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?