Blogger Fail - Summer Term

Yup.  Go ahead.  I deserve it.  I, me, doth faileth at the blog.  I'm not gonna lie, I'll probably continue to fail.  But right now I'll just share with ya'll what I'll be doing for the next five months. 
I'm going to be doing an August term (Others call it "Summer Term II")  During this term I will be taking...

Marriage and Family: 8am - Oy.  (I recognize that this is actually quite reasonable.)
A study of American marriages and families. Attention is given to successful marriage and family relationships based on research examining dating and mate selection, marriage, sexuality, family interaction, family resource management, parenting, divorce, and remarriage.
And...

Astronomy: 10am - Just in time to see the starts!
Study of the motion, physical properties, evolution, and environments of the sun, moon, planets, and stars. Includes observing activities.
Six credits!  Whoa.  Aug term is about a month long.  Should be fun, right?

Then for the Fall Term I'll be taking 13 (possibly 14) credits.  
MWF:
Introduction to Music History: 9am This course has two goals: to refine listening skills, thus increasing the student’s understanding and enjoyment of music, while at the same time providing a survey of the major composers and musical styles of the Western classical repertory to be encountered in concert halls today. Students will be introduced to music from the Baroque, Viennese Classical, Romantic, and Modern periods, including works by composers such as Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Brahms, Debussy, and Stravinsky. Genres to be covered include the symphony, chamber music, opera, song, and choral music.

(I might do... Concert Chorale: 10am  "Advanced choir" ish.  I have to audition, but I'm BASICALLY in.  Haha - just kidding.)

Child and Adolescent Development: 12:30pm (Just Monday and Wednesday)An introduction to human development. Emphasis is on life span processes within physical, emotional, cognitive, social, personality, and moral development. Major concepts, theories, and principles of child and adolescent development are covered.

Foundations of Education: 2:30pm
A study of the practices and issues that affect American education. Consideration is given to such topics as philosophical approaches to education, history of American education, and the organizational and cultural aspects of schools that influence education practices.

For Tuesdays and Thursdays...
Bella Voce: 9:30am
Another choir.  Just girlies.

Group Voice Instruction: 12:30pm - I took it last semester and I'm taking it again.  I love this class.This course is designed for the beginning vocal student offering group instruction to familiarize students with the fundamentals of singing and provide opportunities for development of vocal skill and public performance.
It shouldn't be too difficult.  I'll keep you posted.  But probably not.

I'm not dead yet.

I have twenty more days of my freshman year at college.  This semester has been nice. Not too many papers (except for the three that I'm putting off right now by writing this), just one obnoxiously insane presentation.

But the biggest theme that has occurred this semester is MUSIC!  Let's start at the beginning and waste time, shall we?

It started of with me taking chemistry.  I was relatively "excited."  I liked chemistry in high school and I had done pretty well and I was hoping this class would simply reaffirm my feelings on the subject.

FALSE.

The teacher and I did not get along.  I don't think he knew it, but I knew it enough for the both of us.  So I dropped it like a hot tamale.  But with that class dropped I had some space to fill.  My roommate was signed up to take a class called Group Voice Instruction and I had heard that it was supposed to be really good.  The problem was that there was a possibility of me not getting into the class.  After a stressful couple of days, I finally got in and things started to settle.

This class has basically changed my life.  Ehh... yeah.  It has.

It is taught by Clayne Robison, with the help of a couple of characters.

BYUtv - Beautiful Singing: Not Just For The Chosen

This is a short film that we have watched many times and it is basically what we are learning in class.  Dr. Robison is sometimes a startling person, but you just go along with it because you know(hope) he knows what he's doing.

With what I've been learning I am able to use it in my other class: Bella Voce!  The same couple of characters who help Dr. Robison with Group Voice are the conductors for Bella Voce.  This class has also had a greater impact on me than I could have ever expected.

Here is what we have done this semester:

For our first concert we did:

Dirait-on - Morten Lauridsen
We are a womens' choir, so it is slightly different from this.

Tango To Evora - Loreena McKennitt

Set Me As a Seal  - René Clausen

My Soul's Been Anchored in the Lord - Moses Hogan

Sing Me to Heaven - Daniel E. Gawthrop

Psalm 23 - Z. Randall Stroope

Revelation - Z. Randall Stroope
This one is really intense.  Especially this video with the illustrations.

