It's hard to believe how the time has flown by this semester, and SSS coming to a close has really brought into focus how close I am to officially having completed a semester of college. It's both encouraging that I've survived thus far, and also a little intimidating that I still have so much more to go. Nonetheless, over these past few months I have seen myself change in a number of ways while simultaneously becoming even more solidified in certain areas of my beliefs and personality.
For my final reflection project I chose both the song "April Come She Will" and the medium of drawing for specific reasons. The song is featured in "The Graduate" which is my very favorite movie and its discussion of the passage of time was so appropriate for my own journey, and I chose to draw because I really love to draw and it's something I'm always trying to improve in which is representative of so many areas of my life.
The song begins with "April, come she will..." which fits so perfectly with me officially choosing to come to Converse in April of this year. "May, she will stay..." coincides with graduation and spending time in my hometown with my friends and family. "June, she'll change her tune..." speaks to a time when I went through some serious doubts about pursuing music and some financial stresses. "July, she will fly..." relates to my trip with my dad to Colorado for some Daddy-Daughter bonding before school, and finally "August, die she must..." represents the hardest goodbyes I've ever had to say, the farewell to the 'high-school' phase of my life, and the ushering in of a new phase at the close of the summer.
At the beginning of the semester I was terrified of what college would be like, excited for new experiences, and a little lost in a new environment; but, over the course of this semester I've surprised even myself by being able to adapt and adjust well. Though I've been through some struggles with everything from time-management to home sickness, I've grown as a person, as a student, made so many new friends and memories, and come to call Converse home in a way I never could have imagined.
Monday, November 18, 2013
Saturday, October 19, 2013
A brief disclaimer: I promise I tried to make this a top three. I tried to make it a top five. However, narrowing down the thousands of songs that I love, and mean something to me made this actually the hardest blog post we have done thus far, so I chose to make it a top three categories with a couple of pieces in each. I also originally felt a little guilty that so much of this is piano music. I really do love orchestral music, vocal music, and music for other solo instruments, but what can I say? I'm a pianist, and piano music speaks to me in a powerful way.
1. Hymn To Nikkal
Hey, This looks familiar! Hymn to Nikkal is the oldest existing written piece of music, and the first time I heard it was in Music History class not too long ago. Every time I hear this piece I can't help but wonder who wrote this. Who thought this was so beautiful, so significant, so important that they chose to write it down in a time when that was an honor reserved for only the most important of texts? To me, this piece is a gift from Ancient man that illustrates some very significant things about the nature of music. Though this piece is thousands of years old it has a tonal center, cadences, and harmony that makes sense to our modern ears which is so indicative of the timeless and universal nature of music.
2. Piano Sonata No 29 B♭ major Op 106 Hammerklavier- Ludwig Van Beethoven
Antiquity Through The Classical Era
1. Hymn To Nikkal
2. Piano Sonata No 29 B♭ major Op 106 Hammerklavier- Ludwig Van Beethoven
This list could have been entirely Beethoven. He is my absolute favorite composer, and one of the greatest and most influential in all of history. This is one of my favorite of his pieces; it is an incredible display of the capabilities of the the piano as an instrument, and puts even modern pianists through their technical paces. Beethoven often demonstrates his abilities as a composer and pianist in the first movement of his sonatas, but it is in the second movements, often, that he bares his soul and this one has one of the most hauntingly beautiful "Adagio Sostenuto" movements in his entire repertoire.
The Romantic Era Through Impressionism
Chopin's music is a love-letter to the piano, and this piece is one of the first pieces of music that I ever really fell in love with. This particular performance inspires me as a pianist, because of the level of subtlety, grace, and delicacy with which Rubinstein (who I think is the greatest performer of Chopin who has ever lived excluding only Chopin himself) plays. This piece, so tranquil and peaceful, is exemplary of Chopin's great skill as a composer.
Franz Liszt did for the piano what no other performer or composer before him had done for a single instrument (except perhaps Paganini for the Violin, but, though Liszt was inspired by Paganini, he went far beyond him in making the piano the most important instrument in the world of classical music). What I love most about Liszt's music is that, much like Chopin, his music is about the piano. Every note has the purpose of showing the instrument in its very best light, and this piece displays the piano as an instrument of bold power, capable of encompassing the entire scope of an orchestra.
