Travel plans / interview / concert

I'm off back home to the UK on Sunday for a week! Very exciting. I can't wait to catch up with friends and family, as well as do some examining.

Also, one of my letters to schools and universities (see previous posts) has finally produced a result - after I come back I have an interview for a job covering maternity leave for a music teacher at a private Catholic school on the south side of OKC. The age range is kindergarten (yes, kindergarten) to 8th grade (about age 12 I think). I haven't taught at that level for about 10 years (and indeed, I've never taught at the lower end of it at all) but I know when I did, contrary to my expectations, I really enjoyed it. Children of that age are relentlessly enthusiastic, and can be very rewarding to teach. It's ironic in a way that just at the point where the subject matter of education starts to become more rarefied and absorbing, children turn into teenagers, and don't want to know any more. Younger children can be exhausting to teach too - but this position is temporary, for one day a week, and it would certainly be nice to feel professionally involved in the community here, if only in a small way.

And also, last night I went to a concert of student compositions at the university where my wife works. I met and spoke to the professor of composition, who was very pleasant indeed, and seemed open to the idea of me getting involved there - the decision is not his to make, but he told me who to approach. So I'm starting to feel as if my professional focus is shifting a little more from the UK to the US.