Now we have another concert coming up on April 21st where we will be singing Sing Me to Heaven, Psalm 23, and Revelation along with:

Ev'ry Time I Feel the Spirit - Rosephanye Powell
This version is very different from what we sing, mostly just the same words, but you get the idea.

Hoj, Hura, hoj! - Otmar Mácha
I'll be singing one of the solos in this one.  I'm excited.

Because of these two classes over the course of two semesters my love of music has grown exponentially.  So much, in fact, that I was considering doing a double minor of Early Childhood Education along with Music.  But, for whatever reason, the Early Childhood Education minor is no longer available.  At least at this point in time.  So we'll see how things pan out.

I'm grateful for the all the opportunities I have at this school and the people I have met that help me improve in my skillz.

Twenty more days.

Back.

Night night, Mom.  I love you.

Miss

I'm really grateful that I chose to go to this school.  I would have been miserable if I went to any other place.  I'm grateful that I'm able to give the advice, "Pray about it," and it's not a horrendous joke.  I love seeing the same faces that I see in church in my classes.  I love being in 3 choirs even though one if them is a slight abomination.  I think my ward is wonderful and all three hours are very enriching.  FHE is always a blast and our family is a pretty good size with consistant attendance.

Of couse I miss my ward at home.  The smallness and warmth.  But something that I truly miss is hearing the Sacrament Prayers in Spanish.

It took me forever to find these:

Oh Dios, Padre Eterno, en el nombre de Jesucristo, tu Hijo, te pedimos que bendigas y santifiques este pan para las almas de todos los que participen de él, para que lo coman en memoria del cuerpo de tu Hijo, y testifiquen ante ti, oh Dios, Padre Eterno, que están dispuestos a tomar sobre sí el nombre de tu Hijo, y a recordarle siempre, y a guardar sus mandamientos que él les ha dado, para que siempre puedan tener su Espíritu consigo. Amén.


Oh Dios, Padre Eterno, en el nombre de Jesucristo, tu Hijo, te pedimos que bendigas y santifiques este vino [agua] para las almas de todos los que lo beban, para que lo hagan en memoria de la sangre de tu Hijo, que por ellos se derramó; para que testifiquen ante ti, oh Dios, Padre Eterno, que siempre se acuerdan de él, para que puedan tener su Espíritu consigo. Amén.


I never really realized what a blessing it was to have a multilingual ward until I came here and no one was speaking Spanish, or signing.  Every Sunday I've been aching to hear these prayers in Spanish.  I guess it shouldn't matter, but it's a comfort from home that I'd like to have.  

Admission

It's funny because I didn't even need this to get into SVU.  

Here's a little story before you read:  When I told my friend, Emily, that I was going to talk about Pride and Prejudice she sort of gave me a look of extreme pity.   She told me, "Mary,  everyone writes their essay about that."  My stomach dropped but then I remembered that mine was going to be different.  It took me kind of a long time to write this essay.  It went through a bunch of people before it went out.  It's funny that SVU didn't see it.  They probably would have appreciated it the most.  But it did it's job all the same.  I got into all the schools that I applied to.  (WIN)

When reading Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, I was struck by the character Mrs. Bennet.  Mrs. Bennet is traditionally viewed as a rather shallow person who has foolish goals and irrational expectations.  I disagree with this interpretation.  I feel that Mrs. Bennet is simply trying to be a good mother.  She is striving to give all five of her daughters a sound, prosperous life.  During the late 1700s, women had few rights and had to depend on the presiding male in their life. Mrs. Bennet tries to provide the protection that her children will need. I see her decisions and actions as high expectations for the futures of her daughters. She only wants the best for her children, and her children's children.  

I believe that being a mother in today's society is an underappreciated responsibility.  Mothers are the caretakers of the future.  There are a lot of elements to being a good mother and  education is a critical part of a mother's success.  A mother has to be a nurse, home economist, teacher, psychologist, diplomat, agriculturist, musician, nutritionist, and nurturer, to be able to deal with the daily affairs of a busy life. She has to be familiar with mathematics, literature, grammar, foreign languages, history, biology, chemistry, and physics, in order to help with school work and to answer the unanswerable questions that youth and children have.  A mother has to be a “Renaissance Man”.

