As I write this, I am waiting for my beloved British soap opera, Eastenders, to download. How I got hooked on a soap opera from another country I do not know. It is just one of those weird quirky things that happen when you involve the internet and have way too much free time on your hands. It is the only television show I watch now and it is only 30 minutes long without commercials so I do not feel guilty for indulging. It is something I look forward to every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday nights. A guy who lives in London uploads it so we call all download it like clockwork an hour after it airs on BBC1 in the evening. London is five hours ahead so that means I get to download it around 8 or 9 PM which would be well after midnight London time (GST).
Tonight, I had my music appreciation class. Even with all my experience and background in music this is proving to be my most difficult class. My instructor played for years in the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra as the 1st chair French horn. He now plays in the local Lagrange, Georgia Symphony Orchestra. He also teaches grade school students by day and his evenings are filled with college music classes at two different campuses. He is a very busy man and extremely passionate about music and his zeal to impart this passion onto others.
This evening we studied in detail the different kinds of instruments that can make up a symphony orchestra. He had brought in several for us to hold and even play if we didn’t mind swapping digestive juices. I enjoyed the hands on aspect of this as I have never held an oboe and seen the double reeds close up that are so hard to master.
We then went on to listen to The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra Op.34 (1946) in its entirety by Benjamin Britten. I also enjoyed this very much and followed the score in my book intently. I recommend this orchestral piece highly for those of you that want to familiarize yourselves with the different instruments that commonly make up an orchestra. It was based on a theme by Henry Purcell, a great English composer of the seventeenth century.
Our first exam is next week we learned tonight. The exam will consist entirely of essay questions and he will provide terms and we have to write the definitions. We will also have to listen to several orchestral pieces and identify them by title and composer. The class groaned in unison as they heard him tell us this. I will have to study hard for this exam to learn the myriad of definitions that I will have to know. I am excited though and his passion for music is rubbing off on me.
One thing I am noticing about college is that the instructors/professors vary wildly from class to class as far as what they expect out of students. Take my psychology class for example. (And this is a key class related to my major.) It is a joke compared to my others. Professor Larkin just gave us the actual exam to study by word for word and it is a multiple choice exam via scantron. He went so far as to highlight the correct answers as well. This is in stark contrast to my music class as you can read above.
Next week will be interesting as I have my first two exams. I will be sure to post my results as soon as I learn them. I feel it will be a true measure of my mettle in this matter. Hopefully, I will have good news to share come next week. Now, I must crack open that Music Appreciation manual and listen to some music to familiarize myself with its contents. Good night and be well.
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