Self Reflections

I realize how short my presentation was. Mainly because I'm terrified of being in front of a group to do anything, and I also had a really emotionally rough two weeks. I hope it wasn't as bad as I thought.

What I was trying to show in my presentation was that I was a personality roller-coaster. I used to hang out with people that weren't like me, and because of that, I never got to find out who I was. I still have no idea who I am really. I felt like if I didn't fit in, then I never would and that really got me down a lot of the time. When I said that it got better when I joined chorus, not much helped except for feeling a little more part of a group than the odd one out.

When I came to Converse I felt so welcomed and so very much at home that I didn't notice my pain-filled past as much. Unfortunately, the further into the year it came, the less and less I saw of people, and I thought it was because they didn't like me. But of course, it was my paranoia. They were just as busy as I was, if not more. It's still taking me some time to get over that ditch in my confidence, but I'm getting better by the day, it seems. Coming to Converse was a big part in that for me.  And now it's happening all over again with my family here at school.

I want to be able to help younger people realize what they need to do for themselves. Music saved my life so many times, and I want to be able to share that with my future chorus classes. I want them to know that they can crawl out of their cocoons to be beautiful people too.

And so, I want to thank all of my new friends here at Converse College. You're the best people a girl could ask for :) ♥

New Tradition

There are many traditions that surround Converse College, no matter how young or old they are. 1889 Week, Peppermint Ball, Big Sis Little Sis Week, May Day. There are silly traditions as well; Humans Vs Zombies is becoming a great hit after its second year. They are all so much fun and bring the campus together in such simple ways. Big Sis Little Sis severs the divide (if there ever was much of one) between the classes like in high school.

Dorm doors all over campus get decorated at some point or another, whether it be BSLS or any other time of year. Thus, I think we could turn it into a traditional contest.

There could be a series of contests, too:

Dorm building series: each dorm building decorates the main entrance door.
Dorm hall series: each room on a hall competes.
Hall-to-Hall series: the winners of the Dorm Hall series compete against one another.
Overall: the winners of the winners of the winners. If you can follow that!
Voting would be anonymous, then winners move to the "next round", if any.

I think it would be a fun and creative experience for everyone!

You make my heart sing

My life is surrounded by music. Even specific events from my younger years are engraved in the music I listen to. A few songs and bands in particular get my through my worst moments, and make my sunny days even brighter.

In middle school, I became a fan of one specific anime: InuYasha. One night I was watching fan-made music videos and I stumbled across this video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BCC-Aij6U-A

You have permission to call me a nerd. Anyway, at the time I discovered this video, my parents had recently separated and it was the first weekend that my dad was gone from the house. This song made me feel so much better whenever I listened to it. I can not find this recording anywhere, and I desperately wish that I could. I don't listen to this song very often anymore, but when I needed it most during my parents' divorce, I listened to it almost every day. As the song refrains, I believe that there truly is An Angel In My Heart :)

If I am in a particularly sour mood, I like to listen to music like Breaking Benjamin or Shinedown. The guitar solos in particular match my mood almost perfectly in those cases. I feel that I can express myself in a healthier way so that I don't take it out on anyone else. A band that shares this style is Red, and I can say that Breathe Into Me is one of my favorite "upset" songs. Even when I am in a good mood, if I hear that quiet, eerie beginning, and I simply turn up the volume. Luckily, I got to listen live, and it was so much better than just on the radio.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yH-k_6tU9Wc&ob=av2n


If I just need some music with great lyrics and a pretty sweet tune to go with it, I usually listen to The Fray, Lifehouse, or One Republic. One Republic has a knack for making good music. The melodies go with the lyrics so well, in my opinion. This song holds an especially special place in my heart. Also, the music video is pretty cool:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GRSZpV6WIuU

I hope you enjoy my selections as much as I do :)

Keep it simple.

The drinking age should stay the same.

There is no point in lowering it because it will simply encourage teenagers to drink. I believe the younger teens will think they will be able to get away with drinking just like the older teens did. The situation is bad enough, why make it worse?  People drinking and driving is an issue already.  The average 18-year-old has at least one year of driving.  So someone that is so young and doesn’t have any experience with drinking may make a decision to drive back home from the party, and they could very well kill themselves and other people.  On a positive view, if the drinking age is lowered, parents would have another reason to talk to their kids about drinking which would hopefully educate them more thoroughly.  However, adults don’t need excuses to talk to children about future influences.

