Well, sort of.
After a brief three days back in Dresden, I leave again this morning! This time I'm headed to Budapest, Hungary to visit a very dear friend of mine (who, predictably, happens to be Hungarian and lives in Budapest). Not only am I excited to see the city, which I hear is wonderful, but I am also thrilled to finally see a familiar face.
Anna was a Rotary scholar at UGA last year, which is how we met. It's a small world!
I'll be back Sunday. Hope everyone has a good post-Thanksgiving week!
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Non-musicians or non-music-educators might find this one boring
After thinking about what I learned about the background of most German musicians, I went to orchestra rehearsal on Thursday with a totally new perspective. Rather than just focusing on what the group sounded like and how they played, I put it into context and thought about how their background affects how they play.
To shortly recap, German children learn instruments through private lessons and music schools, and the average children (not the ones who end up in conservatories) probably have very few opportunities to play in groups. American children learn instruments through band or orchestra class and are trained from the beginning to play as an ensemble member, but the average children often do very little solo playing.
The workshop orchestra I play with is comprised of college versions of these “average children” who major in other things but still like to play. And I’ll just say that the sound of the orchestra is comparable to the focus of its members. I realized that after my first listens and first impressions, I had been analyzing the orchestra by American standards. Concepts taught from the beginning in our schools, such as precision, watching the conductor, blending, and playing together are big struggles for this group. But after concentrating on their individual playing, I heard that they are all decent players by themselves – they just don’t know how to play in a group.
I will compare this orchestra to a concert band at UGA. The skill level is about the same, the groups exist for similar purposes, and the members are there for similar reasons. The problems that arise in UGA concert bands are playing confidence and individual ability - often an unwillingness or fear to be heard playing by yourself, and a much more limited technical ability on the instrument. As a group, however, people in concert bands know how to play in a band. In comparison to the workshop orchestra, the concert band as an ensemble is stronger but the individual musicianship is weaker.
For example: we rehearsed an excerpt that exchanges quarter notes between sections of the winds – in 3/4 time each instrument played quarter notes on beats 3-1-2 and the motive is passed around to every section. You American musicians are probably thinking “ok it’s just 3 beats of quarter notes, no big deal, we do that kind of thing in warm-ups all the time.” After close to 45 minutes of rehearsal on this one excerpt, my perspective totally changed. The notes weren’t a problem, the order of who plays when wasn’t a problem, but playing it all in time and with one another was a huge issue. The student conductors are trained as conductors, not necessarily educators, and don’t know all the “teacher tricks” we learn for how to address and fix ensemble problems like that.
I raised my hand and politely suggested we sing the passage instead of play, so we could focus on tempo and timing and take away the element of the instrument. I got funny looks from everyone because they had never heard of such a thing before. We learn, however, that “if you can sing in time you can eventually play it in time.” Sure enough, after a few repetitions of singing the passage, the ensemble precision improved as people could hear how their entrances fit with everyone else. I could tell they were still confused as to the outright purpose of such a silly exercise, and the conductor didn’t really know how to “teach” what we were doing instead of just leading the activity. When we picked up our instruments to play again a few players resorted to the pre-exercise late entrances and slower tempos because they didn’t make the connection.
In an American classroom, 45 minutes is an obscene amount of time to rehearse such a small passage and what we consider such a simple concept. However, the problems we would have faced would have been totally different, and maybe much harder to fix – people might miss entrances because they are too timid, or not play loud enough because they are scared to be so exposed or freaked out to hear themselves so well. These thoughts never cross the German musicians’ minds.
The results would be similar, but the causes are completely different. And the good educators focus on the cause, not the result, in order to bring the most success and improvement.
The most successful music education programs should perhaps equally incorporate the aspects of solo and ensemble playing to foster more well rounded players, so there are no extremes on either end of the spectrum. Because of time, money, and resources, is this goal in either system obtainable? I’ll get back to you in a few years when I have my own band program. J
To shortly recap, German children learn instruments through private lessons and music schools, and the average children (not the ones who end up in conservatories) probably have very few opportunities to play in groups. American children learn instruments through band or orchestra class and are trained from the beginning to play as an ensemble member, but the average children often do very little solo playing.
The workshop orchestra I play with is comprised of college versions of these “average children” who major in other things but still like to play. And I’ll just say that the sound of the orchestra is comparable to the focus of its members. I realized that after my first listens and first impressions, I had been analyzing the orchestra by American standards. Concepts taught from the beginning in our schools, such as precision, watching the conductor, blending, and playing together are big struggles for this group. But after concentrating on their individual playing, I heard that they are all decent players by themselves – they just don’t know how to play in a group.
I will compare this orchestra to a concert band at UGA. The skill level is about the same, the groups exist for similar purposes, and the members are there for similar reasons. The problems that arise in UGA concert bands are playing confidence and individual ability - often an unwillingness or fear to be heard playing by yourself, and a much more limited technical ability on the instrument. As a group, however, people in concert bands know how to play in a band. In comparison to the workshop orchestra, the concert band as an ensemble is stronger but the individual musicianship is weaker.