While it was the music of Chopin that first taught me to love the piano, it was Dvorak's music that opened my mind to the beauty in the music of other instruments. The second movement of this (I really have a thing for second movements) never fails to bring me to tears. The piece so beautifully blends the textures of the Violin, Viola, and Cello, and it was a wonderful treat to hear this work performed live by the Jerusalem String Quartet here at Converse a few weeks ago.
Mahler is another of my favorite composers and he is a master of the symphony. Collectively, his body of work paints a picture of who he was as a man and the many struggles he encountered throughout his life, but also the incredible depth with which he understood music and the way that instruments work together. I included one of his most famous and most beautiful pieces, though this is only one of so many that continually touch me as a person and musician.
This is my "Bucket List" piece. Before I die (and preferably before I graduate) I would love to learn to play this piece, though I am so committed to Ivo Pogorelich's performance that I don't think I will ever be 100% happy with my own rendition of this piece. At times this piece seems as though it must be being played by more than one pianist and the technical mastery necessary to play this piece is so immense, but results in an incredible pay-off in terms of the sound produced.
Bonus: 20th Century and Beyond...
I think this is the most romantic song ever. I absolutely adore it, and though it's not exactly a Christmas Song it just makes me so happy I love to listen to it around Christmas time.
The Beatles are my favorite band of all time (would you look at them, they're adorable!) . "Let It Be" is one of my favorite albums, and the lyrics to this song are so beautiful.
Don't ask me why I love this song as much as a do, but it's one of my favorites. Billy Idol is awesome, and very underrated as a singer and songwriter.
Tuesday, September 24, 2013
Finding Your Flock
To My Dear Red Devil Class of 2019,
Congratulations are in order. You've already made the first (and perhaps most important) step to being successful in college by choosing Converse! The next four years, or even four months, may seem slightly daunting, but your Big Sis class is here to offer you some helpful advice.
Number One: Taking care of your health is the most important thing you can do. I'm not just talking about trying to keep off the freshman fifteen, but making sure to get plenty of sleep, having regular mealtimes (of nutritious foods that will help to give you tons of energy), and making sure not to overload your backpack to the point that either it breaks or you do will make a huge difference in your academic performance and your general attitude and well-being.
Number Two: You will thank yourself later for staying organized. I cannot tell you how many times my organization (or lack thereof) either saved me or doomed me. There is no better feeling than looking in your folder, or notebook and seeing your assignment exactly where you put it, and no worse feeling than realizing that your ten page paper due in three hours is nowhere to be found. Not only is it important to keep your physical notes and papers organized, but it's also crucial to keep your mind clear, focused, and relaxed. You'd be surprised how often these go hand in hand. When you're frazzled and distracted, misplacing you work is bound to happen, and conversely, keeping your desk clean and organized can actually help keep your mind clean and organized!
Number Three: Finally, while it's important to keep your schoolwork a priority, ultimately making time to hang out with friends, or even just to be alone and have some peace and quiet will make your college experience both productive and enjoyable. Having a strong network of friends will give you much needed emotional support for the times when you're feeling stressed, homesick, or just in need of a good laugh. You will have a lot of decisions (for the very minor to huge life decisions) to make over the next few years, and keeping in touch with your own goals, values, and dreams will make those choices a lot easier when the time comes.
Don't be too hard on yourself. You won't always be perfectly organized, healthy, and emotional balanced. That's ok, your fellow classmates as well as your Big Sisters will always be there for help and support. We believe in you, and we can't wait to see the next generation of Red Devils grow up and do amazing things!
Love,
Meghan Speed: Class of 2017
Congratulations are in order. You've already made the first (and perhaps most important) step to being successful in college by choosing Converse! The next four years, or even four months, may seem slightly daunting, but your Big Sis class is here to offer you some helpful advice.
Number One: Taking care of your health is the most important thing you can do. I'm not just talking about trying to keep off the freshman fifteen, but making sure to get plenty of sleep, having regular mealtimes (of nutritious foods that will help to give you tons of energy), and making sure not to overload your backpack to the point that either it breaks or you do will make a huge difference in your academic performance and your general attitude and well-being.
