Next Semester? Don't Talk To Me About -- Next Semester!, Episode 8

The week started off with the email version of someone dumping a large bucket of ice water over my head.  An email from the university arrived in my inbox.  It informed me that it was time to register for next semester.  Next semester?  Already?  I can't even see past this week, let alone the end of the semester, let alone next semester!  But, when it is time, it is time.  So, I picked myself up by my bootstraps and set to planning next semester.  I accessed the graduate course catalog and had trouble making sense of what I saw.  The music education department was not offering any graduate courses in the spring.  This had to be a mistake.  I thought there might be a different catalog and I was just looking in the wrong place.  So, after hours of searching - unsuccessfully, I might add - I emailed my adviser and asked if any more classes would be added to the catalog or if the catalog was complete.  The answer I got back was that the course catalog was complete...

...Crap...

 

But, then, Tuesday evening, the night before I am to register, the system updated and the music education courses appeared.  So, everything worked out just fine!

I had my advising on Wednesday and it looks like I am taking:

• Music Teaching in Higher Education
• Measurement and Evaluation in Music
• Intermediate Educational Statistics (I must be a glutton for punishment)
• Wind Symphony
• Graduate Seminar in Music Education
• Independent Study

I am super stoked for the independent study.  I will get to work more closely with my adviser, who I have so much to learn from.  I will either get to assist her on some of her current research projects or I will get to do some work of my own design.  I am looking forward to assisting her with her research.  Getting to see the academic research process from the other side will be really informative!

I got my midterm back in Child and Adolescent Development.  I was initially shocked by what I saw written on my paper.  The professor's first comment was, "disaster."  My mind immediately starting freaking out.  Was my writing that bad that it was a disaster?  But, her comment was followed by a smiley face.  Phew!  She was commenting that the situation I described would be a disaster if it would happen.  And she was impressed that I had been able to see that deeply into the scenario.  Needless to say, I got an A.  Bam!

I am really excited about a presentation I have in my Psychology of Music Learning and Behavior class.  The assignment, entitled There's a Message in the Music, tasked us with finding two video clips which use music to advance the plot or action.  It wasn't specifically called for, but I decided to do a comparative project.  Instead of using movies, like many of my classmates did, I went to football.  I was watching football not that long ago, wondering how and when football started using the type of audio it now does.  So, I grabbed two clips.  A clip from the Superbowl XLV recap and a clip from the Superbowl I recap.  I was really tempted to use a Ravens' Superbowl appearance.  But, it seemed more tidy for the comparison to use examples with at least one team being the same across the examples. 

Superbowl XLV

Superbowl I

 

So, what do you hear in the examples?  How is the message different, based upon the music?  Feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments section below!

 And now for everyone's favorite segment: Statistics!  I actually understood this week's statistics lecture.  How did this happen?  I have no idea.  The concepts of this week (two-way ANOVA and ANCOVA) just seemed to make perfect sense to me.  Is this a trend of things to come?  Probably not.  But, here is hoping!

There were compliments this week!  After Night Owls rehearsal, a band member (who happens to be a retired band director) approached me to tell me he appreciated the way I got through the music.  Also, one of the euphonium players in Wind Symphony told me this week that she was really impressed with the agility and speed with which I am able to play the contrabassoon parts.  She told me that she has never heard someone play the contrabassoon like that before (I am taking that as a compliment!).  Can you say Turbo Contra?

This week was my birthday.  It passed fairly quietly.  No birthday hike this year.  No beer festival.  I did end up grabbing a drink (read: multiple drinks) with a friend, though.  You read that right; I am making friends!  There was a cupcake and a candle and everything!

Side note: why do the Ravens seem to have such trouble with the Bengals lately?  Seriously.  Someone with actual football knowledge please tell me.

I know I promised I would present some more research this week.  But, with all the papers and projects I was working on this past week, I didn't get a chance to read anything new and interesting.  Next week.  I promise.  But, don't hold me to it.

Well, that's all for now!

Future Doctor Mitch, out!