For example: we rehearsed an excerpt that exchanges quarter notes between sections of the winds – in 3/4 time each instrument played quarter notes on beats 3-1-2 and the motive is passed around to every section. You American musicians are probably thinking “ok it’s just 3 beats of quarter notes, no big deal, we do that kind of thing in warm-ups all the time.” After close to 45 minutes of rehearsal on this one excerpt, my perspective totally changed. The notes weren’t a problem, the order of who plays when wasn’t a problem, but playing it all in time and with one another was a huge issue. The student conductors are trained as conductors, not necessarily educators, and don’t know all the “teacher tricks” we learn for how to address and fix ensemble problems like that.
I raised my hand and politely suggested we sing the passage instead of play, so we could focus on tempo and timing and take away the element of the instrument. I got funny looks from everyone because they had never heard of such a thing before. We learn, however, that “if you can sing in time you can eventually play it in time.” Sure enough, after a few repetitions of singing the passage, the ensemble precision improved as people could hear how their entrances fit with everyone else. I could tell they were still confused as to the outright purpose of such a silly exercise, and the conductor didn’t really know how to “teach” what we were doing instead of just leading the activity. When we picked up our instruments to play again a few players resorted to the pre-exercise late entrances and slower tempos because they didn’t make the connection.
In an American classroom, 45 minutes is an obscene amount of time to rehearse such a small passage and what we consider such a simple concept. However, the problems we would have faced would have been totally different, and maybe much harder to fix – people might miss entrances because they are too timid, or not play loud enough because they are scared to be so exposed or freaked out to hear themselves so well. These thoughts never cross the German musicians’ minds.
The results would be similar, but the causes are completely different. And the good educators focus on the cause, not the result, in order to bring the most success and improvement.
The most successful music education programs should perhaps equally incorporate the aspects of solo and ensemble playing to foster more well rounded players, so there are no extremes on either end of the spectrum. Because of time, money, and resources, is this goal in either system obtainable? I’ll get back to you in a few years when I have my own band program. J
Some More "Firsts"
Over the past week I have experienced two more things that we take for granted would be the same, but are far different from what I expected. I got a haircut and went to the doctor.
Actually, the haircut wasn’t so “out there.” The only problem I ran into was not knowing the right vocabulary for things like “layers” and “split ends” (for future reference the German word for “layers” in your hair translates to “levels”), but I got a good haircut and I was pleased. The awkward part came at the end when I had to ask about tip. Americans are famous for over-tipping everyone, so I try to be conscientious but I never want to leave too little or not tip when I really should. My haircutter was Russian, so she was understanding enough when I explained that I really didn’t know the German customs for tipping stylists and I wanted to make sure I did it right. She said yes she usually is tipped, but it was up to me to determine how much. So I just guessed, and never really did learn how much is appropriate.
The doctor’s office, on the other hand, was totally different from my American preconceived notions. To start off, there is no such thing as an immediate care clinic where you can go just to get medicine when you have a cold or a sprained ankle or something. All doctors have walk-in hours a few mornings a week, and you just find a doctor and go.
With help of the internet I found an English-speaking doctor (more as a safety net just in case), and she was a little bit far away. When I walked into the office, the receptionist looked at my insurance card and said “you live in the city, don’t you? You don’t live in this neighborhood. Well, as long as you’re here, we’ll take you.” Apparently that’s another thing about these German doctors – they are supposed to only see patients that live in the area, so that just in case they have to make a house call they don’t have to travel far. Oops.
My American paradigm imagined a nurse would call me back to a room, I’d put on one of those flattering paper smocks, she would talk to me about what’s wrong, then the doctor would come, examine my ailment, ask about my medical history, and talk about what I needed. What really happened was the doctor herself called me into her office. Literally. I sat down in a chair next to her desk, fully clothed, and told her what was wrong and what I thought I needed. She barely asked any questions, examined me for maybe a few seconds, wrote me a prescription, and sent me out the door.
In addition, my prescription bottles are not labeled with my name, dosage, or warnings. It’s just a bottle of pills that you can’t buy at the grocery store.
The Germans are all healthy people, and the medicine is working, so I guess it’s all just fine. I think Americans are perhaps overly dramatic, paranoid, and demanding when it comes to healthcare. Maybe we should be, but maybe we could suffice just fine with less. I think I’d have to experience more on the other side before I could really say for sure.
Actually, the haircut wasn’t so “out there.” The only problem I ran into was not knowing the right vocabulary for things like “layers” and “split ends” (for future reference the German word for “layers” in your hair translates to “levels”), but I got a good haircut and I was pleased. The awkward part came at the end when I had to ask about tip. Americans are famous for over-tipping everyone, so I try to be conscientious but I never want to leave too little or not tip when I really should. My haircutter was Russian, so she was understanding enough when I explained that I really didn’t know the German customs for tipping stylists and I wanted to make sure I did it right. She said yes she usually is tipped, but it was up to me to determine how much. So I just guessed, and never really did learn how much is appropriate.
The doctor’s office, on the other hand, was totally different from my American preconceived notions. To start off, there is no such thing as an immediate care clinic where you can go just to get medicine when you have a cold or a sprained ankle or something. All doctors have walk-in hours a few mornings a week, and you just find a doctor and go.
With help of the internet I found an English-speaking doctor (more as a safety net just in case), and she was a little bit far away. When I walked into the office, the receptionist looked at my insurance card and said “you live in the city, don’t you? You don’t live in this neighborhood. Well, as long as you’re here, we’ll take you.” Apparently that’s another thing about these German doctors – they are supposed to only see patients that live in the area, so that just in case they have to make a house call they don’t have to travel far. Oops.
