We happened upon the Easter Mass at Stephansdom, which was a truly special experience. I'm not overly religious, but it was still inspiring to see the mass of people gathered. Additionally, the music was incredible with a full orchestra and choir performing. There were several times when the congregation would sing or the organ would play that I literally got chills. It was a very moving experience. We spent about an hour in Stephansdom, and mostly just watched people and enjoyed the music. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, so I'll let my pictures and video speak for this experience.
TV screens everywhere so everyone could see what was happening
View out the window on our walk up to the top of the tower.
Inside the tower
After 343 steps, we made it to the top!
Stephansplatz - I love watching people from above. It's so fascinating to see how people use spaces.
One of my proudest teaching moments came last week when I found out that 5 kids representing one of my first grade classes won an English contest open to all students in Prague. There were 12 groups who competed at the level of first and second grade, and my kids won! They even beat the second grade class from their own school. Most of the children had little or no exposure to English prior to starting school in the fall, so they have come a long way in just a few months.
Check out the video of their winning performance:
We spent about 2 months rehearsing these poems and songs with the entire class, and then 5 children were chosen to represent the group. Some people have asked how the heck I teach English to kids who don't understand much or any English and I don't speak Czech.
Well, it's a lot of gesturing and repetition. For example, I work with several kindergarten groups, most of the children never had an English class before this year. In just 9 months, they can interact with me and understand basic commands (stand up, sit down, be quiet, stop, come here, pick this up, etc). To learn these commands, we do things like have everyone jump (including me) and then yell stop and I put my hands out like a police person. Then we fly, run, swim, etc doing the same thing. They learn go and stop but they also learn fly, swim, and jump. So, later when you teach bird, fish, and rabbit, they know the actions that go along with the animals so they can mime the animals. Many of the kids now can even request games that they know. Its really amazing to watch these little sponges soak up new information. And unlike adults, they are generally not afraid to make mistakes, so they are more willing to try.
There are many proud moments in any given day or week when you work with over 200 kids. Just last week, one of my kindergarten kids finally counted from 1-8 on his own (previously he'd been skipping 7 and going straight from 6 to 8), and when he said it all right, his face just lit up. He KNEW he had said it right and he was super proud. My reward for the kids is generally a high-five or exploding fist bump. As his face lit up, he immediately put his hand up to give me a high five. He didn't stop smiling for the rest of class. I felt so proud of him in that moment, but also proud that I helped him learn his numbers. After weeks and weeks of trying and not getting it right, with encouragement, he figured it out. A little persistence and patience pays off in time. I can see now that helping these kids learn English and celebrate those achievements with them is why I'm here doing what I'm doing. I'm proud of their accomplishments, and I'm proud I'm here helping them achieve their goals and making English fun!
Our company shoots video often of us teaching so that parents can see what the kids are learning. So, here are a few more recent videos of me for your viewing pleasure.
Mozart is my favorite classical composer, probably because my parents also love him and thus I heard him a lot while growing up. I also played several of his horn concerti in High School for contests, so I fell in love with the complexity and beauty of his music.
There is a Mozartplatz (or Mozart square) in both Salzburg and Vienna
Mozartplatz Salzburg
Mozartplatz - Vienna
In Salzburg we saw both his birthplace and the house he lived in as a boy. This house is also where his father died. In the house, we were able to see an organ he performed his first Organ Concerto on at the age of 8 and the piano he learned to play on. We also learned of the challenging dynamic between he and his father. Often his father thought he could do more or be better. However, later in his life, his father showed more pride for his son.
Where Mozart was born - Salzburg, Austria
Mozart house - where the family lived when Mozart was a boy. His father, Leopold, died here.
Salzburg - this house is where Mozart practiced and performed piano concerts. He wrote an organ concerto when he was 8 on the
organ on display in the house.
Window above door to Mozart house
In Vienna, one of the highlights for me was seeing the Vienna Mozart Orchestra perform in the Musikverein, one of the top classical performance halls in the word. This small and ornately designed hall was the perfect spot to see the period costume-clad musicians perform some of Mozart's most famous pieces.
Musikverein
Musikverein
Grand Saal - Musikverein
Grand Saal - Musikverein
Grand Saal - Musikverein
Grand Saal - Musikverein
Ready for the concert with my friend Steph. Little did we know when we took this picture that our lovely neighbors
(see those happy people behind us), would be SO loud. Oh well...Mozart drowned them out - mostly.
Vienna Mozart Orchestra
Vienna Mozart Orchestra
Vienna Mozart Orchestra
Several videos of pieces performed during the concert:
We also visited his home in Vienna where he lived with his family and composed many of his famous works. We spent about an hour there just wandering through and listening to the detailed audio guide about Mozart's music and life. We spent a good hour wandering through the area where Mozart and his family lived learning about his life the music he composed.
Mozart and his family lived on the 2nd floor
The view up looking at the entrance to Mozart's flat on the 2nd floor
I had no idea that Mozart was so eloquent. He expressed himself so beautifully through music, and I
was surprised and sincerely enjoyed the many quotes shared throughout the museum.
Skyline of Vienna from the late 1700s
Mozart's snuffbox - perhaps a gift or payment for one of his pieces
Mozart wore this lovely red jacket
Original score
Original score - with note to his student - top right - written in English!
The view out of the Mozart flat living room. It really hasn't changed much at all since he lived there.
Though I'm sure those umbrellas weren't there.
Mozart's living room
Mozart's office where most of his composing took place. Unbelievable to think of all the gorgeous
pieces composed in this space!
We ended our visit in Vienna with a visit to Cafe Frauenhuber, the oldest cafe in Vienna, just a few blocks from where Mozart lived, where Mozart performed many times, including his last public performance.
Apple Strudel and Viennese Coffee (black coffee topped with real whipped cream)
