September 2009
3 posts
"If you're not popular enough to be a cheerleader,...
I think I just realized how much of a band nerd I am. We had a “listening day” in my Vocal K-3 class, where everyone brings in one song and talks about it for a bit to the class. This is an excellent activity to do with any music class (or really any class at all). But everyone brought in popular music (everything from Michael Jackson and Journey to Ingrid Michaelson and Imogen...
Hola otra vez
So it’s been a while. I’ve been off in Spain for two months finishing my Spanish minor. Yay for me!!
Now I’m back in the mued world. Woo. I’m one of the few dwindling juniors we have left in the mued program. We’ve lost many since freshman year. I look at the intro class that happens right before my mued class, and it’s at least five times the size. How...
May 2009
1 post
Relaxing Hub: True Test From a Good Dean →
I would’ve put back left.
April 2009
18 posts
“You’re supposed to think outside the box. I prefer to be inside the box. ...”
– theory teacher
“Music either sings, or it dances.”
– I can’t remember, and I can’t find it. Anyone know?
Lesson Planning
So I’m finally excited about teaching again. After that one teaching episode debacle, I never thought I’d want to go up there again. But I’m actually really excited about my next lesson. I’m really going to have to work on my conducting, I kind of suck…a lot.
Oh and my interview for section leader of the marching band pit didn’t go too well. Oh well,...
First All-Nighter...?
So I think I may have just pulled my first all-nighter ever. I’m a sophomore in college, how have I not done this before? But I slept for a half hour, and I’m going to sleep for an hour right now, so does it count? Does it matter? Probably not, this is probably sleep deprivation talking. Good night…morning.
The only thing to fear is fear itself.
I woke up an hour early this morning to work on my lesson plan for conducting today. My last teaching episode went so awfully, that I probably should have started working on this plan a long time ago. In fact, it was due last Friday. Why didn’t I start working on it? I came to a funny realization this morning around 7:15. I was afraid. I was simply terrified to start working on this...
MUED: where 18 = 30.
My life is mostly scattered across three states. The state I graduated from high school in, the state my parents reside in, and the state I attend college in, where most my stuff is. I feel like I’ve lost a bit of myself to each of these states, and I’m missing those parts of me. I just feel like I’m staying in the college town for no reason, other than I don’t want to...
“Springtime for Hitler” - from The...
“I never had any problem getting enthusiastic with a good song and a good band.”
– Waylon Jennings
“What’s that story? About the chick who eats porridge?”
– Band director during rehearsal
I'm the Bass Man
So I’m a percussionist. I don’t know if I’ve stated that yet. Earlier this week for a new ensemble piece I was given the string bass part and told to play it on marimba. Well, being in string tech, now I’m trying to convince the director to let me play it on an actual string bass. I can play the notes pretty well. I can’t quite reach the third finger…I...
xkcd - A Webcomic - Matrix Revisited →
I never did enjoy the sequels…
Concertino for Marimba, III. Lively by Paul...
March 2009
34 posts
SOPHOMORE RECITAAAAAAL
So…my recital’s in four hours. I’m kind of starting to get really nervous. But I look pretty good. Which is always a plus. Maybe drinking a large mountain dew from taco bell wasn’t the greatest idea. I’m going to have to piss like a racehorse during my recital. And I’m getting jittery, probably from the caffeine. Wish me luck!
"There are teachers, and then there are... →
RANT
blah blah blah / music ed is hard / omg I hate everything / should I change my major / but what to / I have no idea what to do / is it worth it / I’ll just stick out this year / next year gets easier I’ve heard / is teaching going to be better or worse than this / shit / I don’t like any of my classes / I’m stressed all the time and miserable and don’t get enough...
Whom
Using “whom” is not that difficult. Basically it’s whenever you can respond to the question using “him”.
For example. If the question is “To whom do I give this?” you could respond with “To him”. But if the question was “Who gave this to you?” you would not use “him”, you would say “he did”.
See?...
...what?
Student: *Yawns*
Theory Instructor: I know, it's a boring class. But what can I do? Everything I want to do is illegal.
Change in plans...
So I just got back from San Diego, and I went to Sea World. I’ve decided to drop out of school and be a dolphin trainer.
But seriously, if I find out that you can just up and become a dolphin trainer, I’m out of music ed.
Violin
A long time ago my grandpa gave me a violin that’s been in the family for five generations, and was created in the early 1700s. I haven’t really messed with it, but since I’ve been in string tech (and can now play the violin, admittedly only “ba ba black sheep”) I’m really interested in getting it in playing condition and taking care of it. I didn’t...
Detroit's Beautiful, Horrible Decline →
“Ruins are the visible symbols and landmarks of our societies and their changes…the volatile result of the change of eras and the fall of empires. This fragility leads us to watch them one very last time: to be dismayed, or to admire, it makes us wonder about the permanence of things.”
I find some of the things that were just abandoned amazing. Like the baby grand piano in...
Adventures in traveling
PEOPLE AT THE AIRPORT ARE SO DUMB. You should know to have your jacket off, slip off shoes, liquids in a baggie, laptop easily accessible, and NO MORE THAN TWO ITEMS. I hate traveling during holidays because the airports are FULL of people who don’t know what to do to expedite the screening process. There’s always that one woman with knee high, lace up boots, or a guy with a...
is it going to rain? →
a great site when you live in a state where the weather changes EVERY HOUR
Deep thoughts
You know what’s delicious? The first three seconds of a tic tac. After that I’m not a fan, but those first few seconds are always amazing.
So much music...
I’ve decided that I should take advantage of the amazing fine arts library we have in the school of music, and listen to a bunch of their cds in order to expand my musical horizons. Right now I’m listening to some of the percussion concerts I’ve played in…interesting. It’s awesome listening to them now that I’ve been training myself to listen for ways to...
The Fucking Weather →
This is the only way to get your weather
Fickle weather!
The weather down here has to be the most awful thing ever. It was 80 degrees yesterday at 1pm, 40 by 6pm. Today the high was 50, and tomorrow it’s supposed to snow. PICK A TEMPERATURE!
Weather should either 80 degrees, or snowing. None of this in-between shit. If it’s cold, and it’s not snowing, there’s NO POINT.
Ramblings about myself
So I’m from the north, going to school in the south (sorry, the internet paranoia my parents instilled in me when we got our first internet connection when I was young keeps me from giving any sort of detailed information). A big pet peeve of mine is people who say “y’all” who are not from the south. If you’re from the south, fine. You grew up with it, it’s...
F***MyLife →
This site makes me feel marginally better about my life.
Procrastinating...
I was going to post that story about “what teachers make”, but I’m sure most people who may happen upon my humble blog will have already heard it. If not, go google “What do teachers make.”
Basically it says that it doesn’t matter how much money teachers make, because they make a difference. I truly believe this, and this is the reason I want to become a band...
“Teach your students to be great musicians, not just good eighth grade band...”
– my music ed teacher
Teacher: 3, Annoying Kid, 0
Theory Teacher: But I'll tell you that on Wednesday.
Annoying Kid: You'll tell us today.
Theory Teacher: MY CLASS. I will tell you on Wednesday.
Teacher: 2, Annoying Kid: 0
Theory Teacher: Kind of like the Sound of Music.
Annoying Kid: All I remember about the Sound of Music is--
Theory Teacher: Now moving onto this next form...