My American paradigm imagined a nurse would call me back to a room, I’d put on one of those flattering paper smocks, she would talk to me about what’s wrong, then the doctor would come, examine my ailment, ask about my medical history, and talk about what I needed. What really happened was the doctor herself called me into her office. Literally. I sat down in a chair next to her desk, fully clothed, and told her what was wrong and what I thought I needed. She barely asked any questions, examined me for maybe a few seconds, wrote me a prescription, and sent me out the door.
In addition, my prescription bottles are not labeled with my name, dosage, or warnings. It’s just a bottle of pills that you can’t buy at the grocery store.
The Germans are all healthy people, and the medicine is working, so I guess it’s all just fine. I think Americans are perhaps overly dramatic, paranoid, and demanding when it comes to healthcare. Maybe we should be, but maybe we could suffice just fine with less. I think I’d have to experience more on the other side before I could really say for sure.
Sunday, November 25, 2007
Sights and Sounds of Prague
This morning I uploaded my Prague pictures to Webshots for your viewing pleasure. And here I will include a few videos so you can experience the city vicariously:
The famous Astronomical Clock on Old Town Square
The jazz band that likes to travel around the city and amuse tourists
Changing of the Guards ceremony at Prague Castle
I do have to share one experience I encountered while over here, because it was a sad dose of reality that was painful to witness but necessary to share. Thursday I came back to my room mid-afternoon because my camera battery died and my memory was full, so I needed to recharge and unload. My room was off the main lobby of the hostel. While I was sitting there going through my pictures, I started hearing yelling and crying from the lobby - all in Czech. It was the front desk guy and a girl. I tried to tune it out, figuring I would stay out of whatever was going on, but then the yelling got louder and the crying got harder and there were other noises too - so I stuck my head out the door to check it out - just in time to see the girl pinned up against the wall and the guy punching her repeatedly.
I freaked out.
I didn't want to run out there because I didn't want to make the situation worse by them knowing that I was there and had seen it, and I didn't want him to get angrier and take it out on her (or me!), and there was nowhere for me to go because I had to walk by the desk to get out of my room. I wanted to call the police, but I didn't know if domestic violence is illegal in the Czech Republic. I'm pretty sure there was no one else around because it was 3:30 in the afternoon and I don't think they realized I was there.
I got in touch with my parents and they kept me on the phone until the noises stopped and long enough to calm me down and make sure I was ok. And that was the last I heard or saw of that situation.
Other than that, Prague was great. The movies and pictures probably do a good job of narrating. I treated this trip like a much-needed vacation, and made sure to wine-and-dine myself properly, relax, enjoy the sights, and just soak it all in. And for the first time since I've been in Europe, I finally felt like myself again.
The famous Astronomical Clock on Old Town Square
The jazz band that likes to travel around the city and amuse tourists
Changing of the Guards ceremony at Prague Castle
I do have to share one experience I encountered while over here, because it was a sad dose of reality that was painful to witness but necessary to share. Thursday I came back to my room mid-afternoon because my camera battery died and my memory was full, so I needed to recharge and unload. My room was off the main lobby of the hostel. While I was sitting there going through my pictures, I started hearing yelling and crying from the lobby - all in Czech. It was the front desk guy and a girl. I tried to tune it out, figuring I would stay out of whatever was going on, but then the yelling got louder and the crying got harder and there were other noises too - so I stuck my head out the door to check it out - just in time to see the girl pinned up against the wall and the guy punching her repeatedly.
I freaked out.
I didn't want to run out there because I didn't want to make the situation worse by them knowing that I was there and had seen it, and I didn't want him to get angrier and take it out on her (or me!), and there was nowhere for me to go because I had to walk by the desk to get out of my room. I wanted to call the police, but I didn't know if domestic violence is illegal in the Czech Republic. I'm pretty sure there was no one else around because it was 3:30 in the afternoon and I don't think they realized I was there.
I got in touch with my parents and they kept me on the phone until the noises stopped and long enough to calm me down and make sure I was ok. And that was the last I heard or saw of that situation.
Other than that, Prague was great. The movies and pictures probably do a good job of narrating. I treated this trip like a much-needed vacation, and made sure to wine-and-dine myself properly, relax, enjoy the sights, and just soak it all in. And for the first time since I've been in Europe, I finally felt like myself again.
Saturday, November 24, 2007
Prague in the Moment
Well I guess I should write an update because I said I would, but it won't be long. Really, you should be glad I'm not writing a long update because it means I'm out there living it rather than writing about it. There will be time later to write.
But for now, this city is gorgeous and old and really cool. There will be LOTS of pictures later. And some cool videos. :-)
I head back to Dresden tomorrow afternoon. I hope everyone had a fantastic Thanksgiving and is enjoying time off with their families! And tomorrow, wreck Tech!
But for now, this city is gorgeous and old and really cool. There will be LOTS of pictures later. And some cool videos. :-)
I head back to Dresden tomorrow afternoon. I hope everyone had a fantastic Thanksgiving and is enjoying time off with their families! And tomorrow, wreck Tech!
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Turkey?
