The Pilgrimage. Season 2, Episode 18

I know you were all super upset that there was no post at the end of last week.  I am sure you all cried your eyes out when you went looking for it and couldn't find it.  Here you go:

Well, I wanted to wait so I could include my road trip in the post.  So, here you go: a combination first year wrap up/ contrabassoon pilgrimage blog post!

I will start with the wrap up of the semester.  I had two final "things" due in the last week of the semester.  The first was in Measurement and Evaluation.  The "final exam" was a collaborative effort, on the part of the whole class, to create what the final exam would look like if we were the teacher of the course.  It was a neat, low-stress way to wrap up the semester.  Dr. B. also decided that we woudl have a pot luck that evening, so we could eat as we worked.  I made my Toasted Orzo Salad, which garnered some pretty great compliments.  It is my riff on pasta salad; the toasted orzo gives a nice, nutty flavor and the tahini-based dressing is non-perishable so it lasts longer (especially outside) than mayo-based dressings.  For all you cooks out there, here is the recipe:

Ingredients:
1 box of orzo
1 large cucumber, diced
4-6 roma (plum) tomatoes, cored, seeded, and diced
1/2 large red onion, finely diced
6 cloves of garlic, minced
3/4 - 1 oz basil, cut into thin ribbons
Juice and zest of 1 lemon
1 can of chickpeas
7 - 8 oz (half a can/ jar) of tahini
salt
pepper
extra virgin olive oil
vegetable oil

Directions:

• Lightly oil a skillet with vegetable oil
• Toast the uncooked orzo in the skillet over low - medium low heat until golden brown.  Stir as needed.
• Let orzo cool.
• Cook orzo as directed on the package.
• Let cool.
• Combine orzo, cucumber, tomato, onion, garlic, basil, lemon zest, and chickpeas.
• Add tahini and lemon juice and mix until evenly distributed.
• If the dressing is too thick, thin with extra virgin olive oil.
• Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

The other thing I had pending was my final Statistics paper.  Just like the midterm paper, this paper was based on a provided set of research questions and an accompanying data set.  We were instructed to analyze the data and write up our findings as if it was a research paper for publication.  The data were very interesting.  They looked at the effectiveness of school-based support groups for sexual minority youth in stemming victimization of and negative mental health outcomes in that population.  Well, I started analyzing the data and the results just didn't look right.  The statistical tests showed that the school support groups had practically no significant effect (and the effect size of the very little significance was so small that it was negligible) on victimization and negative mental health outcomes of sexual minority youth.  I figured that this had to be a mistake.  I must have done the tests wrong.  I mean, how is it possible that these support groups have no effect?  Also, I figure that there was no way the professor would assign an assignment where there was no significance.  So, I ran the tests again... and again... and again.  And kept getting the same answer, so I wrote it up and submitted my paper.  Here is what the professor had to say:

"Great paper- everything is exactly on target."

Bam!

Well, everything was submitted and all that was left was to wait for grades to be published.

Who got straight As this semester?  This guy!

So, as the semester ended, graduation came upon us and I saw people walking around campus in their graduation regalia.  I was struck with the realization that all the doctoral robes I saw people wearing were the standard black-on-black set ups.  This one:

I thought doctoral robes were made in the color of your institution.  These black-on-black robes are so lackluster!  So, I did a little research.  It turns out that only certain institutions have designed "special regalia" for doctoral degrees.  All other schools use the standard, black-on-black, though there is the option to use dark blue velvet instead of black velvet.  My heart sank a little.  I want color!  But then, I stumbled across the list of colleges and universities that have designed "special regalia" for doctoral degrees.  And Temple University is on the list!

Yes, those are the robes I will be wearing!

Well, all in all, it was a really great first year.  I learned a lot, got to experience so many things, and have been given some amazing opportunities.  I cannot wait to see what next year holds in store for me!

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This past Sunday, I embarked on my first pilgrimage to the Fox Products Corporation factory (the people who made my bassoon and contrabassoon) in South Whitley, Indiana.  It was truly time for my contrabassoon to get back to the factory for servicing.  Nothing was terribly wrong with the instrument.  But, it definitely needed some cleaning and routine maintenance.  I offered to drive the Temple University contra out with me as well - an offer they accepted.  So, I packed up the instruments in my car (it took a while to figure out how to get them both into my car), and set out onto the open road!

The Fox factory is situated out in The Middle of Nowhere, Indiana.  There isn't even a hotel in the same town; I had to stay in the next town over.  But, early Monday morning, I rolled up to the factory.

When I arrived, I got to meet Chip, who is the guy who designed the Fox contrabassoon, built my horn, and who would be doing the servicing on my instrument.  He talked about all kinds of things and I wish I had turned on a recorder to capture everything he said!  Here are some tidbits of Chip-wisdom.

• Woodwinds most often get water in the finger holes due to how the instrument is held during rests.  The instruments are designed so the water runs past, not into, the finger holes when in playing position.  So, careful instrument position when not playing will keep water out of the finger holes.
• Instruments do not live as long as people think they do.  Chip equated the average instrument lifespan to the average human lifespan.  He may have been talking specifically about bassoons or contrabassoons at this point.
• I was curious about humidity, since we have been having such humidity trouble at school.  Chip said that instruments generally like a humidity level that is comfortable for humans.  He said that in-case humidifiers are generally pointless (again, this could be just a contrabassoon thing).  But, that if he had to throw out a number, to shoot for a 45% humidity environment for the instrument.

