Right now I'm a bit disappointed in myself. I shouldn't be hard on myself, but I've only read about 3 of the 32 pages of my first homework assignment. I had this habit during my first college career, and I can't allow that to happen again. I could chalk it up to work, being dad, work, and today's really bad cold, but these are cheap excuses. He'll, I'm only taking one class this semester. What will it be like in the fall when I have a full course load? Our first test is in a week too.
Okay. Time to knuckledown. Pouring a cup of tea for my throat, emailing my teacher how I have no voice, but my hacking up a lung is louder than.. And getting the work done.
Thankfully, the reading is interesting.
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
My first day
First off, I'm really sorry that it's taken me four days to post about my first day of class. Without going off topic here, I'll mention that all hell broke loose at work, and it took priority for a bit. Things have calmed a bit, so here we go.
I made it to my classroom about 10 minutes before the start, so I got to drink in the enormity of what I was about to start. As the other students started filing in, it became clear to me that I was the oldest student there. It isn't the first time I've been the oldest somewhere. What I really enjoyed was watching the variety of students who were in the room. Nothing's changed. Sitting next to me was a kid with a dogeared notebook and papers from registration...all looking like they had been in his pocket for a week. In the row behind me (we were in more of a theatre than a traditional classroom) were two girls who giggled every 5 minutes. It wasn't in an obnoxious way, they reminded me of my 9 year old daughter: really cute, giggly... I was thinking that Kylie would love playing with them. One of them, Jenn (she insisted to the teacher that he remember the second N), actually physically reminded me of my daughter. There were the book worms, and two jocks, and the guys and girls who felt totally out of place in any kind of music class, then the musicians... well the guys who said 'they worked out beats and did hip hop' Nope, I'm not, while taking a world music class, give any opinion of hip hop, rap, or anything else.
Have to have an open mind, afterall.
Well, my teacher comes in, and I don't know why I was so surprised, but he was nothing like I expected. My teacher is a long haired, slightly balding Deadhead. He immediately explained that he likes to teach barefoot or at least without socks. I LOVED IT! No, I'm not a Deadhead, but I was expecting a stereotypical college professor like I had at Loyola University. You know what I mean? Man, I totally lost touch with college, because no one at Columbia looked like what I was envisioning this teacher to look like. My teacher is incredibly passionate about music...all kinds of music, and I totally love this.
In my crazy world, I sometimes forget how much I love music. How important music has been for my soul. Yes, I'm a guitar player, and a rocker, and my passion lies there; but music in general had been so integral to my spiritual self...and I have missed that a lot. I get hung up on gear, and how I want to try to sound like my favourite guitar players... Let's just say this class is going to be a breath of fresh air.
Sorry to digress.
At any rate, the teacher started class by defining music. The definition in this class was an arrangement of sounds with an artistic purpose. He then played a number of ...well, let's call them sounds, and the class had to decide if it was music or not. One of the things we learned is that while some things might be music to OUR ears, it might not be considered music where the sounds originated. For example, he played an Azan, a Muslim call to prayer. The melody was haunting and beautiful. It is not, however, music. Why not? Because the further definition of music is that any definition of music is subject to cultural opinion of where you are or where it's taking place. It's considered blasphemous to call an Azan music, so...it's not music.
Interesting huh?
Okay...wrapping up. I have homework. My son Max already grounded me for not getting it done when I came home Monday night. I have to read the first chapter and listen to examples presented. Taking notes, thinking, listening.
Yup...it's school all over again.
