Just a quick update...

Just a quick update about how my classes are going:

Dance: We had 4 short scholarly papers to read. (We will be doing a lot of reading in this class, actually.) Our assignment was to write a paragraph synopsis on each article. Mine came to 3 full pages, but most everybody else's was only a half page! Did I write too much, or did they not write enough? I guess I'll find out Thursday.

The class is an hour of lecture, then an hour of lab. For our lecture, we discussed 2 of the articles. I tried to give the other students a chance to speak up, but they were either too shy or had nothing to say. Those who did say things just touched the surface of things rather than delving into deeper critical analysis. I got the sense that the prof was a bit frustrated at the level and amount of discussion - at the end she said, "I do expect you *all* to participate in these discussions." I mean, come on! This is an Upper Division class; presumably, these students have all fulfilled their Lower Division requirements and so have had at least one class in Critical Analysis. I've decided not to let anybody stand in the way of my education, so from here on out, I'm going to say what I'm thinking and explore various modes of criticism, until the prof sees fit to tell me to be quiet. :-)

Maybe I'll even post my weekly reading/practice journals here....

Computer Music: So far, so good. I have very little experience with MIDI or synthesis, so I didn't really know what to expect in this class. We've been working with a piece of software called Reason and have been using virtual drum machines, mixers, delays, reverbs, and now Loop Effects to do our labs. The labs are pretty strict with *what* must be done with the equipment, but we have complete freedom to use whatever sounds we want (from the sound banks that come with the software). I'm looking forward to seeing what we do next!

GEO: GEO = General Education Oral Communication. All the other students just call it "jee-oh," so I figured I would, too. The prof is really good - you can tell she really cares about the students and how they do in class. She's supplementing the textbook with real-life examples as well as giving us all kinds of step-by-step advice and not just throwing us to the wolves, as in, "Here, go make a speech!"

I have to give a 2-3 minute How-To speech on Feb 18. My topic is: "How to save your cell phone (or other electronic device) after it's been dropped in water." Last night, she went around the room asking each student what their topic was to be & when I said mine, one of the other students exclaimed, "I could have used that information last week!" LOL.

Vocal Ensemble: Class was cancelled by the prof this week due to personal reasons. Meanwhile, I ordered a bunch of music for choir & bells from SheetMusicPlus.com so I'm hoping it will arrive soon & that some of them will be suitable for us to do!

Now, I've gotta go read 2 chapters in my GEO textbook (I bought the Kindle edition which was only $25, as opposed to $70 for the "e-Book" or $120 for the hardcover. I don't have a Kindle, but am using Amazon's free "Kindle for PC" software.) and take a quiz on it, then I've got to write a 3-4 page paper on a dance concert I went to on Friday night.

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My Dance Experience Paper

Now that I've turned in my paper for my Global Modern Dance class, I thought I'd post it here. The assignment was:

Write a personal narrative about your most memorable dance experience. Provide contextual and personal detail. Two double spaced pages. Submit two copies - one with your name, one without.

When we got to class, we put the one with no name on a chair and gave the professor the one with our name. One by one, we stood up and took a paper from the chair (not our own) and read it to the class. Here's my paper:

DNCE 320
Personal Narrative Essay
January 26, 2010

I do not have very much dance experience. In fact, if the people I went to High School with knew that I was taking a Dance class, they would probably laugh. I was known as a klutz, someone who was always stumbling over my own feet, who would always bump into things, spill my drinks, and break anything delicate that I happened to be carrying.

I did have one Tap Dance lesson when I was 5 years old, but the only thing I remember about it is that we learned how to do a Shuf-fle step. Then there was the semester of Ballet I took when I first went away to college. I took it to fulfill a Physical Education requirement, but I felt incredibly self-conscious in the black leotard and pink tights and shoes, and made excuses not to go to class. I eventually received a WF – not a very illustrious accomplishment.

And so it was that the very next semester I found myself at the New Music and Art Festival at the Midwest Center for Contemporary Music and Art at Bowling Green State University in Ohio. One of the composers on the Music Faculty was having a piece premiered at the Festival and his wife – one of the Dance Faculty – was presenting a new dance to the piece. She asked for student volunteers to be her “back-up dancers” (I’m sure she used a more technically-correct term, but I can’t remember what it was). My best friend talked me into volunteering with her. We were told to wear jeans and a white t-shirt and show up at the hall an hour before the show for rehearsal.

