Prelim hell
Our little boy is evidently still adjusting to the end of Daylight Savings time. He woke up rarin' to go at 5 a.m., zonked out for a nap at 7:45 and here it is just after nine and he is still sleeping.
I have my preliminary exams in just under two weeks, so posting will be spotty. Were it not for this freakishly long nap, you wouldn't even be hearing from me this morning, but I had a whole hour to study medieval music history (tropes! conductus! Léonin! organum! organum purum!! aaaaaaaaand let's hear it for the Magnus liber usualis!!!) and I'm treating myself to some computer time as long as I can't get in there to get the dirty laundry.
Anyway, I finally heard from my minor professor yesterday, and it looks like the test will be, if unpleasant, manageable. It appears I will survive this after all.
I have my preliminary exams in just under two weeks, so posting will be spotty. Were it not for this freakishly long nap, you wouldn't even be hearing from me this morning, but I had a whole hour to study medieval music history (tropes! conductus! Léonin! organum! organum purum!! aaaaaaaaand let's hear it for the Magnus liber usualis!!!) and I'm treating myself to some computer time as long as I can't get in there to get the dirty laundry.
Anyway, I finally heard from my minor professor yesterday, and it looks like the test will be, if unpleasant, manageable. It appears I will survive this after all.
Comments
Congratulations on the success of your recital, btw.
-j
(nyah)
-your common father
Good luck on the test, Suze. I know you're stressed about it, but I bet you'll wind up doing fine. Your whole family is just scary smart like that. My biggest memory of your mom is one day in class when she was speaking Sapnish, but writing German on the board--we couldn't figure out what was going on until she wrote that funky s that looks like a B. I can't even fathom how it's possible for someone to do that. Y'all have brain compartments you use daily that us mere mortals can never hope to have.
I remember reading about "Daylight Saving Time" a few years ago, but have forgotten the source. Since then I seem to have encountered it a few times. When in doubt, check wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daylight_saving_time
"The term Daylight savings time, although commonly used, is technically incorrect."
thanks for all the encouragement. i'll be fine; i just wish i had an extra week or two to cram all this info in my head. a heads-up on the actual questions would be nice, but that ain't gonna happen. still, i've taken tests like this before (like for my masters comps) and i can take a pretty educated guess as to what will be on it.
scary smart? i wouldn't say that. maybe about my bro, who finished a freakin' engineering degree in 4 years. and my mom, who speaks 3 languages. and my dad, who knows everything about everything :) me? i have a good memory and i'm a good test-taker, but music isn't so much about brains as hard work, self-promotion (I'm not so good at that) and a bit o' talent.
Not only to write music, but play music--the coordination involved in letting the body become an instrument of release is incredible. And I believe the body is the instrument not just of a singer but of anyone who plays--inhibition of movement greatly affects the play of the piece, the engagement of the listener, and the overall perception of the effort.
So don't sell yourself short. Music is language, just like German, Spanish, French, and Six Sigma. You're fluent. You understand it. You're an interpreter. Not everyone can do that.