Waimea Students are Tuning Up!

I MADE HEADLINE NEWS!

OK maybe I'm being dramatic. But today in the West Hawaii Today Newspaper, an article about my new string program was published. And I'm not being dramatic by saying the article is an ENTIRE page with big colored pictures and font! I don't think our 6.8 earthquake of 2006 made such large font size!
About a year ago, a close family friend and wonderful Doctor Shay Bintliff gave me a 3/4 sized child's violin. She told me looking at the violin was too painful for her, because the violin was supposed to go to her only grandchild Ileiana who passed away at age 11 from cancer. She instructed me to give the violin away to a child needing violin lessons. But I knew deep down the violin was too special and meaningful to simply give away. The violin has been displayed in my music studio for the past year, drawing lots of attention and questions from my students. It made me too sad to tell them the story behind the violin, so instead I decided to turn the violin into something positive.
With the 4-6th grade classes at Waimea Country school, I decided to start the Ileiana Orchestra Project. I am temporarily loaning seven of my personal violins to the class and teaching them to play violin. At the end of the year, the goal is to have the students perform for benefit auctions, fund raisers, and galas in attempt to raise money, scholarships, grants, and donations towards a school orchestra. When the school raises enough money to invest in an orchestra or band for the school, Ileiana's Orchestra Project will continue the same goal and method in other neighboring schools on the Big Island of Hawaii. In the master dream to create a Waimea Youth Symphony.

Please click HERE to read the featured newspaper article!

Time to set up the DVR to start recording SNL again

One is never too old to listen to their parents! Recently, my blog was censored by my parents. I removed a sarcastic blog entry and followed my parents wonderful words of wisdom to stay away from politics on my blog. Keep the blog only about me and the Wacky World of Woodburys! I agree 100% with this advice. But this skit is just too funny to pass up. No matter where my readers stand politically, this clip is a hoot! I figure, if we can't laugh about politics than we are taking life too seriously! So here's a daily dose of laughter for you! ENJOY!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DADDY-O'S

My name is zoom and I live on the moon and I came down to earth just to sing you this tune,
Cuz Daddy-O's! It's your birthday! TODAY!

That is the lyrics to a tape that my dad gave me for my 8th birthday. My cousin found a recording of it last year and sent it to me and it just cracked me up!
So my father is the HARDEST person to shop for! I've lucked out the past two years with great meaningful gifts:
The first gift being a framed picture of Lake Chelan's rising moon with a perfect black pine tree silloutte in the middle of the moon; and then last years gift was the bright red lunar eclipse moon. But there was no amazing moon activity this past year for me to continue with the moon themed gifts. (Although yesterday when I got up to nanny at 5:30am there was a HUGE yellow golden harvest full moon with a sunset behind it).
Astronomy always reminds me of my dad. He'll spend hours outside looking up at stars. Getting us all the see who can spot a satellite first. And of course, there is wonderful sentimentality to Onrelas constellation. (Salerno backwards!) But this year, since I couldn't find a moon gift, Alex and I send Daddy-O's a dark purple lei to wear around his neck and think of Hawaii all day! I guess an even BETTER present would have been a wrapped ticket to Hawaii in a box with a big bow!! Uh oh! I hope this doesn't downplay the lei idea!
So this blog post is dedicated to you Daddy-O's. May all your birthday wishes come true when you blow out your candles tonight. I couldn't ask for a more wonderful father. Oh it makes me ache to know how much I miss you and mom!!! So let's video chat tonight so I can wave hello and blow you a kiss!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD!

Waimea Parade

For the past five plus years I have lived in Waimea, I have never once attended the annual Cowboy Parade. The reason? Chances are for the past five years Alex and I were knee deep in a project of some sort when the parade was taking place and couldn't break away OR we were lazy bums sleeping in completely oblivious that a parade was even taking place. But this week I have been a bachelorette for seven days. (You should see the pile of dirty dishes stacked in the sink! Apparently my domestic skills go on strike when I'm single for the week since nobody is around to see Messie Jessie in her natural state).
Moki had a boring day since normally Saturdays involve the Farmers Market where I man the dog and Alex buys the produce. But there was no way I could carry all the produce, talk to friendly people at the market, and hold back the Wooly Tornado on his leash. So he stayed in the car, glaring at me the entire time. So to make it up, I told him I would walk him down the street to watch the parade. I knew my students from Waimea Country school would be in the parade and I wanted to support them.
I waited for about 45 minutes watching floats go by and hula dancers perform and almost gave up on waiting for my new school because it was hot, Moki was whining, and I was getting sunburned. But JUST as I was leaving I saw a big banner turn the corner with my school's name on it.

NOW REMEMBER: I've only taught these kids ONE DAY this past week. Who knows if they even remember me let alone remember my name. So I pulled out my video camera as their float went by and I felt like a total rock star. All the kids shouted my name MISS JESSICA! MISS JESSICA! OUR MUSIC TEACHER MISS JESSICA!!! It really made me happy! So here is the video with all my adorable students. I am so very excited to be their music teacher.

Pretty in Pink

I had no idea student violins came in such colorful forms! What a great new way to convince children that violins are the coolest instruments on the planet. I originally ordered a blue violin for my little boy student, but it came PINK! So my girl students were just thrilled. Not that children need to be color gender specific. But the pink violin tends to match my girl students clothing better. Color cordinated!
Tomorrow marks the day of a brand new journey for me. I'm the music teacher at a charming private school literally right around the corner from my house. I will teach K-6th grade! With the 4-6th graders I am going to start a violin program using 6 of my personal violins. (4-6th grade happens to only be six students anyway). I worked all day on my lesson plan. Tomorrow is going to be a tropical Caribbean unit on the Steel Pan. So of course, I'm towing a steel drum, 6 violins, and books tomorrow as I waltz into the school. No I do not travel lightly. I am a one man band! Next week I'll bring my camera to school and have the teacher take some pictures!

technological breakthrough

Well if you can actually believe this, I am writing this blog via my new iPhone! I've had my old cell phone since 2001. I almost feel like I'm phone cheating...my old worn and faded old cell phone sitting rejected on my nightstand while I e-mail; facebook; google, and blog with my shiny new high tech younger phone! What a great way to spend waiting time ( like in the dentist office!)