That, in and of itself, was very stressful for me. Not only was I crazy enough to volunteer to dance – in public! – but we were only going to have one rehearsal an hour before the show?!? I tend toward the Obsessive-Compulsive side of things (I like to say that I’m not OCD, I’m CDO – that’s like OCD, but the letters are in alphabetical order like they’re supposed to be!), so the thought of not having several rehearsals to make sure I knew exactly what to do and when to do it was extremely frightening! This was waaaaay outside my comfort zone!

I don’t remember much about the rehearsal, but I do remember the performance fairly vividly. The music was typical for Contemporary Classical Music of the time – full of “pops and squeaks,” electronic noises, “bips and boops,” and lots of dissonance. As the first clicks and whirrs of the music started, the lights dimmed low and the group of us volunteers entered like a giant white worm, each of us hanging onto the person in front of us, as we crept and crawled across the stage. The lights changed to blue as the primary dancer entered – though truthfully, I don’t remember much about what she was doing, as I was concentrating on being wormlike.

When the lights changed from blue to red, it was our cue to stop being a unified worm and to break apart, stand up, spread across the stage, and begin moving our limbs in herky-jerky movements, more-or-less to the rhythm of the music. In rehearsal, the primary dancer stressed the importance of us not “lining up” across the stage, but placing ourselves randomly, facing every which way. I made sure that I was facing away from the audience!

Our next cue was when the lights transitioned from red into a deep violet. At this point, we were to stop our angular movements, slowly “deflate” into piles on the floor, then gradually join up with the other white-clad dancers like drops of a liquid will join up with other drops to form a larger puddle. Once we joined with the others, we were to randomly and suddenly get to our knees, throw our arms into the air and wave them around for a moment before again “deflating” and re-joining the puddle. These outbursts were to gradually become less and less frequent as the music slowed in tempo, until we ended the piece lying prone on the floor in a huddled mass, our arms and legs draped across the person next to us.

After a brief moment of silence, the hall erupted into thunderous applause. We all stood up to take our bows and then filed off the stage. I remember that my hands were shaking violently and as soon as we were off stage, I collapsed onto the floor, hyperventilating. I said to my friend, “Don’t you ever make me do anything like that again!”

To this day, I don’t remember the name of the composer, the primary dancer, or the name of the piece of music, but I do remember the feeling of “what have I gotten myself into??” as I entered the stage for that performance.

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Vocal Ensemble (with bells!)

Tonight, I crashed Vocal Ensemble.

Back at Foothill, I took 3 quarters of the College Chorale, plus one quarter of Voice Class. This seems like a combination of those.

In the Foothill College Chorale, we sang SAB music (with occasional divisions in the parts). In Voice Class, we sang in unison, plus everyone sang a solo. (Both classes were taught by Carl Schmidt, who used to be in Chanticleer .)

In this class at CSUSM, we'll be doing some SAB, some SATB, some rounds and some unison stuff. We might also have a special concert, just for solos - and the prof said it could be instrumental....

Anyway, at the beginning of class, the prof had each of us introduce ourselves and give a bit of our singing and/or music background. I said that I'm new to the area, so this is my first semester at the University; I'm a professional handbell player. I play with a professional Bay Area group called Sonos, plus I'm a soloist; and I've played bells in 33 US States and 6 countries.

He said I should do a concert sometime. I said, "Sure, my capstone project," and he said, "No, before that!" He also asked if there are pieces for choir and bells and I said, "Yes. In fact, I have a packet of music for choir and bells that I got as a publisher promotion; I'll bring it over to you." He seemed totally excited about it. Other students in the class also said, "Handbells? That is so cool!" LOL!

For those who say that handbells are not respected in the mainstream, I say that that attitude seems to be diminishing in recent years. Surely my experiences have been more positive than negative in that regard.

There *is* hope for us, after all! :-)

Looking forward to this semester!

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Week 1 of school, plus Florida!

Since I have no classes on Wednesdays or Fridays, & because Monday was a holiday & Tuesday a faculty furlough day at CSUSM, I had only one day of school this week. I definitely got into the Global Modern Dance class & it looks like I'll probably get into the Computers & Music class, but Oral Communication is iffy.

For Computers and Music, the school registration system says that the class has a 26-student capacity (except on some days when it says 30). There are 30 workstations in the room, and 28 people showed up on Thursday. If it remains that way on Tuesday (or improves), then I'll get into the class

For Oral Communication, the prof said the class is fully registered, but 2 of those students didn't show up on Thursday. 2 students "crashed" the course (including me), and if the 2 absentees don't show up on Tuesday, the prof will drop them & we're in. (Likewise if others drop.)