So this week isn't exactly going according to how I'd imagined. But it's ok, because I'm improvising and hopefully have made it all work out. I originally had planned to go to France to see Liz for Thanksgiving and my birthday, but the French train systems (in addition to most workers in the country) are on strike, the cheapest plane ticket was 750 euros (well over $1000), and the fastest bus could get me there by Saturday. Yeah, that can't happen.
So then I found a cheap flight to Barcelona, and decided to just hit the road (er....air) and go there for a few days. I bet the weather is nicer and warmer, and it would be a good place to relax and a pretty city to see. So I went through the process to purchase the plane ticket, but for some reason Ryanair wouldn't accept my credit card. It kept telling me I had a typo somewhere or I had selected the wrong thing, but I tried about 10 separate times and everything was exactly correct, so I have no idea what the problem is. But basically, that meant no Barcelona and no other Ryanair flights because I couldn't buy the ticket.
That left me with the option of just trains, and just traveling east or south (to avoid traveling through France). I remembered that I won't be going to Prague with my parents after all, and it's only 2 hours away, so that's the easiest option for a last-minute trip (literally planned the night before and day-of).
So there it is. I leave shortly, and I am very excited because I've heard it is a gorgeous city. I'm not too keen on spending Thanksgiving and my birthday by myself, but I'd rather travel than stay in Dresden another weekend - especially when I am very quickly running out of time to travel. I'll thank myself later, and I'll be sure to treat myself nice while I'm there.
(I will have my computer and the hostel has free wifi, so check back for updates and stuff, and that means I'll be contact-able).
Happy Thanksgiving to all! Eat some turkey for me!
So then I found a cheap flight to Barcelona, and decided to just hit the road (er....air) and go there for a few days. I bet the weather is nicer and warmer, and it would be a good place to relax and a pretty city to see. So I went through the process to purchase the plane ticket, but for some reason Ryanair wouldn't accept my credit card. It kept telling me I had a typo somewhere or I had selected the wrong thing, but I tried about 10 separate times and everything was exactly correct, so I have no idea what the problem is. But basically, that meant no Barcelona and no other Ryanair flights because I couldn't buy the ticket.
That left me with the option of just trains, and just traveling east or south (to avoid traveling through France). I remembered that I won't be going to Prague with my parents after all, and it's only 2 hours away, so that's the easiest option for a last-minute trip (literally planned the night before and day-of).
So there it is. I leave shortly, and I am very excited because I've heard it is a gorgeous city. I'm not too keen on spending Thanksgiving and my birthday by myself, but I'd rather travel than stay in Dresden another weekend - especially when I am very quickly running out of time to travel. I'll thank myself later, and I'll be sure to treat myself nice while I'm there.
(I will have my computer and the hostel has free wifi, so check back for updates and stuff, and that means I'll be contact-able).
Happy Thanksgiving to all! Eat some turkey for me!
Monday, November 19, 2007
More pictures
I'm sorry I have failed you when it comes to posting new pictures - I have been terribly behind. But luckily I have uploaded TONS of new ones today! So go check them out!
Sunday, November 18, 2007
No real theme, just rambles
The sun sets these days around 4:45-5:00. Yes, it is completely pitch black by about 5pm every day. That being said, here's how I spent my weekend:
Friday night I went to dinner at my host family's house, where Minami (the other Rotary scholar who is Japanese) cooked us all a fantastic Japanese dinner. We had lots of fun doing things her way, including table manners and order of eating.
Saturday Jordan and I went to Königstein, a small little town with a really huge castle/fort. It was really cold, there was snow on the ground, and we had to climb a mountain in the wet and fallen leaves - I swore I would break my ankle by the end of the day, but luckily I came out whole. The weather was pretty crappy but it was cool because there was so much fog and mist, and we were climbing a mountain through the forest on our way to a giant castle, and we were convinced Frodo Baggins and Gandalf would come around the corner any minute.
Then today I went to an orchestra concert for the Musikhochschule, that lucky for me was in the opera house! They played fantastically and the opera house is gorgeous. Then I met up with one of Chris McCains friends from Würzburg who was in town for the weekend, and her boyfriend (who studies here, the reason she was in town of course), and had a lovely afternoon getting to know them.
The more Germans I meet, the more I am reassured that they really ARE nice people. Then I have another altercation with my roommate. Yesterday morning I was in the kitchen, and he came in and sort-of struck up a conversation:
P: You've been out a lot lately, haven't you.
R: Yeah, why not? There's a lot of stuff to see.
P: Well, I don't have anything against it, but it'd be nice if you cleaned the kitchen once in a while.
R: Wait a minute...I rarely use the kitchen. I'm not going to clean up someone else's mess when they cook and don't clean, and I'm not going to wash someone else's dirty dishes. When I do use the kitchen I completely clean up my things start to finish, but that's all I will do.
P: Well....it'd be nice if you at least sweep the floor every now and then.
R: Fine. I'll sweep the floor. But I'm not cleaning up other people's messes.
So then this morning I heard him on the phone complaining about me - telling whomever about his American roommate who is lazy and rude, and never wants to help out or do anything...and our walls are so thin I could hear every word. This kitchen was dirty when I first set foot in the apartment, people consistently leave dirty dishes all over the place and don't wipe up their messes, and I will not take responsibility for something I have never contributed to. And I don't think the adjectives "lazy" and "rude" could ever be used to describe me.