My point is the underage drinking will never cease to exist.  Whether you lower it or higher it, underage drinkers will bend the rules and get away with drinking. It’s best to just keep it the way it is, because it’s too controversial and there will always be problems surrounding alcohol.

And so it began...

My first years at Converse were interesting. One day I would have so little to do that I knew not what to do with myself, then the next day, I hardly had time to eat! It was a strange phenomenon for me. I didn't have to ask anyone's permission. However, getting used to living on your own is no easy task.

The simplest thing you can do for yourself is time management. Schedule absolutely everything: class assignments, practice times, eating, sleeping, and for goodness' sake, take showers!  My schedule helped me through my busiest days, especially those before tests and exams. With work comes reward, so when you're done with school work, you can then do whatever you want! Fascinating, isn't it?

But it took me a while to get the hang of actually doing it. I remember my first five weeks of lessons with my private vocal professor. I had a completely new singing voice that sounded horrid to my own ears, but to my professor it was gold compared to the voice I used for years. I even got a gold star sticker in my first lesson, and it's still on my laptop screen to this day! By week four, I knew she was getting very aggravated with me because I absolutely lacked in progress to learn my music. I hadn't had a second star yet, and I wasn't anywhere close to getting one, either. The week after that, I played, listened to, and sang my music for 20-30 minutes every day. That's when my singing practice really paid off. I then knew how to practice by myself, and it was worth the time and effort.

If you learn how to control yourself in the beginning, you will be much better off in the long-run. Learn how to study, make a schedule for yourself, and stick to it! You can't go wrong there.

Time Management, who?

Taking my role as a college freshman, I expected to have later classes. Wrong! Every weekday class starts promptly at 8:30 am -- not that I'm complaining! I have an extra hour of sleep since I don't have to drive to class anymore; I just walk and I'm there in a heartbeat! Mornings aren't that bad because waking up is not a problem for me. Breakfast is my motivation! However, going to bed on time is a real problem.
I want to be in bed and falling asleep by 11:00 or 11:30, at the latest. Let's just say it never happens. I'm either on Facebook, getting last-minute homework assignments in, or visiting my fellow dorm-mates. This "going to bed early" thing stinks. And my motivation to study is just as undisciplined.

Facebook is just a click away, and Dearblankpleaseblank.com is just waiting to be read! These websites are simply made for procrastinators like me! As much as I love music, and as much as I want to be a chorus teacher, I greatly dislike music theory. I admit I skipped studying with MacGamut for a few days, but I eventually get all of my work done, so it doesn't really matter when I do it, right?

I'm going to automatically assume that's a big, fat negative. A step in the right direction has been made, though!  I've written up my future schedule for studying everything from Music History to French 101. Hopefully I have enough discipline to stick with it, but this might take some serious work...

Procrastinators, unite! ...tomorrow.

Cereal vs. Sandwiches

College is education like no other. It isn't free, continuing an education post-high school is an obvious choice for most, but where does one begin such a journey? Usually it's through a college fair or hearing other high school students talking about one or another. Converse, however, was completely new to me. I had never heard of it before, and no one I knew at my school ever talked about it. Regardless, Converse drew me in.

When I first arrived, Converse had a buzz of excitement that other schools simply did not have, and one I was looking for. Though supremely expensive, Converse scholarships and Federal Aid knocked out nearly half of my tuition. Soon enough, I was in the audition rooms, receiving acceptance letters, and then packing only a couple months later to move into my dorm. The encouragement shown throughout the community of Converse got me through it all, and now, I'm through my first week of classes. But the support is not the only reason I am here.

The music program is amazing. There is no explaining it; only that if you want to major in music, you have to consider Converse. It's a no-brainer!

If I had to give up either cereal or sandwiches, it would have to be the latter. Cereal is a great snack, and perfect if you don't want a heavy breakfast. If you ask me, cereal is much healthier and tastes better!