I made it to my classroom about 10 minutes before the start, so I got to drink in the enormity of what I was about to start. As the other students started filing in, it became clear to me that I was the oldest student there. It isn't the first time I've been the oldest somewhere. What I really enjoyed was watching the variety of students who were in the room. Nothing's changed. Sitting next to me was a kid with a dogeared notebook and papers from registration...all looking like they had been in his pocket for a week. In the row behind me (we were in more of a theatre than a traditional classroom) were two girls who giggled every 5 minutes. It wasn't in an obnoxious way, they reminded me of my 9 year old daughter: really cute, giggly... I was thinking that Kylie would love playing with them. One of them, Jenn (she insisted to the teacher that he remember the second N), actually physically reminded me of my daughter. There were the book worms, and two jocks, and the guys and girls who felt totally out of place in any kind of music class, then the musicians... well the guys who said 'they worked out beats and did hip hop' Nope, I'm not, while taking a world music class, give any opinion of hip hop, rap, or anything else.
Have to have an open mind, afterall.
Well, my teacher comes in, and I don't know why I was so surprised, but he was nothing like I expected. My teacher is a long haired, slightly balding Deadhead. He immediately explained that he likes to teach barefoot or at least without socks. I LOVED IT! No, I'm not a Deadhead, but I was expecting a stereotypical college professor like I had at Loyola University. You know what I mean? Man, I totally lost touch with college, because no one at Columbia looked like what I was envisioning this teacher to look like. My teacher is incredibly passionate about music...all kinds of music, and I totally love this.
In my crazy world, I sometimes forget how much I love music. How important music has been for my soul. Yes, I'm a guitar player, and a rocker, and my passion lies there; but music in general had been so integral to my spiritual self...and I have missed that a lot. I get hung up on gear, and how I want to try to sound like my favourite guitar players... Let's just say this class is going to be a breath of fresh air.
Sorry to digress.
At any rate, the teacher started class by defining music. The definition in this class was an arrangement of sounds with an artistic purpose. He then played a number of ...well, let's call them sounds, and the class had to decide if it was music or not. One of the things we learned is that while some things might be music to OUR ears, it might not be considered music where the sounds originated. For example, he played an Azan, a Muslim call to prayer. The melody was haunting and beautiful. It is not, however, music. Why not? Because the further definition of music is that any definition of music is subject to cultural opinion of where you are or where it's taking place. It's considered blasphemous to call an Azan music, so...it's not music.
Interesting huh?
Okay...wrapping up. I have homework. My son Max already grounded me for not getting it done when I came home Monday night. I have to read the first chapter and listen to examples presented. Taking notes, thinking, listening.
Yup...it's school all over again.
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Tomorrow
Man, I'm a real goof. I start my class tomorrow. I'm really excited. I have to admit that my excitement and happiness is tempered by a bit of unusual work related stress, but one way or another that will be over with by the time I step foot into the classroom.
Okay, ripping these Textbook related CDs into iTunes, then my phone. A bit of work to get a headstart on my day, then off to sleep.
This venture starts for real tomorrow. Good night!
Okay, ripping these Textbook related CDs into iTunes, then my phone. A bit of work to get a headstart on my day, then off to sleep.
This venture starts for real tomorrow. Good night!
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Holy Syllabus, Batman
I think I mentioned that I'd been in contact with my teacher last week. Holy crap...school starts one week from tomorrow! In my email encounter with my teacher, he mentioned a syllabus would be forthcoming in email. It arrived at my Oakton "in box". this morning. I looked at it kinda stunned. Not that there was anything wrong with it. It's now very real. Two months of planning and the final decision to go back to school is now a reality.
The syllabus: The learning objectives all seem great.
A. To develop a greater understanding of and respect for non-Western cultures through studying their music.
B. To achieve an understanding of music concepts such as melody, rhythm, and organization that can be applied to the study of each musical style.
C. To provide experiences that will enable the learners to gain knowledge and the ability to recognize the principal characteristics of each cultural style.
D. To provide experiences that will enable the learners to function independently as music listeners throughout their lives.
This sounds great. Looks like I'll have a listening exam every other week. I'll have an 8-10 page final paper to write too. Plus...ta da.. and oral report. Given the fact that I'm hardly shy and am used to crowds, this is gonna fun. I don't expect this to be easy by any means, but this could be a lot of fun if I continue in this very positive mindset.
