I'm Back in the Game!

Thanks to my twitter friend Chris Russell and Vicki Davis we got the attention of the twitter CEO

Today I got a call from a nice fellow named Desmond who was happy to verify my account and get everything solved.  He sent me a password reset.

So now I am @brandtschneider and @schneiderbrandt.  Not sure where this will go from here.  I do know that I am definitely getting slammed by the hackers lately.  I know my Pinterest page was hit.

Thanks to all for your support!

Drum Line in Band

I have a small, but growing HS band.  12 kids.  Eight of these kids are freshman and they play roughly Level 1.5 or so.  Needless to say this year is a lot of teaching.  C does not equal C# type of stuff.

We have been doing a drumline unit using very easy drum cadences.  I am rotating the kids each day (bass to snare, etc...) and we spend about 30 minutes each day.  This was the second or third day.

I am hoping it is a good way to get the kids excited about rhythm and reading.  I am trying real, real, hard to get them to count out loud.

I have lost the twitter game

Ten days ago I got one of countless emails I get during the day.  It was "from" twitter.  I remember that it had Russian-type letters in the heading.

I did not click on the email.  I just remember seeing it.

I had twitter open (as usual) in another tab.

Later that day, I can't sign view twitter on my iPad.  It asks for password, I try, and try, and try.  I try password recovery, it does not recognize.  I try phone recovery, it does not recognize.

I search for "twitter brandtschneider" and I see this:

Uh-oh.

I theorize that a "bot" has taken my identity and changed phone and email on my account.  To date I have found no other spots they got me.  I go back to find that email and I can't find it.  It is gone.

I try to contact twitter.  After many iterations I get this:

Hi, Unfortunately, we’re unable to verify you as the account holder and cannot assist you in accessing the account. If you know which email address is associated with your account and you no longer have access to that email, please contact your email provider for assistance. More info here: https://support.twitter.com/articles/107907 For privacy reasons, I’m not able to provide any additional information about this account’s email address. Even if you mistyped your email address on signup, we require that you write to us from the exact address tied to the account. There are no security questions you can answer nor additional information you can provide as proof of ownership. While we understand it can be disappointing when you lose access to an account, these verification requirements are in place to protect accounts and private user data. If you'd like to create a new account, you can do so here: https://twitter.com/signup Thanks, choocharoo Twitter Support http://support.twitter.com @Support

I have repeatedly told them I have been hacked.

So....I start a new account.  @BrandtSchneider is now @SchneiderBrandt

I'm a bit frustrated.  Since my stroke I do not write nearly as well (notice the short paragraphs?) and have found I am more suited to twitter.  I have been on since 2006 and I do feel that I have lost a bit of my portfolio.  I admit a not insignificant amount of self-esteem was tied into the followers/network I had built up.

I know several of my twitter friends have lost accounts recently.  One prominent EdTech leader lost his famous instagram account (golf, "no pants", from Canada).  Not sure what else I could do to protect myself.  Nice reminder that it is not my account, it is twitters.

Apps

I am finding I am using apps less and less.  I seem to be only using 5-10 apps.

Anyone else doing the same?

Seussical

We are producing Seussical, Jr. with our Freshman Choir.  This is the first play/musical at SHS in many, many years.  Everything is new (tickets, sets, lights, cast, rehearsals).

I decided to do this as a curricular activity.  Each year during the 3rd marking period I have always done a Broadway/Standards/Pop unit where we work on phrasing, learn tunes, and do a lot of individual work.  We are doing the same thing, just doing it on stage.

We had auditions today and I was really happy with the positive energy from the group.  It was very hard to decide on some of the roles.  Out of 27 students in class, probably 22-23 of them could play any role.

Now we start rehearsals.  I am lucky to have lots of help.

Concert Evaluations

Samples from student concert evaluations:

What did you learn?

Nothing is easy. You have to work hard for those few minutes.

The concert always comes realllly fast and when you're there, you know why you signed up for choir.

To not be afraid of letting your voice be heard and to just have fun with what you are doing.

I have learned that chorus goes a lot better when everyone stays focused and mature. I have also learned that choir gives you a lot of opportunities and you meet good people.

I have learned that you can't rely on your peers to pick up your slack. When it comes to it, you have to remember when to sing, when to use dynamics, and when to breathe. You can't count on other people to remember those aspects of each song for you.

I learned that I have stage fright and that I should refrain from smacking my head on lockers beforehand.

Winter Concert 2013

SHS Band

   1.   Gateway March………………………………………………………………….Eric Osterling

  2.   Stone Mountain Stomp…………………………………………………..Carl Strommen

  3.   The Christmas Song…………….……….….Mel Torme, arr. Michael Sweeney

  4.   Bohemian Rhapsody……………………....Freddie Mercury, arr. Paul Murtha

SHS Soloists

  1.   Alma Del Core......................................................Antonio Caldera        
  2.   Silent Night………………………………………………………………..……...Franz Gruber

  3.   Etude #6........................................................Giuseppe Garibaldi

           

SHS Choir:

  1.    Adoramus Te…………………………….…...Palestrina, arr. Russell Robinson

  2.    Ave Maria…………………………..………….....Arcadelt, arr. Russell Robinson

  3.    A New Day…………………………………………………..………………...Audrey Snyder

  4.    Tango to Evora………………………………………….……………..arr. Jon Washburn

  5.    Al Shlosha………………………………………………………..………...Allan E. Naplan

  6.    I Will Sing…………………………………………………………………………..John Rutter

  7.    Home…………………………………………………………………………....arr. Greg Gilpin