So here I am, three weeks into the spring semester. College seems to be more and more demanding, but I continue
to love every moment of it. A typical day for me starts at 7 in the morning getting ready for the day. It is one of the few moments during the day that I get to myself. Classes start at 8 am and throughout the day I will attend several classes including Percussion Methods, Harmony IV, and College Algebra to name a few. Also this semester I began taking voice lessons with Mrs. George to satisfy my vocal add-on to my degree. Mrs. George is an amazing teacher who really cares about her students and she knows how to transform students into beautiful singers. It has been a pleasure taking lessons with her. But because of all the lessons, classes, and rehersals I have to rush from class to class, therefore I spend less time with my friends and relaxation.
If any of you are considering being a music education major, make sure you truly love to teach and play music. This degree shouldn’t be a fall back career, like many students tend to do. You will be doing homework and playing and instrument in a practice room while many of your friends will be having fun. For me though, this is entirely worth it. I love the classes that I am taking and the opportunities I have had. I have grown tremendously over the past two years because of the degree and the relationships I have formed because of them.
Now many of you may be thinking that I have no life outside of the school of music, but this is defenitely not true. I have learned to appreciate the time I spend with my friends and the moments of relaxation. Last friday I went to see Krzysztof Penderecki (a world-renown composer) conduct the Nashville Symphony Orchestra, which was an amazing concert. Also my friends and I have a weekly game night, where we meet up and play a board game.
I wouldn’t be anything other than a music education major. If any of you want to discuss music education with me feel free to look me up on facebook. I would be happy to talk to you.
Random thought: So after several attempts of finding the perfect pet for my dorm room, I finally come to a
conclusion. African Dwarf Frogs are the best, they are fun to watch, easy to mantain, and are very hardy. (I tried betta’s but each one died in a matter of days).
Monthly Archives: January 2010
The Beginning of the End
On January 13th, I started my last first day of undergraduate. I can’t say how surreal the whole thing feels and how much I want it to both last forever and to be over as quickly as possible. In all honesty, though, I think I’m mostly ready to be finished at BU. Over the Winter Break I was informed that I was accepted into Candler School of Theology at Emory University, and so in the Fall, I will be pursuing my Masters of Theological Studies there. I’m so excited and ready to do postgraduate work. I’m realizing I’m a bit of a nerd as far as learning goes, and I can’t wait to be immersed in a new academic environment. But I also know that without the strong critical and ethical foundation I received at Belmont, I could very well be doing something else. I still want to get an MA in English, but right now, I’m really feeling led to pursue a theological education.
In addition to all this excitement about my future, the present is looking pretty fun. I’m taking 17 credit hours, and I have an 8AM biology class on Tuesdays and Thursdays that is shaping up to be a doozy, but I’m pretty excited about everything else I’m taking, especially my Christian Ethics class entitled, “Poverty and Justice.” There are several reasons why this is exciting. One: It takes place inside the Bass Correctional Facility, which is a minimum security prison, through an education program called Inside Out that seeks to create community between students inside and outside the prison walls. I had the privilege of taking a class inside BCF last spring and it was the most enjoyable class I think I’ve ever had in prison. To go from only knowing what I saw and heard about prisoners on TV and the News, to actually becoming friends with these men was a truly inspiring process. Inside of the classroom, we found we were all able to learn from each other intellectually, emotionally, and experientially. This year, I’m excited again to be able to engage with some old faces and some new faces as well. Two: This class is also partnered with American Baptist College, a predominately black college with a great history of educating leaders in the Nashville area. It’s always good to have a variety of voices that aren’t necessarily fostered inside the Belmont Bubble. Finally, I’m excited about this class because of the work we are going to be doing. Engaging issues of poverty and justice from a Christian perspective is of utmost importance to me. I’m especially enthused about the reading and discussions that we’re going to be doing. “Nickle and Dimed”, “Where we Stand: Class Matters” by bell hooks (who is my favorite author, btw), and “One Nation Underprivileged,” all seem to be great books that allow for a great systematic analysis of the situation in conjunction with the presence in a prison where many of the insiders have been affected by poverty and class issues, resulting in environments that led to imprisonment and crime.
In all, this is shaping up to be a wonderful final semester. I’m trying to get to tutoring at the Edgehill Public Library again, and I’m also Co-Fiction Editor of the Belmont Literary Journal, so I definitely have a full plate. 113 days left!!
Last First Day
Last week I had my last first day of undergrad… ever! It’s a bittersweet time! Much like senior year in high school, I’m painfully aware that not only I, but all of my peers, are on the verge of stepping out into the great unknown to further discover who we are as adults and in Christ. I feel excited and prepared, but that feeling of the unknown can, especially late at night, be rather frightening.
Right now I’m juggling school, work, job applications, and grad school applications, but I’m very glad I have all of my wonderful friends to keep me sane.
Here we go!
Things Are Sweeter in Tennessee
I’m back! Although the semester has just begun, I can already tell that it’s going to be my best one yet. My class load is fairly light, I’m living in an on-campus apartment (which is conveniently located just down the hill from my best friends’ apartments), and I’ve been going non-stop ever since I returned to Nashville. There is so much to do, and so many people to catch up with! I am absolutely loving reunions with old friends and making new friends, as well.
One of my good friends, Kindall, is actually in Spain right now. She’s even staying with my host mom…in my old room! I was so excited about her arrival that I decorated a bulletin board with pictures of her that I printed off from Facebook (see photo). I love being able to read her blog and look at her photos – they brings back such good memories. 
My toughest class this semester is, hands-down, Integrated Accounting. It even sounds daunting, doesn’t it? Fortunately, I have a great professor. On the first day of class, she told us, “This class will not be nearly as difficult as you think it is going to be. As long as you put forth effort and ask me when you don’t understand the material, you will do just fine.” As simple as that statement sounds, it brought me so much peace. She continually expresses her desire to do as much as she possibly can to help us succeed in the class. That’s a pretty consistent theme with Belmont professors. It also helps that even in Accounting, an entry-level business class, there are only 20 other students.
This weekend is Academic Options Day, and I will have the honor of speaking at the opening session! I can’t wait to meet lots of new prospective students and their families; AO Day is one of the highlights of the semester for me because I love sharing my academic experiences that I’ve had here at Belmont with anyone who will listen. 