Friday night I went to dinner at my host family's house, where Minami (the other Rotary scholar who is Japanese) cooked us all a fantastic Japanese dinner. We had lots of fun doing things her way, including table manners and order of eating.
Saturday Jordan and I went to Königstein, a small little town with a really huge castle/fort. It was really cold, there was snow on the ground, and we had to climb a mountain in the wet and fallen leaves - I swore I would break my ankle by the end of the day, but luckily I came out whole. The weather was pretty crappy but it was cool because there was so much fog and mist, and we were climbing a mountain through the forest on our way to a giant castle, and we were convinced Frodo Baggins and Gandalf would come around the corner any minute.
Then today I went to an orchestra concert for the Musikhochschule, that lucky for me was in the opera house! They played fantastically and the opera house is gorgeous. Then I met up with one of Chris McCains friends from Würzburg who was in town for the weekend, and her boyfriend (who studies here, the reason she was in town of course), and had a lovely afternoon getting to know them.
The more Germans I meet, the more I am reassured that they really ARE nice people. Then I have another altercation with my roommate. Yesterday morning I was in the kitchen, and he came in and sort-of struck up a conversation:
P: You've been out a lot lately, haven't you.
R: Yeah, why not? There's a lot of stuff to see.
P: Well, I don't have anything against it, but it'd be nice if you cleaned the kitchen once in a while.
R: Wait a minute...I rarely use the kitchen. I'm not going to clean up someone else's mess when they cook and don't clean, and I'm not going to wash someone else's dirty dishes. When I do use the kitchen I completely clean up my things start to finish, but that's all I will do.
P: Well....it'd be nice if you at least sweep the floor every now and then.
R: Fine. I'll sweep the floor. But I'm not cleaning up other people's messes.
So then this morning I heard him on the phone complaining about me - telling whomever about his American roommate who is lazy and rude, and never wants to help out or do anything...and our walls are so thin I could hear every word. This kitchen was dirty when I first set foot in the apartment, people consistently leave dirty dishes all over the place and don't wipe up their messes, and I will not take responsibility for something I have never contributed to. And I don't think the adjectives "lazy" and "rude" could ever be used to describe me.
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Walking in a Winter Wonderland, and other stuff
When it's snowing outside, there are two urges that exist inside me - one is to go outside and play in it, the other is to stay inside, curl up under a blanket, and watch it from the window. Nowhere on this list do I mention enjoying going to class in the snow, especially when I am 30 seconds late for the bus and have to walk 25 minutes while it's snowing. Luckily it's not uphill both ways.
But the ground is still not cold enough for anything to stick, so snow comes down and melts into water on the ground. Today I wore knee socks, lined boots, jeans, tshirt, knit turtleneck, sweater, jacket, hat, scarf, and gloves, and was barely comfortable. And unfortunately I don't think I will see the number "4" in the temperature for a very long time, unless it is preceded by a "3." Our average high these days is about 35, and it's only gonna get colder.
Today was an interesting day. Aforementioned "class" was music history at the university, and it proved to be no different than usual (i.e. not stellar). It's the sixth week of class and we're still discussing Gregorian Chants, and she doesn't explain anything in a logical enough way for students to understand how things develop. Luckily I took this class last year at UGA, so I actually know what's going on. It's not the language that's the problem - I understand about 95% of it, and the parts I don't understand are when the professor starts speaking incoherently and mumbling about who knows what, so there's nothing to understand. But it gives me a reason to get out of bed in the morning, I guess.
This afternoon I met a fellow "school music" student for coffee, and had a very interesting discussion about the different approaches to music education in USA and here. As it turns out there is no such thing as classroom instrumental music instruction, so my specific course of study doesn't even exist here. It's all done at community music schools and through private teachers, and the students may or may not even have bands or orchestras to play in, and the instrument opportunities depend on the available individual teachers. Every now and then the upper level schools (like our high schools) will offer instrumental music, but not usually. "School music" is more of a general music education - similar to our elementary music, but more advanced, plus a bit of theory and history. And it's usually taught once a week and in conjunction with art.
So when students major in school music at the university, they don't really learn the same things I do. There are no instrumental methods classes because there is no need to learn to play all the instruments - they don't really even HAVE to study a specific instrument, but everyone has to learn voice and piano. Only people who intend to be professional conductors study conducting. Their education methods classes are also completely different because we are being trained to teach completely different things.
Apparently what I study is referred to here as "pedagogy," whereas in the USA "pedagogy" is usually in reference to piano or Suzuki instruction, not broad instrumental music. Even then, their concept of pedagogy is still more geared toward specific instruments, rather than classroom instruction.
I was really pretty shocked to find all this out, but it explains a lot about why I've had so many difficulties finding classes that are appropriate for me - because the concept of what I do doesn't exist here. It is interesting, though, because such a big part of the American music education philosophy is that music should be for everyone, and everyone should have an opportunity to learn music and play an instrument - and here it is completely dependent on community schools, what private teachers are available in the area, and whether the parents have money to pay for these schools. The concept of band and orchestra as part of school is a completely foreign concept (quite literally, I guess). But the society as a whole is still much more supportive of fine arts than ours is. Interesting.
