One Last Post: My Past, Present, and Future

Before I came to Converse, I thought I had my whole life planned out. I was going to go to Furman University, get a degree in Music Education, and go on to teach high school chorus. Throughout high school, I thought singing was my real talent and French Horn was only a hobby. By my senior year, however, when I really started practicing and caring, I felt like I actually had some talent on my horn. I started questioning my choice to be a chorus teacher; maybe I wanted to be a band director. I might have been confused about my career goal, but at least I knew where I was going to school, right? Wrong. Even with the generous amount of money I was given, I still couldn’t really afford Furman, but did I even want to go there anymore?

                I went to an accepted student day at Furman and Converse. The people at Furman were very stand-offish and cold (not the music faculty, but everyone else). After devoting so much time to Furman, I was crushed that I couldn’t see it as my home. I went to the accepted student day at Converse and my experience was the exact opposite. All the people I met were incredibly nice (faculty and students). I remember walking across the quad and realizing that this was going to be my new home.

                When I finally got here, I was so excited. I knew I was going to fit in really well. I met my roommate and we instantly clicked. I met the other girls on my hall and they were all great. I knew I wanted to do music education and I was told that I could make both my instruments my primary instrument and I could decide later what I wanted to do. The only thing I was really sure of at that point was that I wanted to teach high school.

                In the time that I’ve been here, I haven’t decided on an instrument and I’ve decided that I want to teach elementary school music class. I think I would be really good with little kids and I know they would be a blast to work with. I have also made so many amazing friends while I’ve been here. Some of them I even consider to be my new family. Although I have my Converse family, I’m still very close to my real family. Caroline, my sister, and I have been ridiculously close since we were little. Even though it’s hard on both of us with me being away, we still go on sister dates and have a really close bond. She is my best friend.

                As for the future, I’m not really sure where life is going to take me. I know I will be doing something with music. I want to enjoy my job and I want to influence someone’s life. Most of all, though, I want a tight-knit family just like my own. That is probably the one thing that I want the most.

                For you who are reading this, thank you for being an amazing person. I know you will do incredible things.

Tradition!

I actually got my idea sitting in Music History on Friday. They were talking about how much they miss tacky day, so I think we should bring it back.

I remember the most fun part of homecoming at my high school was dressing up every day. I think for 1889 week, we should have dress up days, and if you dress up, your class gets points, just like all the other 1889 events. It’s a really fun way to show your school spirit and everyone usually really gets into it. What would the dress-up days be, though? We would have spirit day, obviously and of course we would have tacky day. I mean, who doesn't love dressing like a lunatic in clothes that don’t match in the slightest? Old person day is another fun day. You basically find the ugliest granny sweaters and elastic pants that you can find. It’s super comfy! (By the way, I’m finding it difficult to come up with these days. It isn't as easy as it seems.) We could have a “dress like Betsy Flemming” day where we all wear our nicest clothes and heels and look fabulous. Since it’s so close to Halloween, I would suggest a Halloween day where we all dress in our costumes, but people hardly ever wear costumes that are appropriate anymore. One last day could be throwback day where we wear clothes from a different decade such as the 70’s or 80’s. I think these dress-up days would really brighten everyone’s week during 1889. Everyone would participate and it would just be a really good time. I mean, just writing this I’m getting a picture in my mind of a bunch of old people walking around on walkers and people in tutus on tacky day. This would just be a fantastic tradition to start! (:

My Rainbow Connection

Since right now, I’m not really sure which direction I want to go in education, I’ll pick the route that I've been considering the longest, which is Choral Education.

My dream career is to be a chorus teacher. I would really like to teach at a high school in South Carolina because I’d rather not move far away from my parents and sister. I realize that with this career I am going to have to learn how to budget my money since my paycheck won’t make for a lavish lifestyle (my parents are both teachers, so I understand how little a teacher gets paid). I know, however, that if I manage my money wisely, I will be able to live comfortably on my paycheck. I really want to teach students the joy that music can bring. Music is such an amazing thing. I want to teach kids how music and performing can bring one out of their shell and really make a difference in their life. Maybe I can encourage a child who would otherwise not be able to afford college to audition for a music scholarship. Perhaps I can introduce a child battling depression to an outlet for their emotions. Through music, I want to be able to change people’s lives. The biggest advantage to this would be watching my students succeed and better their lives through music. I would also get to pay it forward in a since. You see, my chorus teachers, band directors, and private lessons teachers have really made a difference in my life. I was given an outlet to my emotions, I was given scholarship money for college, and I've realized that I have been given an amazing talent. Obviously to put me on the path for my career, I’m in college. I’m taking all my music class to get my degree. Then, hopefully, I will go on to Graduate school and get my Master’s degree. The biggest problem I would have would clearly be the lack of money, but I know I could make it work. Another problem that could come up is that I realize sometime in the next few years, I could realize that music education isn't what I want to do (although I’m pretty sure that won’t happen). If this were to happen, however, I would probably have to take some summer classes to catch up for a different major, but like I said, this is highly improbable. In the future, I should start looking for graduate programs that will offer scholarships so I won’t have to pay for all of my schooling. I will always need to find a job that will be able to support me through the rest of my schooling.

