Howdy folks! I haven't posted a personal blog here yet, but I figure someone would enjoy it so here we go:
As expected, my classes are keeping me extra busy; that being said, I should spend more time doing work for class and less time playing around. I'm trying to direct that goofing-off energy into practicing and writing with unsteady success.
Good news, though! I got my paws on my Korg SV-1 keyboard finally; the short story is that when I started college my mom bought this keyboard for me at a Rockley's sale and the deal was that I could get it once I paid her back for half of the price, roughly $1,500. After a while she changed it to just saving up and getting the case, and at this point since I actually need it for school I've earned it one way or another. So that's great.
This semester is turning out to be a lot of the same thing: diversity studies. I'm taking World Music, a Social Justice Literature core course, and an Acting core course focused on difference and social interaction. My ensembles and theory classes are a breath of fresh air; I imagine this is what math and science people feel like when they go from a humanities class back to the lab. But these classes have got me thinking about categorizing and stereotyping people that it's making my head spin. Notable reading selections so far include Sherman Alexie's "War Dances" and Erving Goffman's "Stigma." The first was an enjoyable read; the second was really thought-(and headache-) provoking.
At this time, I'm singing with Concert Choir and Collegium Musicum at Regis University. It's pretty neat, because on Mondays I sing alto in Concert Choir and on Tuesdays in Collegium I'm in the tenor section. Thus I'm getting a regular, full use of my voice. I'd like to expand my range in either direction. I'm working on this with John Hubert in our voice lessons, along with pitch accuracy, breathing, and healthy belting. He's also helping me with my performance of original songs. Some advice I've gotten is to pay attention to my posture at the piano, that I have relaxed shoulders and a rooted seat. I have started practicing the piano parts alone while breathing where my phrasing dictates.
My solo stuff, Pretty. Loud., is going okay right now. I'm trying to take advantage of having my keyboard so I'm keeping it ready to play under my bed all the time. I have no excuses not to practice!! And I still don't practice enough. I have some leads on musicians who want to accompany me, who knows, maybe Pretty. Loud. will be a band before the end of the year! I'm working on songwriting, and trying to push myself with it. The days of spontaneous overwhelming inspiration are over; time to buy some big girl panties.
I have so many things I should, could, and want to write about. Can I make a list for future reference right here? Of course I can. You can't stop me
- Summer internship - Fitness - Review Jeff Rosenstock's new album, "We Cool?" (spoiler alert, it's great. You can click the "hear what I hear" button to listen and download for FREE.) - Seventh Circle Music Collective - The Hundo - Serialism and atonal composition - Seventh Wave Studios and possible amazing opportunities - Grad school YIKES! - El Sistema and the chiiiiiiiiildren - My World Music Fieldwork Project and how I learned that ethnomusicology is pretty neat -
If you love music, I love you. Take pride in that.
As expected, my classes are keeping me extra busy; that being said, I should spend more time doing work for class and less time playing around. I'm trying to direct that goofing-off energy into practicing and writing with unsteady success.
Good news, though! I got my paws on my Korg SV-1 keyboard finally; the short story is that when I started college my mom bought this keyboard for me at a Rockley's sale and the deal was that I could get it once I paid her back for half of the price, roughly $1,500. After a while she changed it to just saving up and getting the case, and at this point since I actually need it for school I've earned it one way or another. So that's great.
This semester is turning out to be a lot of the same thing: diversity studies. I'm taking World Music, a Social Justice Literature core course, and an Acting core course focused on difference and social interaction. My ensembles and theory classes are a breath of fresh air; I imagine this is what math and science people feel like when they go from a humanities class back to the lab. But these classes have got me thinking about categorizing and stereotyping people that it's making my head spin. Notable reading selections so far include Sherman Alexie's "War Dances" and Erving Goffman's "Stigma." The first was an enjoyable read; the second was really thought-(and headache-) provoking.
At this time, I'm singing with Concert Choir and Collegium Musicum at Regis University. It's pretty neat, because on Mondays I sing alto in Concert Choir and on Tuesdays in Collegium I'm in the tenor section. Thus I'm getting a regular, full use of my voice. I'd like to expand my range in either direction. I'm working on this with John Hubert in our voice lessons, along with pitch accuracy, breathing, and healthy belting. He's also helping me with my performance of original songs. Some advice I've gotten is to pay attention to my posture at the piano, that I have relaxed shoulders and a rooted seat. I have started practicing the piano parts alone while breathing where my phrasing dictates.
My solo stuff, Pretty. Loud., is going okay right now. I'm trying to take advantage of having my keyboard so I'm keeping it ready to play under my bed all the time. I have no excuses not to practice!! And I still don't practice enough. I have some leads on musicians who want to accompany me, who knows, maybe Pretty. Loud. will be a band before the end of the year! I'm working on songwriting, and trying to push myself with it. The days of spontaneous overwhelming inspiration are over; time to buy some big girl panties.
I have so many things I should, could, and want to write about. Can I make a list for future reference right here? Of course I can. You can't stop me
- Summer internship - Fitness - Review Jeff Rosenstock's new album, "We Cool?" (spoiler alert, it's great. You can click the "hear what I hear" button to listen and download for FREE.) - Seventh Circle Music Collective - The Hundo - Serialism and atonal composition - Seventh Wave Studios and possible amazing opportunities - Grad school YIKES! - El Sistema and the chiiiiiiiiildren - My World Music Fieldwork Project and how I learned that ethnomusicology is pretty neat -
If you love music, I love you. Take pride in that.