So, I've had requests
from many people to update on the transition - what I wind up playing,
what I wind up doing with my day to day musical life now that I'm
finally where I need to be, in a serious program studying the instrument
that makes me truly happy. I suppose I'll do this in order of when
things happened, working in my classes and repertoire along the way.
Last Monday was Convocation, which means different things at different schools. At UCI, it means squeezing every single new student, freshman and transfer, into a stadium with the entire spirit team (pep band, cheer squad, and mascot) and the full panel of deans, where we're officially welcomed and inducted as Anteaters. Then, after a little individual school welcome, we were done for the day.
Last Tuesday I took my placement test for music theory, and it was the most test anxiety I've ever had - an entire extra year of UC tuition ($14,000 and rising!) was at stake. I needed to place into Theory D (of an A-B-C-D sequence), since Theory C is a prerequisite for many upper-division classes, including full-year sequences, and is only offered in the Spring (A-B-C-D = Fall-Winter-Spring-Fall). I aced every section but the last, which placed me solidly in Theory D, so I am set! The musicianship (the aural part of music theory - sight singing, dictation (writing down what you hear), etc.) professor waived me completely due to my past experience without even testing me, which saved me another year-long (3 quarter) class.
Last Thursday was the first day of classes. I won't keep doing this in chronological order with painstaking daily detail at this point, I'll just tell you about what I'm taking:
1. Music Theory D (4th quarter tonal theory): This is the class most of the rest of my schedule was contingent upon. I've already learned most of what will be in the class, so it'll be academically boring, but I didn't quite know enough to completely test out of the course. It was just a relief to know I was done with everything else so I could take my other upper-division classes and not have to wait another year! For musicians who are curious, the class covers the rest of chromatic harmony (augmented / diminished fifth chords, common tone chords, etc.), longer-form analysis (dominant prolongation, etc.), and larger forms (sonata allegro, sonata rondo, fugue, etc.) Like I said, I know most of this stuff already... but at least it gives me a lighter load my first quarter.
2. Music History B (Josquin to Bach - 1450-1750): the first of a year-long (3-quarter) music history sequence dependent on my theory placement. I'm going to love this class - at one point I thought I wanted music history to be my major (that was before I re-discovered piano). The class includes instrumental dance music, vocal music, and secular and religious music from the renaissance leading up to the start of the Baroque period, and requires knowledge of chronology, concurrent events in history, writing assignments, and ability to identify composers and pieces by listening.
3. Piano Literature A: the first of a year-long (3-quarter) piano-specific class, also dependent on the theory placement. The class outlines the history and evolution of piano music, starting in the early Baroque (late 1600s). Each person in the class must present on a composer once in the quarter, timing of which depends on which composer chosen, and I jumped on it and did mine FIRST - today, I gave a 20-minute presentation on Francois Couperin le Grand. At first the assignment terrified me (full researched presentation at a "real" university in front of a tight-knit group of upper division pianists that all knew each other but not myself, who has moderately strong phobias of public speaking), but I did it! And it went well! And now I can focus on the rest of the class and my other classes without that looming over me! We will also get to play examples from topics week to week in the class - next week we're all playing samples of early Baroque period pieces for each other on a harpsichord, which I'm very geekily excited for (I've never actually gotten to play one) - I'll be playing the Cat Fugue by Scarlatti.
4. Word and Music: essentially, learning how to accompany singers. It's actually a very involved class, in which we pianists learn all the challenges and tendencies a singer brings to the collaboration, and how to not merely accompany, but contribute musically to and fully support the performance and be sensitive to the exact nuances and challenges the singer faces. This quarter is just pianists, and we will be studying diction, breath, balance, translation, etc., and actually trading off singing and playing for/with each other. Next quarter, we will be working with actual vocalists.
5. Advanced Piano: the masterclass setting my private lessons are also attached to. Each week will be discussions and opportunities to play for the entire piano studio (20ish students? and 2 professors) on the concert grand in the recital hall.
6. Private lessons: Nina Scolnik. The reason I came to UCI in the first place (she's my lifelong teacher's former teacher). This quarter we will be disassembling my technique and rebuilding my skills, filling in all the holes and quirks I've developed over the years (especially during my 5-year break before my one year back at the piano), so we'll be taking a step back from the "impressive" or "big" works. I have a feeling my repertoire for the quarter (through December) will change once I have my full official first lesson Monday (we had a brief meeting this week to set the stage for my time at UCI - goals, etc.), but for now, it is:
The ARC is absolutely beautiful, and I'm going to try to get to campus early every day to get some exercise in and stay healthy.
