true gLeek i am not.  i did, however, take it upon myself to watch the first season of gLee as part of my summer "lack of" activity schedule.  i "owe" it to the show somewhat since its popularity has dramatically increased interest in my middle school choral program (especially our Show Choir class).  each class will potentially be bursting at the seams with singing kids next year!  i can't wait!  ok, i can wait... but the thought of it is exciting nonetheless.

i truly do see the appeal in the show, though i could do without the awkwardness and drama explosions.  honestly, this is not a show that i see myself constantly re-watching.  it's definitely not a friends or ncis in my book.  if i was important enough to have an opinion in planning the show, i would say, "more singing, please!"  that is the true draw, isn't it?  it's great that the show exposes people to different kinds of music (whether they realize it or not), and then you can say, "maybe you should listen to the original version, too" or "compare and contrast different versions" or "do you know who billy idol is?"  i must confess that i do enjoy some of the gLee versions better than the originals.

some of my fondest episodes so far have been episode 9 "wheels" and episode 13 "sectionals."  i appreciate how they treat special needs and issues of being different so well.  students (and everyone else) these days really need to learn respect and understanding.  maybe it's the "american dream" that fosters selfishness and a disregard for humanity and service to others.  or maybe it's just living in a big city like l.a.

the relationship dynamics in the show are also genuine to any "family," and i think the most memorable part of being a member of a group such as a choir is the relationships formed.  i always tell my students that the thing they will remember the most from any aspect of school in the future is the people (adults and peers alike), and both the good and bad moments they shared with them.

gLee gripes:

1. "here's a new song" - throw the sheet music down, jump up and sing/dance it perfectly the first time.  i hope nobody thinks this is a genuine picture of a music classroom.  please come to my classroom sometime and see how it really rolls.  really.

2. you cast the fabulous idina menzel, and you don't have her sing more?  really?  same gripe for Enchanted the movie as well, where her character could have been ANYBODY ELSE.

3. hello auto-correct overload.  perhaps gLee live performances are a better reflection of reality or maybe they do it there, too. *shrug*