Meanwhile, I have to continue as if I'm in the classes & prepare my work for Tuesday. My homework includes:

Global Modern Dance: write a 2-page paper describing a memorable dance experience. Oy! Do I write about my one Tap Dance lesson at the age of 5 (shuff-le step!) , or my one semester of ballet taken for Phys Ed credit 20 years ago (and in which I got a WF)? Maybe I'll take a chance and instead of writing about my past "dance" experience, I'll write about how many people tell me how my handbell playing looks like a dance, plus what I hope to "take away" from this class. Or maybe all of it. We'll see.

Computers and Music: no homework! In fact, if I understand correctly, there will be no homework all semester. Instead, we'll have lab assignments which we'll complete during our lab time each week.

Oral Communication: give a 2-minute introductory speech about myself, including a visual aid. If I had my bells, I would bring some of them, but Lois has them now for cleaning & repair (I'll get them back after the Sonos rehearsals Feb 6/7), so I think I'll bring in a Sonos DVD and/or my own CD instead.

I'll have to prepare all of that on Monday because I am right now on a plane to Florida. Tomorrow morning, I'll be conducting a workshop for the bell program of the West Palm Beach school district. Every elementary & middle school in the district has one (or more) bell groups & each year in May they (along with all the other music groups in the district such as bands, orchestras, and choirs) present a big concert in the city's beautiful Performing Arts Center. In Jan or Feb they have a clinician come in to work with the kids on the music they will present. I did this a couple of years ago (maybe 3?) and have been invited back again this year. I'm happy to go back because this is one of my all-time favorite events! These kids are fabulous - so energetic & enthusiastic - and so *into* the music. I know it's because they have fabulous teachers!!

Anyway, I fly home to San Diego on Sunday. On Monday, I have to "crash" Vocal Ensemble & see if I get in. Tuesday night after Oral Communication, I have to "crash" Intro to Acting -- but I might not. Tuesday is a very long day for me, and I may decide that 4 classes in one day is too many.

Oh yeah, the picture of me in this post is me on my flight from Denver to Miami - I'm flying with frequent flyer miles & couldn't go directly to West Palm Beach (nor fly out of Carlsbad). There are still a couple of hours left in the flight (though of course, I won't actually get to send this until we land), so I think I might nap.

TTFN!

-Michèle (from my mobile phone)

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Spring Semester 2010

Sorry I haven't posted anything in a while. Brian & I area still unpacking and setting up our new house. My music room is in process, but I keep getting distracted by things such as changing our address at a million-and-a-half places, setting up online bill pay for all our new utilities, and trying to figure out school.

Once my music room is set up, though, it's going to be wonderful - it's bigger than the room I had in Mountain View, even if it has no closet (but that's ok because we have a garage for that stuff) - and I'm really looking forward to when it's done & I can start using it!! Unfortunately, I am still going through all my boxes and filing things that need to be filed, organizing things that need to be organized, and throwing out things that really should have been thrown out a long time ago.

As for school, well, it's been interesting. As I wrote before, I had every intention of attending Palomar College. I planned to take Ear Training, Piano, Logic, and Computer Music Composition.

However, I ran into one problem: The Ear Training course has a co-requisite of Theory. That's fine, but really do I have to? I talked to the Professors for both the Level 1 & Level 2 courses, and when I told them what my Theory background was...

1987-1988: 3 semesters of Theory at Bowling Green State University in Ohio (early Baroque through Romantic)
1989-1991: 4 semesters of Theory at the College-Conservatory of Music in Cincinnati (early Baroque through 20th century (Serialism & Minimalism)
2008-2009: 3 quarters of Theory at Foothill Community College, SF Bay Area (Baroque through late Romantic (Aug 6th chords) and some Impressionism)
2009: 1 quarter of Musicianship at DeAnza College, SF Bay Area (a combination of Theory & Ear Training, we covered the Partial Series, Maj/Min chords & scales, Modes, & First Species Counterpoint)

... the Professor of the Level 1 class put it to me bluntly:

After seeing your Music Theory background, I'm sure you are going to be bored with Music [Level 1], perhaps even bored with [Level 2] or [Level 4].... I am not convinced that any of academic classes will fit your status. Palomar College is really designed for the student who has just finished high school. If they succeed at this level, then they usually transfer to another higher level of learning. I think that next college is where you should be (UCSD, San Diego State, etc.).