So then this afternoon I was sitting in my room, and heard two guys talking in the hall outside my room. I didn't listen to what they were saying, because I figured one of my roommates just had a friend come over. A few minutes afterward, I left my room and there was a note on my door asking about the key to the music room (which is in my possession). I was shocked - I had been sitting in my room the whole time! Why didn't they just knock?
But the ground is still not cold enough for anything to stick, so snow comes down and melts into water on the ground. Today I wore knee socks, lined boots, jeans, tshirt, knit turtleneck, sweater, jacket, hat, scarf, and gloves, and was barely comfortable. And unfortunately I don't think I will see the number "4" in the temperature for a very long time, unless it is preceded by a "3." Our average high these days is about 35, and it's only gonna get colder.
Today was an interesting day. Aforementioned "class" was music history at the university, and it proved to be no different than usual (i.e. not stellar). It's the sixth week of class and we're still discussing Gregorian Chants, and she doesn't explain anything in a logical enough way for students to understand how things develop. Luckily I took this class last year at UGA, so I actually know what's going on. It's not the language that's the problem - I understand about 95% of it, and the parts I don't understand are when the professor starts speaking incoherently and mumbling about who knows what, so there's nothing to understand. But it gives me a reason to get out of bed in the morning, I guess.
This afternoon I met a fellow "school music" student for coffee, and had a very interesting discussion about the different approaches to music education in USA and here. As it turns out there is no such thing as classroom instrumental music instruction, so my specific course of study doesn't even exist here. It's all done at community music schools and through private teachers, and the students may or may not even have bands or orchestras to play in, and the instrument opportunities depend on the available individual teachers. Every now and then the upper level schools (like our high schools) will offer instrumental music, but not usually. "School music" is more of a general music education - similar to our elementary music, but more advanced, plus a bit of theory and history. And it's usually taught once a week and in conjunction with art.
So when students major in school music at the university, they don't really learn the same things I do. There are no instrumental methods classes because there is no need to learn to play all the instruments - they don't really even HAVE to study a specific instrument, but everyone has to learn voice and piano. Only people who intend to be professional conductors study conducting. Their education methods classes are also completely different because we are being trained to teach completely different things.
Apparently what I study is referred to here as "pedagogy," whereas in the USA "pedagogy" is usually in reference to piano or Suzuki instruction, not broad instrumental music. Even then, their concept of pedagogy is still more geared toward specific instruments, rather than classroom instruction.
I was really pretty shocked to find all this out, but it explains a lot about why I've had so many difficulties finding classes that are appropriate for me - because the concept of what I do doesn't exist here. It is interesting, though, because such a big part of the American music education philosophy is that music should be for everyone, and everyone should have an opportunity to learn music and play an instrument - and here it is completely dependent on community schools, what private teachers are available in the area, and whether the parents have money to pay for these schools. The concept of band and orchestra as part of school is a completely foreign concept (quite literally, I guess). But the society as a whole is still much more supportive of fine arts than ours is. Interesting.
So then this afternoon I was sitting in my room, and heard two guys talking in the hall outside my room. I didn't listen to what they were saying, because I figured one of my roommates just had a friend come over. A few minutes afterward, I left my room and there was a note on my door asking about the key to the music room (which is in my possession). I was shocked - I had been sitting in my room the whole time! Why didn't they just knock?
Sunday, November 11, 2007
Ich bin ein Berliner
at heart. No, I'm not a jelly donut, but I really really really liked the city. (And I'm exhausted, so this post might not make much sense, but I want to write it anyway)
I'll try not to ramble excessively as to everything I did, but Berlin is just cool. It has so much history, so many stories, and it's still evolving - parts of the history are hundreds of years old, but a lot of it is still developing. Friday was the eighteenth anniversary of the fall of the Wall. I was alive for this very important part of history.
But anyway - onto the highlights of the trip. I had Friday to myself and my friend Jordan joined me on Saturday. This weekend was probably some of the wors
t weather I have ever experienced, and my supposedly "heavy duty flip resistant" umbrella is now completely bent and broken. 
During my first half hour in the city I stopped in Starbucks (I REALLY miss American coffee) and went to see the Brandenberg Gate. 
I attempted to balance my Gingerbread Latte, camera, and umbrella while fighting the fierce wind and rain, and somehow amidst the chaos my camera stopped working. Completely.
I have no pictures of my weekend after this point, and only have Jordan's pictures.
We did all the typical Berlin stuff - Brandenberg Gate, Checkpoint Charlie, the big cathedral, Potsdamer Platz (a square where the Wall went right down the middle, and it ended up being differently developed on either side - weird!), Topography of Terror, Jewish Museum, currywurst, and other stuff. And it snowed - TWICE!!! It was amazing.
Friday, on a whim, I went to Symphony Hall to see what the odds were I could get a ticket for that evening's Berlin Philharmonic concert (one of the best orchestras in the world). Not only did I buy THE last ticket, but I also was able to observe another orchestra's rehearsal in the hall - I just walked up to a violin player as she walked in the building, and asked if I could come listen. So I shared the hall with two other "audience members" and listened to a fantastic rehearsal.
Then that evening was the actual Berlin Philharmonic concert. Seeing as I bought the very last ticket, it was fitting that I had the seat farthest away from stage in the whole hall. I literally watched the first half standing up, because I couldn't see the stage if I sat, and watched the second half sitting on the floor looking over the balcony. It was totally worth it. They played Mahler 10 - amazing! I definitely had never before heard an orchestra of this caliber, and I was blown away.
