Sophie Walker - entry 8

The students are starting to feel the intensity of their festival experience and we can tell they are exhausted. Still, they gave an amazing performance last night, one ensemble complete with coat-tail costume jackets which the audience loved. Chrissy and I agree that as cliché as it might sound, by far the most rewarding part of this experience is getting to know the students and discovering their personalities.

One of the new things we initiated this year was having a brain teaser and music trivia question up on a board next to our desk everyday and it has proved to be a big hit with kids, staff and artists alike. (Example: ECNALG = backwards glance). We're also in the midst of our third annual festival ping pong tournament which is great for the kids to relax at lunchtime. Yesterday I went to visit a convent with a couple of the other staff members since some of the students will be giving a concert there next week.

I think this internship has given all of us an opportunity to see how we deal with different kinds of people and situations and how we react in time crunches. Chrissy and I have very different working styles because I am much more interested in the logistical details and she is much more creative. It makes for a great team and I think we balance each other out. Only a week of the festival left to go and it will be sad to see it end.