This bluntness made me kind of sit back on my heels and say, "Huh. Maybe he's right. What *are* my options?"

The reason I had been going to a Community College in the first place is because the California State University system doesn't usually admit transfer students unless they're an "Upper Division" student, which means that they've finished their General Education courses. I'm not quite finished with my GE yet (which is another rant -- I currently hold two Associate degrees, but haven't finished my GE?!?), but am very close.

Fortunately, I live very close to CSU San Marcos (less than half a mile away!) and so I went over there to see if I could talk to an academic advisor or at least someone in the Admissions office. The friendly people at the help desk there told me that it is too late to enroll for Spring 2010 (which I expected) and also that it's too late to apply for Fall 2010 (which I did not), but that I could still take classes through something called "Open University". After reading up on it a bit - it's a lot like the "Continuing Education" option at the University of Cincinnati, through which I took a year's worth of Music classes because it was too late to get into the Conservatory by the time I decided I wanted to go there (sound familiar?) - I decided to pursue that option.

There are a couple of drawbacks to going via Open University.

One is that it costs more. OU students pay the equivalent of the out-of-state rate for classes, so it costs about twice as much as a regular enrollment (and almost 3 times as much as Palomar College!).

Another is that you can't actually get a degree via OU, you have to actually enroll in the University. That's what I had planned to do anyway, so no problem, plus up to 24 units of credit can be transferred from OU to the University when I do enroll.

And finally, OU students can't register for classes in advance. We have to attend the first day of classes and get a Permission Code to register. This means that it's very likely that the class that you want will be closed by the time you go to register for it.

I've spent the past few days going through the General Education requirements as interpreted by CSU San Marcos (every school is a little different, even within the CSU system) and know what I still need to take to finish my GE (and what I plan to appeal [1]). I also went through the requirements for the degree I want to get [2] and figured out what I still need to take (of course, some of my previous music classes will fulfill some of the requirements).

So I am now armed with a spreadsheet of classes I might take this semester, provided I can get into them. I have a plan of action with various options depending on which of the classes are closed. If I get into everything on my list, I will be taking 14 units, with descriptions as follows, from the department's web page:

Global Modern Dance (3 units): Introduces students to the body in motion by examining the interaction between creative expression, daily life, and performative representations of cultural identity and difference. A multidisciplinary approach to understanding the body as socially and politically defined with attention to gender, race, class, and national identity. Includes lectures, video and film screenings, live performances, participatory demonstrations, and discussions.

Computers and Music (3 units): Introduction to computers and their use in musical context. Includes an historical over-view of the field and in-depth investigation of the use of computers and synthesizers in creating musical compositions (both printed and recorded). Students will learn the basics of synthesis. MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface, the language by which computers and synthesizers can "talk" to each other), sequencing, computer music notation, and random computer-generated compositional process. Computer ethics and word processing will also be covered. Projects will be completed in Microsoft Word (word processing), Vision (sequencing), Finale (notation), and M (random compositional processes).

Oral Communication (3 units): Introduction to the form and content of communication. Includes: the linguistic, psychological, and cultural bases of communication; various types of communication ranging from basic speech acts to forms of persuasion and conflict resolution; the social and political significance of communication; how communication operates within and across a wide range of social contexts. Students become actively acquainted with some of the potential proficiencies that may be brought into various social contexts. Requires active participation in classroom excercises, collaborating on a group research project which is presented orally to the class, and practicing public speaking.

Introduction to Acting (3 units): A studio class centered around the student’s practice of basic acting techniques. Each student will be required to prepare a monologue and a scene to be performed in class. Basic approaches to theatrical movement and voice will be explored.

Vocal Ensemble (3 units): A vocal ensemble specializing in many different musical styles. Performances will include works from jazz, traditional, popular, and classical repertories. Emphasis will be placed on correct vocal and performance techniques and improvement of musical skills.

(I probably won't get into the Computer Music class, as it's currently listed as "Closed". I'll still go to the first class & see.)

Spring Semester "Officially" started yesterday, but it was also a teacher "furlough" day - a non-paid day of leave that is the result of the state budget crisis - so today is actually the first day of classes. However, none of the classes I want meet on Wednesday, so I have nothing today. Tomorrow, I will try to get into the Dance, the Computer Music, and Oral Communication classes. Vocal Ensemble is next Monday & Acting next Tuesday.

