As I mentioned earlier, when I first decorated my classroom I used stuff I already owned. I wanted the walls to pique curiosity and beg questions. Rather than current musicians and cultural figures, with whom they are well acquainted, I wanted them to know where our culture came from.
I wish that when I took these pictures I was more careful to get clearly focused images. I took these on the spur of the moment right after the fire marshall order the custodians to tear all the paperwork off my ceiling. I don't fault the firemen. I didn't realize the paper on the ceiling clearly was a hazard during a fire. I just wish I had photographed the ceiling first.
Speaking of the fire marshall ... as previously mentioned, Ms. Vasco and I ate lunch and sometimes dinner at the Caberet Table in the band room. Toward that end we had a dorm room fridge and a small microwave on the cubbies behind my desk. Well, we did until the notorious Flaming Popcorn Incident. Apparently, in the teachers' lounge, someone with a 4 syllable last name had put some popcorn in the microwave and set the timer for enough time to cook a turkey. While it didn't actually catch fire, it did set off the alarm and smelled terrible.
However, the consequences of the Flaming Popcorn Incident were far reaching. An edict came from the powers that be dictating that no longer could a refrigerator nor a microwave be placed in a classroom, only in the teacher's lounge. Hmmm ... what to do?
Fortunately, on the Buildings & Grounds crew was a gentleman who could help. He was nicknamed "Billy Blue Eyes" by an admirer on the school staff.
If you look at the closet door behind the gong, you can see that in addition to the small lock on all the other doors, this one also has a hasp and padlock. Billy Blue Eyes hooked up an electric outlet inside the closet. Problem solved! The extra padlock kept prying eyes out. Our fridge and microwave were safe and we continued our lunch routine undisturbed. |
 Not Billy Blue Eyes
Billy Blue Eyes was another unseen person who was invaluable to Ms. Vasco and me. Music teachers have unique needs. He was always there for us.
In the photo at right, not standing with Billy Blue Eyes, is Ms. Martin, our computer room czar. When visiting the computer room as I wandered the halls spreading joy, if she was not in her room I would pile the stapler and paper clip thingy and whatever else was on her desk into as high a tower as I could construct. Good times. Ms. Martin spent so much time assisting us at concerts that we considered a member of the music department. She can libate with the best of us.
At the upper left is a colorful poster given to me by a student. There are then a series of images that were a calendar of jazz luminaries. I think the leftmost one is the Cab Calloway band, then a shot from the Cotton Club in Harlem.
Then comes Miles Davis. This picture was the one jazz photo in the room that got the most attention from the kids. Not because of Miles or his music, but because he was smoking a cigarette. Go figure.
After that comes Billie Holiday and Duke Ellington at a nightclub, Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker and Ornette Coleman.
On the auxilliary percussion table you can clearly see a tambourine, vibraslap, triangle & beater and a jingle bell shaker. Remember this when we get to the next picture |