Number Two: You will thank yourself later for staying organized. I cannot tell you how many times my organization (or lack thereof) either saved me or doomed me. There is no better feeling than looking in your folder, or notebook and seeing your assignment exactly where you put it, and no worse feeling than realizing that your ten page paper due in three hours is nowhere to be found. Not only is it important to keep your physical notes and papers organized, but it's also crucial to keep your mind clear, focused, and relaxed. You'd be surprised how often these go hand in hand. When you're frazzled and distracted, misplacing you work is bound to happen, and conversely, keeping your desk clean and organized can actually help keep your mind clean and organized!
Number Three: Finally, while it's important to keep your schoolwork a priority, ultimately making time to hang out with friends, or even just to be alone and have some peace and quiet will make your college experience both productive and enjoyable. Having a strong network of friends will give you much needed emotional support for the times when you're feeling stressed, homesick, or just in need of a good laugh. You will have a lot of decisions (for the very minor to huge life decisions) to make over the next few years, and keeping in touch with your own goals, values, and dreams will make those choices a lot easier when the time comes.
Don't be too hard on yourself. You won't always be perfectly organized, healthy, and emotional balanced. That's ok, your fellow classmates as well as your Big Sisters will always be there for help and support. We believe in you, and we can't wait to see the next generation of Red Devils grow up and do amazing things!
Love,
Meghan Speed: Class of 2017
Friday, September 13, 2013
Allow me to paint you a picture: I am in my dorm, sitting at my desk, hair disheveled and eyes leaking tears during the final scenes of Amadeus as Mozart's Requiem plays. I came to be in this state of emotional turmoil though a series of events beginning with being assigned to analyze a snippet of "Don Giovanni" for theory class. As I was writing out chord symbols and cadences, I thought about the fact that I've never really "liked" Mozart, however, I found myself really appreciating the genius evident in the writing of this piece. I began thinking about his music in relation to his personal life, drawing connections, one thing led to another, and now I love Mozart. This is only one example of the situations I find myself in all too frequently. I get distracted, and then I become focused, but rather than being focused on the original task, I become focused on my distractions. In all fairness, this has led to some rather wonderful outcomes (such as a newfound appreciation for Mozart and some truly top-notch doodles in the corners of my homework), but has also led to frantic paper-writing sessions and less than perfect assignments that could have been avoided had I simply channeled my concentration on the task at hand. This becomes an issue of time management when a project that should take an hour of my time ends up taking three, and while this is simply part of my nature, it's also an issue of personal discipline.
My biggest struggle with time management and my biggest strength are two sides of the double edged sword that is my personality. Because, while I do end up venturing off on rabbit trails, I don't consider any opportunity to learn something new to be a waste of time. I believe that a critical part of using your time wisely is putting one hundred percent of your passion, energy, and focus into whatever you choose to do. Making the most of every moment opens an entirely new spectrum of possibilities for the minutes in an hour, the hours in a day, and the days of a lifetime.
My biggest struggle with time management and my biggest strength are two sides of the double edged sword that is my personality. Because, while I do end up venturing off on rabbit trails, I don't consider any opportunity to learn something new to be a waste of time. I believe that a critical part of using your time wisely is putting one hundred percent of your passion, energy, and focus into whatever you choose to do. Making the most of every moment opens an entirely new spectrum of possibilities for the minutes in an hour, the hours in a day, and the days of a lifetime.
Tuesday, August 27, 2013
Follow the Yellow Brick Road...
The first time I met a college professor, I knew that, not matter what, I would work my entire high school career to be able to attend college. His name was Dr. John Salmon, and he was (and still is) a Jazz professor at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and I was at UNCG for a high school piano preview day. Every student was able to take a master class with one of the keyboard professors, and to say that I was nervous would be an understatement on par with saying that Liszt was a "so-so" pianist. I walked into a classroom full of people I'd never met before, and Dr. Salmon, without saying a word, sat down at the piano and began playing Beethoven's "Für Elise ". He played it with such artistry and passion, I was enthralled, but in an instant he morphed the Classical Period composition in Lady Gaga's "Bad Romance. At first, I couldn't even believe that I was hearing this song played with the same level of skill and technique, and in the next second he was playing The Beatles' "Can't Buy Me Love" and concluded with Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue". His performance, as well as the way he shared comments and suggestions on our playing, revealed not only a deep level of knowledge and understanding but also an immense passion and interest in his subject. My entire perception of college professors, as old curmudgeons whose greatest joy was in writing a giant red "F" on student's papers, was completely changed. Instead, these extraordinary people are so devoted to their subject that they've chosen to spend their lives studying and researching every facet of a certain area of study in order to share with the next generations. This realization took me from a place of grudging acceptance of the fact that to have any sort of career I would have to attend college, to an excitement to find the perfect school, and begin my path to a PhD.