The family is the most intimate form of community, and the mother is the keystone of that institute.  She has to teach her children how to be upstanding citizens in society and to be respectful of others and their beliefs.  A mother has to motivate her children to do the best they can, and to have high standards for themselves.  

I know so many mothers that fulfill this exact description and add their own abilities to the mix.  I know women who are experts with writing, literature, theology, politics, education, and music.  These mothers are the most balanced people I know, and they have been true mentors in my life.  

Throughout my life I have also seen these traits in my own mother.  With the education she received she has been able to shape our lives in the best way possible, and it is truly inspirational to see the time and effort she puts in to each child's life.  My mother is raising four children, is about to see her first go to college, and she has made it very difficult for me to leave.  For every single child, my mother would read a bedtime story, sings a song, and turns out the light, until we were too old for that childish treatment, of course.  She sleeps with my youngest sister, while the other is at a sleepover, because she cannot sleep in the room alone.  At the beginning of each school year she makes a back-to-school treat to help each of us ease into a new and harder year.  She helps each of us as we practice an instrument, and she coaches us through our homework.   Her patience and guidance has helped make me the person I am today.  

Watching my mother has motivated me to become the best I can be.    She has always supported me in whichever field I have wanted to study.  My mother has set me up for a desire to learn everything possible.  This love of learning is what helps me to be successful in anything I do.  My ability to soak up information and share it with others is sustained and encouraged by my parents. Watching these astounding people has given me an ability to support my family and peers.  I have gained a natural ability to teach and connect with people, and with this I have been able to influence the people around  me.  I plan to use what I learn from a liberal arts education for society and a family of my own.  I have been inspired to learn everything I can so, someday, I will be a good mother also.  

Though society may look down on Mrs. Bennet and mothers, I see both in a different light.  Mothers are a strong, intelligent group of people guiding the next generation into a vast and unknown world. 

Laundry Day

On our floor we have three pairs of washer/dryers.  It is nice, but when you need to do laundry you have to keep checking to see when you can get your stuff in.  And even when a machine says it's ready for your clothes you can open it up and there will be someone else's clothes in there.

That is when you face a problem.  "Do I move their clothes?"  "Do I wait for them?"  "What if they take forever to move their stuff?"  "If I move it do I put it on top or put it in a dryer?"  Well. Today was laundry day.  And I had to ask myself those questions.

I went back and forth a couple of times to see when a washer was free and then finally it was.  Then I go back to my room and a haul my stuff to the washer room and I open it up to see that that there are clothes in it.  Well, I don't want to wait for a bit to find out that they moved their clothes and someone else took the washer.  So I take action.  I see that a dryer is done so I open it up and see... that there are clothes in it.  BUT there is a small basket next to this dryer.  The question asked is, "Is this basket corresponding with the clothes in this dryer or is it just a random basket?" So I take the leap and I grap the clothes and put them in the basket.  Mind you, they were clothes of a more... they were on the "whites" cycle.  So I had to handle someone's unmentionables.  So I was already too far into this to go back.

Now, I take the person's clothes that were in the washer into the dryer that I just emptied.  BUT NOW I had to think about whether I should start the dryer or not.  BECAUSE I didn't know if I could ruin anything or not.  So I stood there for a bit and decided that I wouldn't. Then I finally put my clothes in the washer and started 'er up.

I went back into my room, walked around, and decided that I needed to leave a note for the person whose clothes I took out of the washer and put into the dryer but did not start the dryer for.  SO I took my roommate with me and we went back to the washer room.

In this washer room there's a little white board but no marker.  So we went out into the hallway and borrowed a marker.  I thought about it for a little bit and decided that I didn't want to use the board because nobody really looks at the board.  So I wrote a note on the washer.

"Dear person in this washer before me,
I moved your clothes into dryer #1, but I didn't start it.  Sorry.  I didn't want to ruin anything.
I hope this erases.  It should.
Love,
I'm not putting my name, but I will clean this up if it leaves a mess.
Happy washing!"

Now I'm going to check my laundry.

