Chris Morris - Musician, Author, Award Winning Dancer, and Soon to be King.

Hi, I’m Chris Morris, and my life of being a student is finally done, I got 99 problems but Perth College ain’t one.

That’s right, all the double standards, politics, egos, and lack of professionalism that was Perth College is finished. So here I am, stepping out into the big bad world of reality and ... I don’t really feel any different.

If I said I was terrified, it would be both an over and an understatement. It’s pretty scary thinking that I need to find a full time job, but at the same time it’s really, really exciting. I do have plans, I mean, cooking masterclass! Okay yeah, that’s not really a plan ...

Seriously though I am looking into getting a DipRsm from Rockschool which would mean I could be a peripatetic instrumental instructor. Fancy, eh? So basically I just need to work towards that, then I will either be living in a magical world where as soon as you are qualified you get a job, or I really will be stuck.

In the meantime though, I am loving life. I’ve got a lot of things to look forward to, and I’m doing a lot of things which make me happy. I’m still teaching at the music school, and getting a pay rise there (woo hoo!), I’m still involved with Pure Media, and we’re going to China which is epic, and I’m going to be volunteering in Rwanda next year as a drum tutor/percussion workshop ... person.

Someone said to me “won’t they all already be able to play African drums and that already?” which I kind of think is the same as saying...

In fact, I’m in a list mood, here’s a list of what that is the same as saying (Did that sentence make sense?)

1. Everyone in Scotland wears a kilt, plays the bagpipes, and chases haggises (which are live animals) for their tea.
2. Everyone who gets extra time in exams actually needs it (Okay, there are people who do need it, but trust me I know, I got extra time and a scribe for being borderline dyspraxic, I didn’t need it at all but I needed it more than certain other people...)
3. England are going to win the world cup.
4. All French people go around with garlic around their necks and an artist’s paint pad in their hands.
5. If a band/artist is in the charts, then they definitely know loads about music and are really talented musicians/songwriters.
6. Oh, and I was going to leave the list there, but here’s a good one: All the people going to see Sex and the City 2 and the cinema are all proper fans of the series and are all decent people. They are totally not complete idiots who come drunker than a pirate, dressed up more fancy than a peacock, simply going on a night out rather than a civilised trip to the cinema. They don’t sneak in their own alcohol, and they absolutely love the film, remembering even the tiniest detail the next day.

Okay so I wrote most of that about four days ago, and I’ll continue now!

Yesterday, the Bodman School of Music had an open day where we were giving free music lessons and selling a lot of kid’s toys, books, CDs, DVDs, and loads of other things. Not many people actually came, but hey, it was better than working at the Odeon for a day!

A couple of really exciting things came out of it though. Firstly, it looks as though Heather will now be working with us! I was telling Fiona about how she is going into her probation year as a teacher this year and this sparked some interest, so she asked Heather if she would be interested in running some kindermusic classes, which is awesome! She is meeting with her sometime this week I think.

Also, Fiona has asked me to take one some drumming classes for 3 – 8 year olds, and write a drum book for it. I’ve always wanted to have a go at writing a drum book, and now I have a chance! I have to write a couple of pages of it by next week so we can begin to kind of promote it. I’m not sure what kind of tone I should use in the book though, anyone have any ideas? I don’t know whether to write it as if a three year old is reading it, or as if their parents are reading it... hmm.

Anyway, so yeah that’s awesome. I’m gonna go now and do something else. Everyday I’ve been waking up in a panic thinking “What college work do I need to do today??” and then suddenly I remember, and I relax.

Just before I go, I want to tell you about a dream I had last night. One of those dreams where you wake up and for about two minutes you’re convinced it actually happened. I dreamed that I was going to China with everyone from Pure Media, and I had just realised that I had forgotten to tell all of my pupils at the music school.

Yikes. That would be pretty bad. Note to self...