To Our Future Littles:

It’s a little strange addressing people that don’t really exist yet, but I’ll give it a shot.

Hey Class of 2018. I know you must be super nervous/excited/scared since we’re only a couple of weeks into the school year. I know you are, I’ve been there. The first weeks I was nervous about classes, excited about “college life,” and scared about things like making friends and failing classes. It is hard going into a strange place where you don’t know anyone (maybe you know a few people, but I came in not knowing anyone).  I was super nervous about my roommate (I had only met her once over lunch). What if she wasn’t clean? What if she was rude? What if she was just crazy? I was terrified of my classes. I had never had to study in high school and was worried that I wouldn’t have the study skills that were necessary to pass my classes. The day before move-in, I was a nervous wreck.

Once I got here, I knew everything would be alright. My roommate was fantastic and we are just alike. My classes weren’t scary at all and I made an A on my first Theory test. Worrying is natural, but sometimes so unnecessary. As for friends, that was the easiest part. Not only did I get super close to my roommate and a couple of other girls on our hall, but the music people really form a bond. We’re all in practically the same classes, so we see each other constantly. It was so nice to have people that were going through the same things I was, having the same stresses I was having, and taking the same classes. All of us are like a little family. I know if I really needed anything, I could ask any one of those girls and they would do whatever they could for me.

One thing I didn't worry about that I maybe should have been stress. I never realized just how much stress I would be under. I really wanted to be involved in a lot of things. I was in three ensembles, taking a full hour lesson on two instruments, and had a job. I really had to look at what I was doing and align my priorities. Did I really want to try to do two instruments? I also had a bad problem with my schoolwork. I would stay up so late some nights doing homework that others I wouldn't be able to hold my eyes open and I would fall asleep trying to get work done. I continued my habit of procrastination from high school and realized quite quickly that I could not continue with that habit. It was hard to break the habit, but it is so worth it. I couldn’t spend another night staying up until two am writing two papers and doing a worksheet. It’s just not an efficient use of my time. With such limited time already, I learned to use my remaining time in a productive way. If I had a paper due, I would do it on a night when I didn’t have much other homework, or I would do a little at a time. It’s still hard to keep up with. Occasionally, I find myself waiting until the last minute on an assignment that I’m absolutely dreading, but I had to put my big girl panties on and just do it.

One thing that I’ve learned (that’s very important to my sanity) is that I have to have “fun time.” I have to allow myself to have time to hang out with friends and have a good time. Almost every weekend a couple of girls on my hall and I have movie night. We all really like chick flicks, so we watch a few of those every night. It’s not only a good way to relax and de-stress, but it allows us to have good bonding time. We also go shopping (even though I shouldn’t be spending the money). It’s just so relaxing. We even have sleepovers occasionally where a girl down the hall comes and sleeps in me and my roommate’s room. It’s so nice to get away from all the stress and relax.

            All-in-all, my advice is: don’t overextend yourself, don’t procrastinate, and allow yourself some relaxation time. And I promise, everything is going to be okay.

Funny How Time Flies (When You're A Music Student)

If only there were more than twenty-four hours in a day. I’m sure that is what everyone is thinking at this point. Everyone is trying to fit classes, homework, practice, ensembles, eating, sleeping, and occasional socializing into their schedules. It’s pretty tough. I know I really struggle with getting stressed out about time. I have two primary instruments that I have to practice, plus I have to practice my piano to keep it up to par for piano class during Jan Term. I’m in three different ensembles, and I have two full lessons a week. I also have a job back home and work all three days every other weekend. Once I starting adding in things I have to do (like homework and eating) and things I want to do (like working out and seeing my friends/family/boyfriend), my brain is screaming, “How the heck am I going to get this done!?”

            One thing I do that is very helpful is take some time to myself. I’ll read a book, take a nap, or sit and listen to music. Doing this helps my brain calm down a bit so that I can get everything I need to get done, done. If I just try to go-go-go, I’ll never do anything as well as I could; it will only be at about 85%. By taking the time to relax, I find it much easier to focus on my homework or my studying.

