Max Perkoff: Blog

Thank goodness for Tae Kwon Do!  After one year I'm a brown belt, but more importantly, I've increased my physical and emotional flexibility.

As I write this, Japan is suffering through the aftermath of the earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear meltdowns that threaten to bring down the 3rd largest economy in the world.

Gigs are nice, but connection to people is where it's at for me.  Since late August I've been a substitute teacher in Marin County, all grades, all subjects.  So far I've worked nearly every school day.  Most of my work is in the Mill Valley School District, Tamalpais Union High School District, Miller Creek Middle School, and at Bel Aire Elementary School in Tiburon.  I've also taught in Novato, Bolinas, and other elementary schools in the county.  My goal is to get a job for the 2011-12 school year in music or k-8 general education.  
I still play music at home & at occasional gigs.  The classroom is where I want to spend the bulk of the rest of my working life.  Kids are our future.  Their education needs to be exciting, relevant, challenging, and creative.  

This has been a difficult year so far. My gigs have been dwindling in number. I started to get truly discouraged for the first time in my professional life. Yet, I'm happy to report that Max's Mojo is getting back into gear. The economy is in the tank, yet there are signs of life. My private party count is rising, and I'm back to practicing. I'm teaching 3 high school students music structure class this summer. It's been inspiring to work with their youthful enthusiasm for music, for learning what was new to me 30 years ago. It's reminded me of the joys of teaching, and how much I do have to offer.

I've taken steps to reactivate my teaching credential. It'll be done in a couple of weeks. I don't know if I'll end up teaching in the classroom again, but if I do, it'll be with deep commitment to student learning and success. In the meantime, it feels like the right thing at the right time.

My gigs so far this year with Caylia Chaiken & Linda Kosut have been rewarding. Especially [...]

Played music in two very different situations today and tonight, yet they go together so well.