So guess who was sitting in the flute section of the orchestra....none other than Ms. Jones-Reus (the flute prof at UGA)! Erin had told me she would be in Berlin for a while, but I had no idea if she still was here. It was so exciting to see her - not only because it was great to see someone I know playing with the Berlin Phil, but also because I was thrilled to see someone I know. Because I had been backstage earlier that day and knew how to get there, I convinced the security guard to let me in after the concert to find her. She and I sat and talked for a while, and she introduced me to some of her friends (that's right - I got to hang out with members of the Berlin Phil!). The whole evening was totally a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
And for now, that's all I got. It is so cold here right now - it snowed Saturday, it snowed today, and it's supposed to snow for the next three more days. The ground is still too warm, so none of it is sticking, but the high every day is about 35 degrees. I have never been in consistently cold temperatures like this in my life, and my body is exhausted from keeping warm and just wants to hibernate - plus I'm tired from a very busy weekend.
Oh yeah.....and go Dawgs! Way to beat up on Auburn!
I'll try not to ramble excessively as to everything I did, but Berlin is just cool. It has so much history, so many stories, and it's still evolving - parts of the history are hundreds of years old, but a lot of it is still developing. Friday was the eighteenth anniversary of the fall of the Wall. I was alive for this very important part of history.
But anyway - onto the highlights of the trip. I had Friday to myself and my friend Jordan joined me on Saturday. This weekend was probably some of the wors
t weather I have ever experienced, and my supposedly "heavy duty flip resistant" umbrella is now completely bent and broken. 
During my first half hour in the city I stopped in Starbucks (I REALLY miss American coffee) and went to see the Brandenberg Gate. 
I attempted to balance my Gingerbread Latte, camera, and umbrella while fighting the fierce wind and rain, and somehow amidst the chaos my camera stopped working. Completely.
I have no pictures of my weekend after this point, and only have Jordan's pictures.We did all the typical Berlin stuff - Brandenberg Gate, Checkpoint Charlie, the big cathedral, Potsdamer Platz (a square where the Wall went right down the middle, and it ended up being differently developed on either side - weird!), Topography of Terror, Jewish Museum, currywurst, and other stuff. And it snowed - TWICE!!! It was amazing.
Friday, on a whim, I went to Symphony Hall to see what the odds were I could get a ticket for that evening's Berlin Philharmonic concert (one of the best orchestras in the world). Not only did I buy THE last ticket, but I also was able to observe another orchestra's rehearsal in the hall - I just walked up to a violin player as she walked in the building, and asked if I could come listen. So I shared the hall with two other "audience members" and listened to a fantastic rehearsal.
Then that evening was the actual Berlin Philharmonic concert. Seeing as I bought the very last ticket, it was fitting that I had the seat farthest away from stage in the whole hall. I literally watched the first half standing up, because I couldn't see the stage if I sat, and watched the second half sitting on the floor looking over the balcony. It was totally worth it. They played Mahler 10 - amazing! I definitely had never before heard an orchestra of this caliber, and I was blown away.
So guess who was sitting in the flute section of the orchestra....none other than Ms. Jones-Reus (the flute prof at UGA)! Erin had told me she would be in Berlin for a while, but I had no idea if she still was here. It was so exciting to see her - not only because it was great to see someone I know playing with the Berlin Phil, but also because I was thrilled to see someone I know. Because I had been backstage earlier that day and knew how to get there, I convinced the security guard to let me in after the concert to find her. She and I sat and talked for a while, and she introduced me to some of her friends (that's right - I got to hang out with members of the Berlin Phil!). The whole evening was totally a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
And for now, that's all I got. It is so cold here right now - it snowed Saturday, it snowed today, and it's supposed to snow for the next three more days. The ground is still too warm, so none of it is sticking, but the high every day is about 35 degrees. I have never been in consistently cold temperatures like this in my life, and my body is exhausted from keeping warm and just wants to hibernate - plus I'm tired from a very busy weekend.
Oh yeah.....and go Dawgs! Way to beat up on Auburn!
Friday, November 9, 2007
Berlin!
I'm going to Berlin tomorrow! At the last minute I decided to take this trip. Friday is the anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall and the anniversary of Kristallnacht (Night of Broken Glass in WWII), and what better place to spend these than in Berlin! I'll be there until Sunday - I'm super excited.
Sunday, November 4, 2007
Talk is cheap
I ramble too much.
P.S. it sleeted today. And we are supposed to have an inch of snow by tomorrow morning. Sunday's high is 30.
P.S. it sleeted today. And we are supposed to have an inch of snow by tomorrow morning. Sunday's high is 30.
Thursday, November 1, 2007
What are the German Universities like?
I just realized that I have yet to actually describe what it's like to be a student at a German university. Aside from being interesting, I think this entry will help shed some light on the entire issue at hand.
(In this post I can really only compare the TU Dresden to the University of Georgia (and other SEC schools), because I can't really speak with much authority on anything else. So even though I might make sweeping generalizations, I am aware that my knowledge and experience is limited.)