I practiced, studied, and worked hard from the start of freshman year, and everything went unbelievably smoothly until that critical step of finding "the perfect school". Half way through my Junior year, I had a meltdown. I was terrified. I didn't think I'd ever be able to find a school where I could feel at home, or enjoy myself. Everywhere I'd looked so far had some fatal flaw, and I was starting to panic when the question, "Where do you plan on going to school?" seemed to come up in every conversation. I first heard about Converse from my piano teacher, an alumna herself. Originally, it was fairly low on my list of possibilities, but as I learned more it started to check of more and more items on my list of wants. Once I had applied and been accepted, I came down for a visit, my piano audition, and the presidential scholarship competition. This was the first time I had the opportunity to hear President Betsy Fleming speak, and it was her speech at the scholarship competition, her commitment to the education of women, and the simple power and presence that she had that made my decision that, if I was accepted into the Petrie School of Music, Converse would be my number one pick.
The decision to pursue music on a collegiate and professional level is certainly a journey met with plenty of opposition in many different forms. From the struggle to stay motivated while the majority of my peers were out on adventures or simply sleeping while I was practicing, to the constant comment of "You know you won't make any money?", the road was never easy. In a way however, constantly having to defend my choices and devoting so much time and work to my decision, built resolve and commitment that music is what I'm passionate about and that it brings me so much joy. Ultimately, what could be more important.
If I was Dorothy, along with my faithful dog, I would bring one 7" by 7" sheet of origami paper folded into the lotus flower model. Two years ago a friend of a friend took an origami model to a flea market and traded it for a book. She continued to trade the new item, trying to upgrade the value slightly each time, throughout the day and over the past two years. Sometimes she will trade a few times in a day and other times she'll keep an item for months. At this moment, she has an antique typewriter worth around $250. She has never sold any of the items, only traded. So, I think I would bring a paper lotus. Who knows what I could end up with; the possibilities are endless.
I practiced, studied, and worked hard from the start of freshman year, and everything went unbelievably smoothly until that critical step of finding "the perfect school". Half way through my Junior year, I had a meltdown. I was terrified. I didn't think I'd ever be able to find a school where I could feel at home, or enjoy myself. Everywhere I'd looked so far had some fatal flaw, and I was starting to panic when the question, "Where do you plan on going to school?" seemed to come up in every conversation. I first heard about Converse from my piano teacher, an alumna herself. Originally, it was fairly low on my list of possibilities, but as I learned more it started to check of more and more items on my list of wants. Once I had applied and been accepted, I came down for a visit, my piano audition, and the presidential scholarship competition. This was the first time I had the opportunity to hear President Betsy Fleming speak, and it was her speech at the scholarship competition, her commitment to the education of women, and the simple power and presence that she had that made my decision that, if I was accepted into the Petrie School of Music, Converse would be my number one pick.
The decision to pursue music on a collegiate and professional level is certainly a journey met with plenty of opposition in many different forms. From the struggle to stay motivated while the majority of my peers were out on adventures or simply sleeping while I was practicing, to the constant comment of "You know you won't make any money?", the road was never easy. In a way however, constantly having to defend my choices and devoting so much time and work to my decision, built resolve and commitment that music is what I'm passionate about and that it brings me so much joy. Ultimately, what could be more important.
If I was Dorothy, along with my faithful dog, I would bring one 7" by 7" sheet of origami paper folded into the lotus flower model. Two years ago a friend of a friend took an origami model to a flea market and traded it for a book. She continued to trade the new item, trying to upgrade the value slightly each time, throughout the day and over the past two years. Sometimes she will trade a few times in a day and other times she'll keep an item for months. At this moment, she has an antique typewriter worth around $250. She has never sold any of the items, only traded. So, I think I would bring a paper lotus. Who knows what I could end up with; the possibilities are endless.
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