Ch-ch-ch-ch-chaange

Majors and Minors

Last week I wanted to be  a Liberal Arts major, with a minor in Family and Child Development.

This week I want to be a Family and Child Development major, and minor in Early Childhood Education.

They say, "Career opportunities available for early childhood education minors include preschool director, preschool teacher or aide and public school aide. Early childhood education enriches the skills of those who become involved in their communities or religious volunteer organizations. Students will not attain a teaching certificate upon completion of this minor, but early childhood education is an option for those who may be considering entering the field."  So that's good, right?   I don't want to be a grade school teacher. But I could do preschool.  I think.  


Don't tell me, "Ohh, Mary you have plenty of time to think about this..." 


I like planning. 


Please comment.

Life Two

Well.  I haven't vomited yet.  Although I think I almost did this morning.

I guess I should start from the beginning.  Hmm?  We get there on Wednesday and we are supposed to check in at the Lofts (the girls' dorms).  We go in and it's pretty crazy.  Not as organized as it could have been.  And that is where I get some very special news.  I am in a completely different room.  New floor and everything.  Do we know if my roommates moved with me? Nope.  We walk into the room and there's a girl with her two parents who is someone I have never ever seen before in my life.

I have new roommates.  I had spent all summer trying to get to know my roommates so we could ease into this stupid college experience as smoothly as possible.  But no.  I have to start over.  I have to go in with my arms outstretched in a completely dark room.

So it's my family and hers unpacking.  She's from Indiana.  Blah blah blah unpack.  We leave and get more stuff done.  And come back to find another roommate.  From New Jersey.  Then more unpacking.

Then sleep?

Thursday?  Alright.  Orientation.  It's basically EFY.  I literally have two counselors and we have groups and we play games with our groups and we have groupe meetings and discussions and we go to assemblies.

Friday?  Same thing.  Except even though I'm in "Bella Voce" on Tuesdays and Thursdays I still had to audition for the people to see what they thought of me.   So you go and wait with a bunch of other people in the hallway and while you wait you can totally hear the person going.  And while you wait you have to pick a hymn to sing for the people.  There are a couple of books going around so you can think of a hymn but I needed a book to see.   The rumor is that they as you to sing the soprano part and the alto part (with the piano).  So I end up choosing "As Sisters In Zion".

So it's finally my turn OH.  Wait.  They made us fill out a little piece of paper with our info and everything and our choir background.  I said:  3 years of high school choir, church choir since 8th grade(?), and conducted choirs.  Now, after I came in and handed that paper in and introduced myself they asked about it.  Oh.  Again they.  There were two guys (rather young, maybe still students)  and one old, sweet lady.  Yeah.  They asked about the conducting.  And right at that moment I completely regret writing it down.  And I told them.  I said, "I probably shouldn't have written that down."  And they laughed.  They loved me. But I told them that I conducted the youth choir and the ward choir.  And they might have been impressed.  I don't remember.  Wow.  Anyway.  Getting to the point.  Ummm what did we do.  I think first we did.  My range.  I got up to I think she said a high C and then down to an F# if I heard/remember correctly and then we did a memory thing where she would play a little five note diddly and I would sing it back to her.  No big deal.  Unless I'm tone deaf.  Then we did the hymn which was okay.  The problem with the whole audition was that I was pretty rusty.  I hadn't been singing  very much for the past two weeks and so I was a bit squeaky.   The worst part of the whole the was the alto line.  I start making my one line up because I wasn't looking to hard and I was all over the place.  And once I lost one note I lost 'em all.

I think the results are in, but I don't want to go down and check 'cause they're so far away.

And then for the rest of Friday we had the luau (I went - it was just food) and Knight games (we're the Knights) which were fun to watch people fools of themselves.

Saturday? We took an honor oath.  We did a service project.  OH.  Ok.  We had a toilet problem.  We went all over the dorm looking for a freakin' plunger and we finally found one but I knew by just looking at it that it probably wouldn't work.  I tried for an hour to fix the toilet but it wouldn't work.  I was so upset and a little angry because what kind of dorm wouldn't have a plunger even in a closet somewhere.  So, after a little bit of crying,  I drove to walmart (I'm not going to capitalize it.)  and bought a stupid plunger.  Though I shouldn't call it stupid because it is my most favorite thing.  After I unwrapped it and unclogged the toilet, I woke up my roommate and told her the toilet worked (it had been  about 7 hours of it not working).  Then I went to my computer to tell Facebook that the toilet worked and my internet wasn't working.  I nearly started crying again.

