The Smith's Journal - January 2009

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2009-01-04

Seven years online

Tags: Computers

Yay! Happy 7th Birthday to this website! We are more than elated to bring you our 84th month of hosting this diverse and unique resource for your ad-free browsing pleasure. You are more than welcome to provide incentives to keep it that way. Happy New Year!

2009-01-05

Giving

Tags: Studio, Pro, Misc

This thread sure keeps the love flowing :-)

2009-01-12

Teaching African drumming in schools

Tags: Drumming, Pro

It's been a bit of a wake up call for me teaching African Drumming in primary and Middle Schools this past year. The (very welcome) recent increase in my work means that I'm now almost making a living. We have a lot of fun in the classroom but it sometimes does my head in driving around so much, and I am still finding it hard to get up in the mornings. Although I suppose it's better than being laid off from Microsoft, getting stung by this stupid credit crunch and ending up homeless with no money. At least with drumming I get to teach the kids how to use the heavy artillery monster drums which brings much joy. I was ever so proud of one young class I'd been teaching all year when they gave a stunning performance in their Christmas concert - I had to choke back the tears :-)

The younger kids are so fab to work with, and provide unlimited amounts of cheer and hilarious comments, especially the eight-year-olds in schools I work at regularly, who are getting to know me as "The Drumming Man". They hear me coming down the corridor with my ankle bells jingling, and I often find myself being mobbed and bombarded with bizarre requests and searching questions, for example:

Kid: "Do you have a girlfriend?"
Me: "No."
Kid: "Why not?"
Me: "I've not found the right girl yet."
Kid: "Well, that won't take long, now you're doing this."

He said it with SUCH INSIGHT and confidence, that I knew it was for real :-)