!

I have just received an email from Professor Roy Ernst telling me that I have been awarded one of the five US$2000 scholarships to visit New Horizons groups in the United States. I am very excited about this, more for the opportunity to link in with an organisation that is working in the same area, music with retired people to enrich their lives, but also for the money that will make my USA travel more comfortable.

It will certainly make my time in the USA more structured, but that is going to be great!
I will add to this post when I know more about my plans....

The end of my time at Waikato University is coming on fast

With just 8 weeks to go until I finish at the University of Waikato Faculty of Education, the end is in sight. My last day is October 15th and I leave New Zealand on October 16th, returning January 11th. Paperwork is out to two CEOs of retirement village providers, and phone calls and face-to-face meetings are anticipated in the next four weeks. I have a delightful young family who will be house sitting for me (and my cat), which is answered prayer as much for them as it is for me.

It is almost like attending one's own funeral at the University at present, with peers and students telling me what they think and what they will miss. I set up this time away from the Hamilton Chorale at the beginning of last year. They have told me not to find a nice man o'seas and not return. My response has been that the four grandchildren in this part of the world is a stronger pull than them.

I have nine singing students for next year, aiming for a total of twenty for February. I have twenty students from the current first-year teaching training group who want lessons now, so they will happen before the end of the semester, in groups. I enjoy teaching in groups, as it is not possible to hear changes in one's own voice, but hearing the effect of technique in other people's voices helps to affirm the change in one's own sound.

So: what does 2011 look like for me?

1. Working with a retirement provider rolling out the Glee Club model into all of their villages, over a two-year period, leading to guaranteed high-quality outcomes for the participants, in addition to links with a local primary school choir, and publicity in the local press. This will involve recruiting skilled people to lead and accompany the Glee Clubs.
   
2. Singing students, individually, and in groups. Face-to-face, and via the internet,with skype &/or video conferencing
3. Working with school choirs and choir directors, face-to-face and at a distance, as with the singing students
4. Working with other people in musical settings, e.g church singing, instrumental groups, beginning conductors.

Categories two to four is what I have been doing this year already in small ways, and I do not want to lose sight of this work, as it makes a difference.

But I am passionate about taking my model into more villages, because of the multitudinous benefits to the participants, and to the other residents of the villages in which the Glee Clubs now run.