Back to front?

Since I last wrote a blog on here, a few things have changed! I decided that, whilst planning the general order of my travel stops, I should also double check the days when I would like to visit specific choirs/rehearsals/schools. Clearly some are only available to visit on certain days of the week, depending on where I am at the time!
Having looked at the day-to-day visits it became increasingly clear that, due to the way I'd planned to start in California and work my way east, it proved difficult to fit everything in. So instead I tried it back to front, starting in Finland first and working my way west. What a difference this has made! Suddenly my itinerary seems to fit together better this way.

Starting in Finland, I'll be visiting excellent young choirs such as Vox Aurea and Tapiola. I shall also be visiting the Sibelius Academy and Sibelius High School in Helsinki. After this, I intend to travel to the city of Jyvaskyla (north of Helsinki), where I will observe classes at the Polytechnical School Of Music, the Conservatorium Music School and extended primary and high school music classes. I'm fascinated in finding out how and why the Fins give music a much higher status that we do in the UK. Their education system is world class too, with much more emphasis on creativity, so I wonder how this greater creative emphasis affects pupil learning and general development?

In my next blog, I'd like to just focus on my project outline and the objectives I'd like to meet when I return to the UK!