Oh yeah.  That's a thing.  The internet is seriously having a problem.   It's fast when it works but something is wrong.  I'm doing different experiments before I go to people because it's seriously a weird problem that all three of us have.

Then I did my laundry and then we went to a dance.  Then we went to sleep.

Then we woke up and went to church.  Tonight we have a fireside.  And now the internet is breaking left and right.  I'm truly angry.


Overall:
I'm glad that my room got switched.  Classes are starting tomorrow.  Mmmmmehhhhhrrrrgggg. Scared.

Finally!

Ladies and Gentlemen, I have figured it out!  After all this time of thinking and thinking I have got it - and it is good.

I have always found the idea of different types of learning very interesting.  What works best for people? How to teach what?  Which teachers are best at which type?  I wanted to find the perfect teacher.  I  might be able to say that I did.  It was my tenth grade social studies/AP European History teacher.  He had this way of making history into a story - a story that I was fascinated by.  If I had to give credit to someone for my love of history, discussion, politics, social sciences, learning, it would be him.  Because of the story telling.  

So while I was watching this video, I was a tad distracted and I started thinking about how I learn.  And then it finally clicked.  I am very much an auditory learner.   I looked it up to see if it was a real thing and I got this: "Auditory learners are those who learn best through hearing things.  They may struggle to understand a chapter they've read, but then experience a full understanding as they listen to the class lecture."  This is so true.  I hate reading text books.  I wish someone could read them to me.

While taking tests or writing essays in school, I would remember information that my teacher said.  But not just, "Oh, she said ___."  No - I would literally repeat exactly what I heard: words, tone, fluctuations.  I would replay the whole scene, listening to my teacher's voice which is why my social studies teacher was so good for me.

THIS is why I am so good at music.  In fact when I've heard a song and I hear someone try to hum it, sing it, cover it, I can very easily hear a mistake.  I can't tell you what you did wrong, but I know it's there.  That's why, when I played piano, I played by ear.  I rarely used the music which is why I eventually quit, because I never really learned how to read music.

Funny things:

• Though I am very good at music, I am extremely terrible at lyrics.  It takes me a very long time to learn lyrics and I have to work very hard at it.  
• I can't take descriptions well.  If someone were to describe what their new dress looks like, the color, the length, the cut, anything I wouldn't even try to visualize.  I would stop the person in mid sentence and say, "Don't even try.  I can't do it."
• I am very bad at directions.  With directions I am a visual person.  I need to have been on the trip before, many times before or I need a map (gps style works best).  
• Even small directions like, "I need you to get something for me..."  Where a person would spill out directions for which room to go into and which closet to open and which shelf to look on.  No - I get very nervous when someone confronts me with something like that.  I have to try so, so hard to remember.  That's where the auditory playback comes in.

I can't believe it took me this long to figure out and I just had a quick talk with my mom.  I said, "Mom, I'm an auditory learner," and she said, "I know."  My mom knew.  Of course she'd know, but it took me my entire childhood to finally click it all together.  I'm so excited to use my new found information! 

Oh boy.

Today, I got a college email about housing.  It showed me where to find out who my roommates are (who a already knew about) and what to do when I get there. 

"New students are scheduled to arrive on Wednesday, August 25^th between 9am and 5pm. Orientation activities will begin the next morning.  Your student ID card and orientation materials can be picked up at Main Hall after you have checked into your housing assignment."

Before, I was pretty okay with the idea of going to college.  But after getting this email, I am scared.  I am scared about being eight hours away from home.  I scared about living with three new, different girls and having no privacy. I'm scared to be taking college-level classes.  I'm scared to have more papers.  I'm scared to have to take care of myself.  I'm scared that after this, after the next four years, I'll be a full on grown up.  That I'll have to have a job, that I'll have to support myself.  I'm scared that I can't do it.

It's all hit me.  And I don't want to go.