The biggest difference I have noticed between Athens and this place is there is no presence of a collective university community or student culture. College is a place the Germans come to go to class, rather than being a much more social experience and an all-around lifestyle like it is in the US. There are no student organizations or clubs or common areas or activities, and there are no "groups" to belong to - at least that I have been able to find. There is a drastic lack of opportunities to participate, and the school is the size of UGA - with no central student body. There is no real community concept here like at home we are all part of the "Bulldog Nation," and there is no downtown area where everyone goes to socialize every weekend (there are tons of bars and clubs but they're scattered all around town, so how do you know where the "good" ones are without someone telling you?). I never realized how even though UGA is huge I always felt like I belonged there; it ran through my blood and the other students were just part of a big family.
There are no sports teams here, either. I didn't realize how much of a difference university sports make, and how they give the student body a reason to unite and come together to cheer for "your school" and collectively hate "the other school." In addition, I have yet to see one piece of university spiritwear on the entire campus. Part of that is due to German history and national pride that got them into so much trouble way back when, and it transferred over to other aspects of life too.
Classes themelves are also drastically different. The concept of core classes or electives doesn't exist - they start their freshman year taking their major classes, and stay within this field the entire time. And I'm finding out very quickly that classes are mainly student-directed and the professor takes a very passive role. For instance, I tried out a music history class at the Musikhochschule for the first time on Tuesday. As best as I could gather, Day One of the semester the teacher gave the class a list of 42 books and said "read these." Then in class every week the professor asks "ok, so did anyone read about anything interesting since last time? Does anyone have any questions about what you read?" and that's all he teaches. Because German universities are free, the question always arises of whether the professors are giving the students the initiative or if they are too lazy to be more hands-on and active presenters of information. It is very different from UGA, where such emphasis is (usually) placed on lectures and notes. Is it better to be so guided, structured, and regimented, like at home, or is it better to have total freedom and no guidance like here? Maybe somewhere in the middle.
As far as tests and assignments are concerned, the entire semester has no concrete assignments until the final test. It's every student's responsibility to read all books the professor puts on the reading list, and know the material in the books, then pass the end-of-semester test on the material. The lectures, from what I have witnessed, are broad and unspecific, and most of the semester work is reading books. Sometimes classes will require an oral presentation to get an additional credit toward the diploma. And that's the only way the university knows what classes each student takes - by whether they earn the test and/or presentation credit. There is no registrar's office and no OASIS system to register for classes - you just kinda show up to what you want, based on what credits you need.
It's all very interesting, and very different from what I am used to. There are still many things I don't know how to do or things I don't know about the system, but I guess all that you just learn as you go. Or not.
(In this post I can really only compare the TU Dresden to the University of Georgia (and other SEC schools), because I can't really speak with much authority on anything else. So even though I might make sweeping generalizations, I am aware that my knowledge and experience is limited.)
The biggest difference I have noticed between Athens and this place is there is no presence of a collective university community or student culture. College is a place the Germans come to go to class, rather than being a much more social experience and an all-around lifestyle like it is in the US. There are no student organizations or clubs or common areas or activities, and there are no "groups" to belong to - at least that I have been able to find. There is a drastic lack of opportunities to participate, and the school is the size of UGA - with no central student body. There is no real community concept here like at home we are all part of the "Bulldog Nation," and there is no downtown area where everyone goes to socialize every weekend (there are tons of bars and clubs but they're scattered all around town, so how do you know where the "good" ones are without someone telling you?). I never realized how even though UGA is huge I always felt like I belonged there; it ran through my blood and the other students were just part of a big family.
There are no sports teams here, either. I didn't realize how much of a difference university sports make, and how they give the student body a reason to unite and come together to cheer for "your school" and collectively hate "the other school." In addition, I have yet to see one piece of university spiritwear on the entire campus. Part of that is due to German history and national pride that got them into so much trouble way back when, and it transferred over to other aspects of life too.
Classes themelves are also drastically different. The concept of core classes or electives doesn't exist - they start their freshman year taking their major classes, and stay within this field the entire time. And I'm finding out very quickly that classes are mainly student-directed and the professor takes a very passive role. For instance, I tried out a music history class at the Musikhochschule for the first time on Tuesday. As best as I could gather, Day One of the semester the teacher gave the class a list of 42 books and said "read these." Then in class every week the professor asks "ok, so did anyone read about anything interesting since last time? Does anyone have any questions about what you read?" and that's all he teaches. Because German universities are free, the question always arises of whether the professors are giving the students the initiative or if they are too lazy to be more hands-on and active presenters of information. It is very different from UGA, where such emphasis is (usually) placed on lectures and notes. Is it better to be so guided, structured, and regimented, like at home, or is it better to have total freedom and no guidance like here? Maybe somewhere in the middle.
As far as tests and assignments are concerned, the entire semester has no concrete assignments until the final test. It's every student's responsibility to read all books the professor puts on the reading list, and know the material in the books, then pass the end-of-semester test on the material. The lectures, from what I have witnessed, are broad and unspecific, and most of the semester work is reading books. Sometimes classes will require an oral presentation to get an additional credit toward the diploma. And that's the only way the university knows what classes each student takes - by whether they earn the test and/or presentation credit. There is no registrar's office and no OASIS system to register for classes - you just kinda show up to what you want, based on what credits you need.
It's all very interesting, and very different from what I am used to. There are still many things I don't know how to do or things I don't know about the system, but I guess all that you just learn as you go. Or not.
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