Well, my first semester as a dual performance/ed major is finally coming to and end, and I really need the break! This has to be, by a large degree, the busiest I have ever been. I'm actually impressed with myself for being able to manage my time as well as I did (time management skills really went through the roof this semester).
All that time I spent was worth it at least. Not only did I practice more than I ever have before (doing the anywhere from 2.5 to 4 hours of practice a day on the average week), but my musicianship has really starting coming along. For the first time my skill has reached a level where I can see almost any piece of music and not think of it as impossible. I can actually get just about any piece of music in front of me and within a reasonable time be able to play through it (corgliano concerto and the like not included here just yet of course).
I worked on a lot of rep this semester. I really liked the Sierra 5 Bocetos piece, and my early performance of the first 3 movements in rep class was one of my best (if not the best) performances to date. From there my playing has just gotten better and better. Like last semester, I worked a lot on technique. I'm really glad I worked out of the Eugene Gay method, and I'll likely be working out of that for a good while longer.
Tomorrow for my jury I'm going to play one of my favorite works, Debussy's Premiere Rhapsodie. I wasn't assigned to do this, but I'm to go ahead and do it from memory, because hey, why not? I've never performed anything outside of marching band music from memory before, so this should be interresting, and I'm curious about the feedback I'll receive on it. This jury will be especially interresting because unlike most juries, I'm playing for the saxophone and bassoon teachers, both who actually know the piece very well. I won't be playing the whole piece because I want some feedback on my cavallini etude and borodin excerpts as well.
This semester did have some down moments to it as well, the biggest of which was the period in which I was seriously considering dropping the education major. All this playing I've been doing has gotten me to realize that I don't really want to teach public school or any large emsemble like that; I just want to teach clarinet and perform. After much consideration I decided to stick with the dual major for now, since the education side will help with the private teaching area anyway, and gives me another option. I'm still not 100% sure whether or not I'll keep it in the long run, though. Once I have a few more actual education classes I'm sure the decision will be easier.
As far as the whole participation grade thing goes, I think it goes without saying that I've been really involved in my own growth. The extra practicing and starting to pick up things on my own without having it for a lesson are only some of the ways I've been actively working on my playing; everything described above and other areas go into it as well.
In any case, this semester has been really great for me and my musical abilities. If I can get next semester to be like these last two who knows where I'll be?
*edit* I forgot to mention that I had some really nice teacher moments this semester as well! Whether I was knocking on their doors or they came asking for help, I ended up helping a good number of the freshmen (and some others as well) at some point this semester. It was very encouraging to hear them say that what I worked with them on ended up actually helping them out. :)
Also, I used to write on this blog a lot more often, but in the last few weeks I've been so busy that I haven't really had the time to do it. Dr. Taylor was also not really reading them for the last bit, so I figured it would be ok if I didn't do them for a bit.