If all goes well, I will enroll in the Fall Semester 2011 and graduate after Spring Semester 2012. That will depend entirely on how it goes when my transcripts are finally evaluated and an Official Determination is made as to how the classes from my previous 6 colleges & universities (including CSUSM) all apply to my degree requirements.

Wish me luck!!

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[1] CSUSM's guidelines for the GE Math requirement say that CS 111 fulfills the requirement. CS 111 is a 4 unit class in computer programming in the C language. I have an Associate in Applied Business in Information Systems. Surely *something* from that degree program will count for this requirement (maybe even the Calculus course I had to take!). I can't know for sure until I have my transcripts evaluated, but I'm not planning to take a Math course until I do.

[2] a Bachelor of Arts in Visual and Performing Arts. Doesn't that sound *perfect* for handbells?!? :-)

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My pictures from Japan

I just got done writing up a long (looooong) post over at the Sonos in Japan 2009 blog which includes most of the pictures I took with my phone.

I say "most" because that post was already so long, I didn't post them all. I do want to post some of them here. Specifically, my piggy pictures.

I don't know what it was, but I saw piggies everywhere in Japan! It's a mystery because neither 2009 nor 2010 are the year of the Boar.

Anyway, it started out at the shabu shabu restaurant Inton, where our chopstick wrappers had 3 little pigs on them:

I did post about these guys, but after that, I found all these other piggies!

Patti got into the act, too, and bought me a piggy spoon when she went out to Kamakura!

Finally, I found this adorable keychain at Narita airport on our way home. It even oinks!

Addendum:In that post, I wrote:

Sonos left Tokyo Narita airport on Northwest flight 326 at 3pm on Thurs, Dec 24. We arrived at San Francisco airport at 8:15am on Thurs, Dec 24. Yes, we are a group of time travelers! :-)

Personally, that marked the beginning of several hectic days for me -- directing at my church on Thursday night, then Christmas Day with family, then packing up our apartment on the 26th & 27th, so the movers could come & cart it all away on the 28th, then my husband & I could fly down to San Diego & meet the movers at our house in San Marcos, then I could fly back to the Bay Area for the Sonos concert on Sun, Jan 3, then I could drive back down to San Marcos. *whew* I'm exhausted just reading that! :-)

Yes, I have moved to the San Diego North County area, specifically San Marcos. Brian got a job down here back in October & has been down here since then. He first lived at an Extended Stay America in Carlsbad, but then we found a house, made an offer, closed escrow, & took possession of it over Thanksgiving break. I will be attending Palomar College to finish my General Education requirements, then plan to attend CSU San Marcos, which is less than half a mile from our house. Classes at Palomar start on the 19th.

I will be commuting up to the Bay Area to rehearse with Kevin (for Bronzewood Paedeia) and with Sonos. Our schedule is already planned - we'll be rehearsing once or twice a month until July, doing the Saturday/Sunday thing each time to maximize rehearsal time. I am not the only commuter. Sunghee will also be flying up from LA, and Cheryl drives in from Grass Valley. I think Cheryl's commute is longer than mine, so I can't really complain.

Anyway, more about that as the year progresses. Right now, I've got to keep un-packing - I want my music room to be usable asap!!

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Earthquake in Tokyo!

I was peacefully sleeping and suddenly I was woken up by my bed rocking from side to side. When it stopped, I said to my roommate Sunghee, "Was that an earthquake?" "Uh-huh," she answered. "OK," I said.

Then it started back up again. "It's lasting a long time," Sunghee said. "Well, they do build their buildings to sway here," I replied.

When it was over, I got up, grabbed my phone & tweeted "earthquake in Tokyo!" which generated an entire thread of Facebook comments, including a link to the USGS page earthquake we felt. It was a 5.3!

What's funny is that there was apparently there was a 4.9 last night at about 11:45pm, but none of us felt it.

This morning, I realized that over the years, I have spent approx 14 weeks in Japan. I've lived in California for 8 years, but I've felt more earthquakes in Japan than I have in California.

But, whenever I talk to people who live Back East, they always ask me, "Aren't you afraid of the earthquakes?" I always say, "Um, no. I'd rather have earthquakes that happen occasionally than the guaranteed-every-year tornadoes and blizzards. Plus, there are earthquakes in the Midwest, too!

ps. Cheryl posted about last night's Tokyo earthquake over at the Sonos-in-Japan-2009 blog.

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