My first class starts one week from tomorrow. I'm as excited as ever.
The syllabus: The learning objectives all seem great.
A. To develop a greater understanding of and respect for non-Western cultures through studying their music.
B. To achieve an understanding of music concepts such as melody, rhythm, and organization that can be applied to the study of each musical style.
C. To provide experiences that will enable the learners to gain knowledge and the ability to recognize the principal characteristics of each cultural style.
D. To provide experiences that will enable the learners to function independently as music listeners throughout their lives.
This sounds great. Looks like I'll have a listening exam every other week. I'll have an 8-10 page final paper to write too. Plus...ta da.. and oral report. Given the fact that I'm hardly shy and am used to crowds, this is gonna fun. I don't expect this to be easy by any means, but this could be a lot of fun if I continue in this very positive mindset.
My first class starts one week from tomorrow. I'm as excited as ever.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Hey Teacher....wait, how much does that cost?
My excitement for school keeps growing. Over the weekend, I emailed my professor to introduce myself...I'm all wrapped up in being an old fart coming back to school. Well, he responded and was thrilled. My friends all told me that it would likely be that way. I asked him about the textbook for class. Turns out I need a book and a CD set for class.
This text book runs 100 dollars NEW and the CD set is 80 new. Wow! Yeah, I'm very out of touch here. At any rate, I checked out www.half.com for books and found both in like new condition for for about the price of just the book at the campus bookstore. It kinda blew my mind that the books could have cost about half of my tuition. Waiting patiently for them to arrive.
Tonight is my official orientation. Is it silly for me to be THIS excited?
This text book runs 100 dollars NEW and the CD set is 80 new. Wow! Yeah, I'm very out of touch here. At any rate, I checked out www.half.com for books and found both in like new condition for for about the price of just the book at the campus bookstore. It kinda blew my mind that the books could have cost about half of my tuition. Waiting patiently for them to arrive.
Tonight is my official orientation. Is it silly for me to be THIS excited?
Monday, January 4, 2010
Testing Day
Today was the first chance I had to take the required Math and English placement exams at Oakton. I was really excited about it and a bit concerned too. I haven't been feeling well lately and I spent most of Sunday in pajamas and sleeping. I wondered if I wouldn't be up to this. I wanted to do well and didn't want anything to interfere.
Long story short, I made it through the workday pretty well and got more excited as the day went on. Yes, I really am drinking the Kool Aid! I even bought an Oakton hoodie in the book shop!
Okay.... so I get to the testing center for the Math portion of the test. After I've been properly screened by giving my new student number, showing ID and signing several documents promising not to cheat, I begin. This test is on a computer, but I get scrap paper to document anything I need. I have access to the calculator on the computer, but not my own. These questions are HARD! It's all algebra and geometry, and I'm reminded of high school algebra with Mr Camardella at Loyola Academy. I'm not proud to say that I had no clue about algebra in Freshman year, and wound up taking it in summer school where I finally passed.
So, I encountered the uncomfortable feeling that everyone gets at test time. It appeared that I finished first among everyone who was in the room. I was very self conscious as people's heads popped up watching me walk to the back of the room to turn in my pencil, scrap paper, and my no cheating affidavit. I felt a small lump of insecurity in my throat as I wondered about finishing so quickly. Did I mess everything up? Gee, the algebra turned out to be easier than the geometry. Something was wrong... Wait, the test instructions said not to be concerned with answers, but.........
I will have to call the Math Department to get the formal interpretation of what my scores mean. This can't be too dissimilar to interpreting a foreign language that only you know, but we'll see what happens.
Essentially my geometry score was I did better with the geometry portion of the test, or at least the results of my exam said that. It's interesting how that mirrored my high school experience. My geometry score seemed to be high enough that I didn't have to take a non credit prerequisite course before the first Math requirement for my Degree, but the algebra score may have contradicted that. I don't know. The gurus of the Math Department will sort this out for me.