He talked about a lot of other things too, but I don't want this post to end up reading like a contrabassoon or history textbook.

 

I left my instrument at the factory for 24 hours and took a side trip up to Detroit and visited a meadery.  Mead is an alcoholic beverage made from fermented honey (beer is made from fermented barley, wine from fermented grapes, cider from fermented apples, etc.). 

I got to try:

• Mango peppercorn mead
• Apricot cardamom mead
• Wildberry pyment (pyment is a mead with grapes)
• Black tea and lemon mead
• Chai spiced cider
•  Lemon ginger cider
• Hibiscus cider
• Blackberry clove mead
• Apple and cherry mead
• Hopped cherry mead
• Sage lime wit (beer)
• Mexican chocolate and chili porter (beer)

 

 It was a super yummy trip!

When I went back to the factory the next day, Chip told me that my instrument had been in pretty good shape (he seemed surprised by this).  He polished all the silver, cleaned up the finish on the wood, oiled the instrument's bore, tightened all the pivot screws (he said a lot of mine were super loose), oiled all the moving parts, sealed a small chip in the finish, replaced the end pin stopper,  adjusted all the key heights, and a few more things.  She looks so pretty!  

Chip let me play on a couple other contras at the factory (in an attempt to sell me some modified keywork).  He succeeded.  I don't have the money for it right now, but the next time I am there I will be buying an alternate C# key and possibly a divorced low E mechanism.

Well, all is now well in contra-land.

And that just about wraps it up.  I will likely only post over the summer if something extraordinary happens.  Otherwise, I hope you all have a wonderful summer and will write to you once the semester ramps up in the fall.

Until then, Future Dr. Mitch, out!

Mitch vs. The Ice Cream Truck... Mitch Loses. Season 2, Episode 17

It feels so crazy to say it, but the first year of my doctoral studies is just about over!  There was only one day of class this past week and then we transitioned into finals week (totally a misnomer because it actually spans two weeks).

Monday was TA appreciation day in Dr. B.'s classes.  It was actually rather nice of him to do a public thank you in front of the class.  His sons made me a thank you card (this will show back up later in this post) and his wife baked cookies (if I am being totally honest, they did not last very long).

Remember that card Dr. B.'s kids made for me?  Hopefully you do; you just read it in the paragraph above!  Well, here it is:

In Teaching Jazz on Monday, Dr. B. spent a little time talking about improvisation.  He actually used an analogy that spoke to my own beliefs about creativity: he talked about the thank you card.  He said that he gave his boys the task of writing me a thank you card and told them only that it was a thank you card for his teaching assistant.  He left it up to his boys to fill in the rest.  He said that he could have very easily given them specifics of what was supposed to go into the card, but rather he gave them just as much direction as they needed and left it wide open beyond that.  He went on to say, and I agree, that choosing the appropriate parameters for an exercise in improvisation (regardless of the subject matter.  Yes, this applies to math, English, science, etc. too!) is of paramount importance to the quality of the improvisational experience and and scope of the improvisational learning of the student.  Set your parameters too loose and the students may get lost in the endless possibilities.  Yet, set your parameters too tight and there will not be any room for individual creativity.  (Shameless plug) If you want to hear more about my stance on this topic, come to the NAfME conference in Nashville in October!

Also on Monday, Dr. C. and I had a meeting to talk about next year.  Specifically, research next year.  She started out by saying how impressed she was with the work that I did on her virtual reality study this past semester.  Then, she corrected herself and said that a better word to use would be proud.  It felt really amazing for her to tell me she was proud of me.  That is not a word that I feel is thrown around much in education.  And after being on the receiving end of it, I think it is important for me to use that word in future dealings with my own students... when warranted, of course.  Like any word, it can lose its power if overused or misused.  She went on to talk about what she has planned for next year.  Just like this past study, I can't really talk about the upcoming research because it isn't my intellectual property.  But, she wants to do collaborative research with me.  This is not going to be like this past study where I was the research assistant, only in charge of the operation of the treatments.  Rather, I am going to be included in the question-asking, design, analysis, and write-up phases as well.  Also, my name will appear as second author on any of the studies that get published.  This is super exciting!

Speaking of research, Lionel approved my use of P.G. Co. data for my research project.  Woo!  Middle school orchestra teachers of P.G. Co., I am going to be in contact shortly!

Anyway, back to the meeting with Dr. C.  She also took some time to discuss some Night Owls issues with me.  I like that she genuinely wants to know my opinion on things.  These kinds of meetings really make me feel like she has taken me under her wing and that she truly is my mentor.  I certainly couldn't ask for a better one!

