I think I'm finally ready for launch. All my paperwork, decisions, and finalizations are made and done. I'm signed on for two more years at another university.
I corresponded one last time with my fantastic program advisor from my previous school, and when he replied for the last time, he signed off, saying, "Wishing you all the best in your new life."
...New life?
It struck me strangely, all of the sudden, to think that this wasn't merely the next step, but a new and very different step. With this choice come all kinds of challenges - about a new campus, new faculty, new living arrangements, new program, new people, and so many other 'new' things. It's scary, but it's also very exciting. I saw my new school's campus just a week ago, and to actually stand there, see it, and be able to imagine myself being there, was a bit reassuring. It takes some of the unknown out of the equation.
Perhaps the single biggest challenge of this situation is that I'm moving from the coziness of a very small school in a very small town, to a bigger school in a very big city. I've been living in the city for over a month now, and while it was uncomfortable for me at first, I've actually discovered quite a few things I love about being here. There is always so much going on! I can walk over to a few different ethnic districts, browse the unique stores there, pick up a new kind of tea to sample, or enjoy a special treat of a meal. There are countless performing arts events going on all around me - and lots of them are free (this is a huge plus for a student)! There is simply far more here to see, experience, engage in, and try out.
The icing on the cake for me was getting an interview date yesterday for a music-related job I've been dying to work in for close to a year now.
So, when it really comes down to it, as much as I miss the closeness and warmth of a small town, I really think I will enjoy big-city living for the next two years.
I hope all of you academic-types who are gearing up for, or in the middle of, some sort of big transition after the end of the previous school year are having success and looking forward to what's around the next bend. Cheers!
Saturday, July 5, 2008
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Clandestine Reading
I have a confession to make: I am one of those people who peers over to read the books that the people next to me on the bus are reading.
I always try to be very discreet, but sometimes I know I've been found out when the owner of the book either angles it pointedly away from me to prevent my intrusion, or else spreads it open a little wider and turns it a little bit, to enable me to share the wealth of text even better. I know this habit might be terribly annoying or even creepy to some people, but, if I had a book and had the opportunity to share what I was enjoying with them, I'd be glad to do it!
You really can learn a lot of great things by sampling conveniently-located prose in this way, too. Sometimes, I catch segments of news articles on the back of people's newspapers, and am better equipped to discuss that particular current event or issue. Sometimes, it's a novel being read next to me, and I can grab a glimpse of a genre or writing style that I would never have otherwise been exposed to. Still other times, if I'm really lucky, it's a non-fiction book, and I can soak up new perspectives or knowledge on a topic I know comparatively little about.
Recently, I found myself sitting next to a woman who was reading from a collection of essays on education. As someone who is counting on teaching at some point in the future, I was especially eager to take in what I could.
This is also the point in this blog post at which I might lose a lot of you who don't particularly care about educational issues.
The particular essay I read most of was discussing the value of intrinsic motivation, as opposed to extrinsic motivation. The author explained a study that was conducted (I won't go into detail on it, because I'm sure I'd get a couple of facts wrong) that clearly showed that students who are invited, by a facilitating teacher, to learn because of their own natural curiousity, learn far more and far better than those who are told to learn the same material well for examination purposes. The point the author was trying to make is that our current emphasis and reliance on the testing system in schools is turning out rote learners, whose innate hunger for knowledge is killed.
I agreed with nearly everything the essay presented. In almost every learning situation, intrinsic motivation is of far more value than extrinsic motivation. But in my mind, that does not imply that we should scrap the test-based system we're accustomed to. Imagine for a minute that we did just that. Without the added motivation of grades and tests, one group of students - those who were actually motivated to learn on their own, and had interest in the subject - would likely learn more, and learn better. But the result on the other group of students - those with no motivation to learn, and no interest in the subject - would be disastrous; they'd have no reason to learn.
I don't have an answer. But I do feel that some fresh thinking would be beneficial for the educational system. I hope someone with more knowledge than I have of psychology and teaching methods can find some middle ground, and develop a great new system on it.