So, I had an hour to kill before the start of the English exam. After discovering where the test was being given ....in the same place I took the Skokie Police Exam two years prior... I sat down, posted what was happening on Facebook and played Uno on the iPhone. You may never hear me say this in person, but I like my iPhone now that I have most of it figured out. It was nice to read everyone's well wishes on Facebook.
After an hour of the iPhone kicking my butt in Uno (hopefully my daughter isn't reading this, because she kicks my butt at Uno too), I was screened again for the English test. I believe this screening might be in use by TSA now, but...I digress.
The reading test was interesting. It was an hour long journey through reading paragraphs and picking a word missing from the text. I 'think' I aced this. The essay portion was significantly more involved. We were given a choice of two topics. We were asked to take a position on one of them and write an essay to convince a reader to agree with my position. After freaking out about how to properly structure an essay, I got an outline together and started writing. I was so relieved that at least some of it came back to me. Well, we'll see how much of it came back to me.
I get the English test results some time after Thursday. Next week I have an orientation, then classes start on the 25th.
This journey is getting more interesting and exciting, and I haven't even started classes yet.
I guess I'll go make some more Kool Aid.
Long story short, I made it through the workday pretty well and got more excited as the day went on. Yes, I really am drinking the Kool Aid! I even bought an Oakton hoodie in the book shop!
Okay.... so I get to the testing center for the Math portion of the test. After I've been properly screened by giving my new student number, showing ID and signing several documents promising not to cheat, I begin. This test is on a computer, but I get scrap paper to document anything I need. I have access to the calculator on the computer, but not my own. These questions are HARD! It's all algebra and geometry, and I'm reminded of high school algebra with Mr Camardella at Loyola Academy. I'm not proud to say that I had no clue about algebra in Freshman year, and wound up taking it in summer school where I finally passed.
So, I encountered the uncomfortable feeling that everyone gets at test time. It appeared that I finished first among everyone who was in the room. I was very self conscious as people's heads popped up watching me walk to the back of the room to turn in my pencil, scrap paper, and my no cheating affidavit. I felt a small lump of insecurity in my throat as I wondered about finishing so quickly. Did I mess everything up? Gee, the algebra turned out to be easier than the geometry. Something was wrong... Wait, the test instructions said not to be concerned with answers, but.........
I will have to call the Math Department to get the formal interpretation of what my scores mean. This can't be too dissimilar to interpreting a foreign language that only you know, but we'll see what happens.
Essentially my geometry score was I did better with the geometry portion of the test, or at least the results of my exam said that. It's interesting how that mirrored my high school experience. My geometry score seemed to be high enough that I didn't have to take a non credit prerequisite course before the first Math requirement for my Degree, but the algebra score may have contradicted that. I don't know. The gurus of the Math Department will sort this out for me.
So, I had an hour to kill before the start of the English exam. After discovering where the test was being given ....in the same place I took the Skokie Police Exam two years prior... I sat down, posted what was happening on Facebook and played Uno on the iPhone. You may never hear me say this in person, but I like my iPhone now that I have most of it figured out. It was nice to read everyone's well wishes on Facebook.
After an hour of the iPhone kicking my butt in Uno (hopefully my daughter isn't reading this, because she kicks my butt at Uno too), I was screened again for the English test. I believe this screening might be in use by TSA now, but...I digress.
The reading test was interesting. It was an hour long journey through reading paragraphs and picking a word missing from the text. I 'think' I aced this. The essay portion was significantly more involved. We were given a choice of two topics. We were asked to take a position on one of them and write an essay to convince a reader to agree with my position. After freaking out about how to properly structure an essay, I got an outline together and started writing. I was so relieved that at least some of it came back to me. Well, we'll see how much of it came back to me.
I get the English test results some time after Thursday. Next week I have an orientation, then classes start on the 25th.
This journey is getting more interesting and exciting, and I haven't even started classes yet.
I guess I'll go make some more Kool Aid.
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