Later on Monday (yes, Monday was a busy day!), I had my final session of Dr. C.'s class for the semester.  There were a couple interesting take-aways from the class.  First, we were discussing how schools of music might need to change to address the needs of the modern music student and the modern musical climate.  One of the topics we touched upon was creativity. Woo!  I got to talk about some of the things I will be presenting at NAfME.  Our discussion turned to the interplay between the technical and the creative and whether one can and/or should exist without the other in higher music education.  My position is that technicality can exist without creativity, and not the other way around, but that it shouldn't.  The technical supports creativity.  It gives the artist the tools and know how to be able to convey his or her message.  Creativity comes from the individual decisions about how to use the tools at the artists disposal.  Creative direction is what gives a school of music its unique characteristics.  For example, the Mozart Bassoon Concerto is the same, technically, wherever you go.  The notes are printed on paper and do not move themselves around the page by virtue of the geographical location of the piece of paper.  But, the accepted interpretations and the freedom of the performer to explore his or her own interpretations sets an educational experience apart from that which a student might get elsewhere, where the interpretations and artistic freedoms are treated differently.  (Shameless plug) If you want to here more about this topic also, you should plan to attend my session at NAfME!

We went on to talk more specifically about music education programs in higher education.  Dr. C. talked about her discussions with undergraduate music education majors, where tells them that their instrument is not the instrument upon which they auditioned to get into the school.  Rather, their instrument, by virtue of being a music education major, is teaching.  And I had a thought.  Why do music education majors study an instrument as their primary musical endeavor?  Wouldn't they be better served if they were treated as conducting majors?  Does anywhere even offer undergraduate conducting majors?  What if the B.M. in Music Education was conducting focused, with weekly private conducting lessons, and the option to study an instrument as a secondary focus?  I remember my undergraduate conducting training: two semesters, one instrumental conducting and one choral conducting.  That certainly wasn't enough.

On Thursday, I got to go down to Maryland for a Category 5 Wind Ensemble rehearsal.  That's right, folks.  I get to play and conduct Cat5 again!  It was just a great to be back with that wonderful group of musicians again.  Some of the faces have changed, but it is great to see that the ensemble is still going strong. (If you don't know, I founded the ensemble with Dan Sitomer back in 2011).  There was a plot twist, though.  Dan was unable to make this rehearsal, so he asked me to step in and conduct Symphonic Dances from West Side Story in his stead.  I was happy to do so.  But, as I sat down to do score study, an ice cream truck parked itself outside my window and started doing its thing.  Imagine trying to concentrate on serious music while this is playing, loudly, in your close vicinity.

Gaaaaaaaah!

This week was my last rehearsal with the Temple Prep kids this semester.  Next week, they have reauditions for the program for next year and then the following week is the concert!  I am actually really excited about the concert.  We are going to do 5 pieces - as opposed to the 2 that we did in the winter - and I think they are going to sound pretty decent while doing it.  In this week's rehearsal, the group was pretty good about being careful to perform all the musical aspects we have been working on.  They were conscious of tempi, they made noticeable efforts to perform dynamics and articulations, and it is starting to feel like they are having fun through the music and not just surviving it.  

I tweaked the format a bit over the semester and it ended up not being straight sightreading like I intended when I started.  The final format, which I like a lot, was to take two sessions to get through a piece.  The first session starts with a discussion of the piece and sightreading, both done in conjunction with each other and in small enough sections of the piece that the information is easily digestible.  Then, there is enough time to run the piece, top to bottom, at least once before the end of the session.  The second session more closely resembles a "typical" rehearsal.  Sections of the music that contain key concepts and skills that need closer attention are targeted and time is left at the end for at least one full run through of the piece.  I think this format gave the students a good mix of fresh music and in depth study.

It turns out that, without realizing it, I was acting in harmony with the information I am learning in my creativity research.  One of the things the research talks about in fostering creativity is "mindfulness," a term the research uses to describe actively using one's mind.  The research says that by keeping things fresh and not relying on automated behaviors, creativity is allowed to flourish.  Go me!

In this last session with my Musicianship class, I set aside the time to talk with the students about how they felt about the new approach to music theory.  There was an overwhelmingly positive response to the class.  They really liked everything from learning how to subdivide rhythms (they said that they felt much more confident now in their ability to figure out rhythms on their own, without the help of their teachers), to the tuning exercises (which they said were really fun), to the writing music worksheets (which they said they enjoyed because they actually got to do stuff, as opposed to other theory classes where they get talked at).  Next year, I think I will have a focus on composition, so the students can apply the theory they learn to making real music.  After all, theory and practice must be related to one another or each loses its meaning in the eyes of the other.

I wanted to write some things about the Baltimore situation, but after attempting to write my feelings on the matter, I realized that they are not quite thought out well enough for public consumption yet.  All I will say at this point is that the issue is much more multifaceted than most people are acknowledging (thank you, media) and until those involved (on all sides) are able to step back and look at the whole picture, rather than just the piece that has entered their own lives, solutions will be much harder to come by.  Oh, and a big, giant "shame on you" to the American politicians who are using the deaths of American citizens to push political agendas rather than setting aside party politics and actually helping people in need.

 

(Yes, I know the flag is upside down.  You fly a flag upside down when in distress.)

Well, that is all for this week.  Go out and enjoy the beautiful weather!

Future Dr. Mitch, out!