            I also like to have a little motivation. Sometimes I’ll let myself have a treat for every assignment I get done. For example, once I get this blog done and uploaded, I’m going to let myself have a few bites of ice cream. Since I crave the ice cream anyway, it’s a good way for me to ensure that I will get my work done. I am also motivated through the week by looking toward the weekend because I know that (if I get my work done) the weekend means relaxing. To be able to visualize the approaching weekend, me and my roommate hung up the calendar that everyone received during orientation and, at the end of every day, one of us will cross it out with a black marker. This way, we can see how quickly (or sometimes slowly) the weekend is approaching. As the weekend gets closer, I make myself get my work done so that I can just relax during the weekend.

            Another thing that I have found to be quite helpful is keeping a planner. I always got a little planner in high school and never used it; I thought it was stupid! Now, I have no idea how I lived without one. I write everything (and I mean everything) in my planner. I have every concert, every homework assignment, every off-campus activity I want to go to, and every day that I work. If I didn’t have it written down, I would completely forget it. Keeping a planner might be the best advice I can give anyone. It is ways to keep organized and make sure you get everything done that you have to have done. It also helps to schedule things at specific times. I wake up most mornings, look at my schedule, and decide when I’m going to practice, when I’m going to eat, and when I’m going to have my “me” time. It’s a really helpful way to make sure I have a full, productive day.

Why College?

Since I was a child, I was always told that, one day, I would go to college. My parents valued education very much (probably because they are both teachers) and always wanted me to pursue my education. I suppose I was always expected to go to college. I never really had another option (other than getting a job and paying rent to live in their house/ my own apartment). College was always just a known in my life. When people would ask, “Are you going to college?” I would respond with, “Of course, aren’t you.” I have always assumed that everyone would want to further their education as much as they could (slightly naïve, I know, but I like to consider myself an optimist).

Ever since I was a little girl, I always knew that I wanted to teach. I remember knowing specifically in first grade, when we had “career day” and everyone dressed up as their future career, I dressed up as a teacher. At that point though, I hadn’t discovered music, so I was intent on being a math teacher. After that day, I would set up all my stuffed animals like a class (sometimes I would even make my little sister Caroline come sit in class) and I would teach them math. When I got into middle school, however, things changed. One day, my chorus teacher pulled me aside and asked, “Have you ever considering majoring in music?” Of course as a thirteen-year-old, I could not imagine all the opportunities that music was going to open up to me in the future. Throughout middle school, my ideas about teaching shifted from math to music. By the time I got to high school, I knew I was going to sing and play music for the rest of my life. I could tell that music was my “thing” and I needed to stick with it. I was told by several people however, that I needed to start taking piano lessons. My high school chorus teacher told me to look into the Pre-College program here at Converse. I started taking piano lessons from Mrs. Erica Pauly and absolutely loved them. After I started taking lessons, I really started to look into Converse as a school choice. The story of how I picked Converse, however, is a little different.

When I first decided to become a music major, I set my heart on going to Furman University. I’m not quite sure why, but I was determined to get there.  During my senior year, I did everything Furman; I went to auditions and preview days. I even shadowed the marching band during a football game. As fun as all of that was, I never really felt like I fit in. The music department was great, but I was unimpressed with the rest of the faculty. Most of the people there, I thought, were trying to make Furman into an Ivy League school. I didn’t want to go to an Ivy League school (there’s a reason I didn’t apply to Harvard), so I was very confused. My parents would always ask me why I wasn’t excited about college and I never really had an answer. I came to an audition and was quite impressed with the music faculty. Everyone was nice and they actually seemed excited to have me there. I remember specifically a few people saying, “Awesome! We really need horns.” It made me feel very wanted and it was very encouraging. I lost my voice the day of my audition and everyone was completely understanding about it. They went out of their way to make sure I was scheduled for another audition day. I was so impressed and grateful. After my first audition, I went to an Accepted Student Day. Walking to the Economics of Harry Potter class that we had chosen to take, my mom looked at me and said, “You know, this is the first time you’ve really looked happy during the whole process of choosing a college.” After she said that, I realized that she was right. At Converse, I felt very at home and comfortable. At that moment, I knew that Converse was the school for me.

And finally, if I was a Muppet, I would be Rowlf the Dog. He is described as quiet, calm, and easy going. He is a big fan of classical music and musicals. I just read the description of Rowlf and was like, “Yep, that’s totally me!”