Next time you're reading on public transit, no matter what book it is, keep it open a little wider. You never know who might be reading, fascinated, over your arm!
I always try to be very discreet, but sometimes I know I've been found out when the owner of the book either angles it pointedly away from me to prevent my intrusion, or else spreads it open a little wider and turns it a little bit, to enable me to share the wealth of text even better. I know this habit might be terribly annoying or even creepy to some people, but, if I had a book and had the opportunity to share what I was enjoying with them, I'd be glad to do it!
You really can learn a lot of great things by sampling conveniently-located prose in this way, too. Sometimes, I catch segments of news articles on the back of people's newspapers, and am better equipped to discuss that particular current event or issue. Sometimes, it's a novel being read next to me, and I can grab a glimpse of a genre or writing style that I would never have otherwise been exposed to. Still other times, if I'm really lucky, it's a non-fiction book, and I can soak up new perspectives or knowledge on a topic I know comparatively little about.
Recently, I found myself sitting next to a woman who was reading from a collection of essays on education. As someone who is counting on teaching at some point in the future, I was especially eager to take in what I could.
This is also the point in this blog post at which I might lose a lot of you who don't particularly care about educational issues.
The particular essay I read most of was discussing the value of intrinsic motivation, as opposed to extrinsic motivation. The author explained a study that was conducted (I won't go into detail on it, because I'm sure I'd get a couple of facts wrong) that clearly showed that students who are invited, by a facilitating teacher, to learn because of their own natural curiousity, learn far more and far better than those who are told to learn the same material well for examination purposes. The point the author was trying to make is that our current emphasis and reliance on the testing system in schools is turning out rote learners, whose innate hunger for knowledge is killed.
I agreed with nearly everything the essay presented. In almost every learning situation, intrinsic motivation is of far more value than extrinsic motivation. But in my mind, that does not imply that we should scrap the test-based system we're accustomed to. Imagine for a minute that we did just that. Without the added motivation of grades and tests, one group of students - those who were actually motivated to learn on their own, and had interest in the subject - would likely learn more, and learn better. But the result on the other group of students - those with no motivation to learn, and no interest in the subject - would be disastrous; they'd have no reason to learn.
I don't have an answer. But I do feel that some fresh thinking would be beneficial for the educational system. I hope someone with more knowledge than I have of psychology and teaching methods can find some middle ground, and develop a great new system on it.
Next time you're reading on public transit, no matter what book it is, keep it open a little wider. You never know who might be reading, fascinated, over your arm!
Sunday, June 8, 2008
What can I say about Ukraine?
Ukraine, Ukraine... What can I possibly say about the trip that would successfully walk the line between trite and uninformative, and intolerably long?
It was challenging, eye-opening, thrilling, and most of all, life-changing. We spent nearly a month together as a choir, travelling all over the country, from the largest cities to the most remote villages, singing and interacting with the Ukrainian people in schools, churches, seminaries, and music colleges. We stayed in their homes, dove into their culture, learned their music, and saw the hearts of these amazing people. We raised money to partially fund a combined choir and orchestra seminar, and had a fantastic time making music together with the Ukrainian musicians. We could usually communicate only minimally at best, but there was still an instant connection there, despite language barriers and cultural differences. I left their country having had my eyes opened, and with several new perspectives and values. This has made returning, and trying to slide back into 'normal' life's usual grind, very difficult at times. I'm sure my experiences and memories will work their way into my writing (and certainly my day-to-day and even hour-to-hour thoughts) many times this summer, because they are so much a part of who I am now. I wish I could somehow impart all I saw, felt, and learned, to each of you reading this, because of the impact it has had on me! That being impossible, I'll do my best to share some stories from the trip on this blog, mixed in with the summer's events. (Yes, I can blog more regularly now that summer has arrived!)
Well, that paragraph does a fairly miserable job of capturing a snapshot of the month. It was all I could do to keep it brief, though, knowing I could carry on for far too long if I let myself! Pictures are of a Kiev street, the gorgeous church in Kiev where we held the seminar, and me, accompanying the choir at a performance at a large music college in Kirovograd, where we were honoured to share a concert with the college's fantastic choir.
It was challenging, eye-opening, thrilling, and most of all, life-changing. We spent nearly a month together as a choir, travelling all over the country, from the largest cities to the most remote villages, singing and interacting with the Ukrainian people in schools, churches, seminaries, and music colleges. We stayed in their homes, dove into their culture, learned their music, and saw the hearts of these amazing people. We raised money to partially fund a combined choir and orchestra seminar, and had a fantastic time making music together with the Ukrainian musicians. We could usually communicate only minimally at best, but there was still an instant connection there, despite language barriers and cultural differences. I left their country having had my eyes opened, and with several new perspectives and values. This has made returning, and trying to slide back into 'normal' life's usual grind, very difficult at times. I'm sure my experiences and memories will work their way into my writing (and certainly my day-to-day and even hour-to-hour thoughts) many times this summer, because they are so much a part of who I am now. I wish I could somehow impart all I saw, felt, and learned, to each of you reading this, because of the impact it has had on me! That being impossible, I'll do my best to share some stories from the trip on this blog, mixed in with the summer's events. (Yes, I can blog more regularly now that summer has arrived!)
Well, that paragraph does a fairly miserable job of capturing a snapshot of the month. It was all I could do to keep it brief, though, knowing I could carry on for far too long if I let myself! Pictures are of a Kiev street, the gorgeous church in Kiev where we held the seminar, and me, accompanying the choir at a performance at a large music college in Kirovograd, where we were honoured to share a concert with the college's fantastic choir.
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
CD Cover Art Meme
"I'll just try one," I told myself. It looked fun, after all.
Well, three albums later, it's long after when I should've been in bed. But it's been a while since I had a reason to play around in Photoshop, so here are the products of my work. I like how the first and third ones turned out best, I think. It's a little crazy how some of the ones people have been making really could pass for an indie band's cover art.
Well, three albums later, it's long after when I should've been in bed. But it's been a while since I had a reason to play around in Photoshop, so here are the products of my work. I like how the first and third ones turned out best, I think. It's a little crazy how some of the ones people have been making really could pass for an indie band's cover art.
For those who want to give it a go, here are the directions (as found on musikwissenbloggenschaft)
1. your band name is the first random wikipedia article you pull up.
2. your album title is the last four words of the last quote on this page.
3. your album cover is the third picture featured here.
4. photoshop.
5. share!
1. your band name is the first random wikipedia article you pull up.
2. your album title is the last four words of the last quote on this page.
3. your album cover is the third picture featured here.
4. photoshop.
5. share!
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
The worst case of overpackaging I've ever seen
I received this box in the mail a little while ago.
Any guesses as to what it contained before you look? A whole stack of music books? A toaster, maybe?
Nope.
Okay, okay, I'm visually exaggerating. Yes, there was a bit of packaging around the remote when I opened it. However, excessive bubble-wrapping and all, this tiny item was still filling only a small fraction of the box. Did they run out of small boxes?? The reason this irritates me is because I paid an exorbitant amount to have it shipped to me. Maybe shipping would cost less if things were properly packaged!
I do have to say that I'm incredibly excited about this little gadget, though. Truth be told, I've never owned a remote control before in my life. And the fact that I can control my music while I sit at my desk on the other side of the room is truly a thrilling novelty to me. Yes, I am easily pleased. But that also means that I get to be pleased more often.
Any guesses as to what it contained before you look? A whole stack of music books? A toaster, maybe?
Nope.
Okay, okay, I'm visually exaggerating. Yes, there was a bit of packaging around the remote when I opened it. However, excessive bubble-wrapping and all, this tiny item was still filling only a small fraction of the box. Did they run out of small boxes?? The reason this irritates me is because I paid an exorbitant amount to have it shipped to me. Maybe shipping would cost less if things were properly packaged!
I do have to say that I'm incredibly excited about this little gadget, though. Truth be told, I've never owned a remote control before in my life. And the fact that I can control my music while I sit at my desk on the other side of the room is truly a thrilling novelty to me. Yes, I am easily pleased. But that also means that I get to be pleased more often.
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