I think I've taken care of just about everything I need to in order to consider myself an "official" anteater. I've been to each of my classes, checked out and returned books from the library, studied in several locations on campus, reserved my practice room times for the quarter, had a preliminary meeting/lesson, been to a department concert, seen the spirit team in action, been to the registrar's, counseling, and music offices, purchased food on campus, gotten phone numbers of fellow piano majors, given a class presentation, gotten a round of drinks at the campus pub...
...and there is still more to come! Next week I'll add: perform for a class, play a harpsichord, ride the campus shuttle, and have my first lesson!
My first few days were long and full of anxiousness, but I'm starting to settle in and come into my own now. I'm so excited for the next two years!
Last Monday was Convocation, which means different things at different schools. At UCI, it means squeezing every single new student, freshman and transfer, into a stadium with the entire spirit team (pep band, cheer squad, and mascot) and the full panel of deans, where we're officially welcomed and inducted as Anteaters. Then, after a little individual school welcome, we were done for the day.
Last Tuesday I took my placement test for music theory, and it was the most test anxiety I've ever had - an entire extra year of UC tuition ($14,000 and rising!) was at stake. I needed to place into Theory D (of an A-B-C-D sequence), since Theory C is a prerequisite for many upper-division classes, including full-year sequences, and is only offered in the Spring (A-B-C-D = Fall-Winter-Spring-Fall). I aced every section but the last, which placed me solidly in Theory D, so I am set! The musicianship (the aural part of music theory - sight singing, dictation (writing down what you hear), etc.) professor waived me completely due to my past experience without even testing me, which saved me another year-long (3 quarter) class.
Last Thursday was the first day of classes. I won't keep doing this in chronological order with painstaking daily detail at this point, I'll just tell you about what I'm taking:
1. Music Theory D (4th quarter tonal theory): This is the class most of the rest of my schedule was contingent upon. I've already learned most of what will be in the class, so it'll be academically boring, but I didn't quite know enough to completely test out of the course. It was just a relief to know I was done with everything else so I could take my other upper-division classes and not have to wait another year! For musicians who are curious, the class covers the rest of chromatic harmony (augmented / diminished fifth chords, common tone chords, etc.), longer-form analysis (dominant prolongation, etc.), and larger forms (sonata allegro, sonata rondo, fugue, etc.) Like I said, I know most of this stuff already... but at least it gives me a lighter load my first quarter.
2. Music History B (Josquin to Bach - 1450-1750): the first of a year-long (3-quarter) music history sequence dependent on my theory placement. I'm going to love this class - at one point I thought I wanted music history to be my major (that was before I re-discovered piano). The class includes instrumental dance music, vocal music, and secular and religious music from the renaissance leading up to the start of the Baroque period, and requires knowledge of chronology, concurrent events in history, writing assignments, and ability to identify composers and pieces by listening.
3. Piano Literature A: the first of a year-long (3-quarter) piano-specific class, also dependent on the theory placement. The class outlines the history and evolution of piano music, starting in the early Baroque (late 1600s). Each person in the class must present on a composer once in the quarter, timing of which depends on which composer chosen, and I jumped on it and did mine FIRST - today, I gave a 20-minute presentation on Francois Couperin le Grand. At first the assignment terrified me (full researched presentation at a "real" university in front of a tight-knit group of upper division pianists that all knew each other but not myself, who has moderately strong phobias of public speaking), but I did it! And it went well! And now I can focus on the rest of the class and my other classes without that looming over me! We will also get to play examples from topics week to week in the class - next week we're all playing samples of early Baroque period pieces for each other on a harpsichord, which I'm very geekily excited for (I've never actually gotten to play one) - I'll be playing the Cat Fugue by Scarlatti.
4. Word and Music: essentially, learning how to accompany singers. It's actually a very involved class, in which we pianists learn all the challenges and tendencies a singer brings to the collaboration, and how to not merely accompany, but contribute musically to and fully support the performance and be sensitive to the exact nuances and challenges the singer faces. This quarter is just pianists, and we will be studying diction, breath, balance, translation, etc., and actually trading off singing and playing for/with each other. Next quarter, we will be working with actual vocalists.
5. Advanced Piano: the masterclass setting my private lessons are also attached to. Each week will be discussions and opportunities to play for the entire piano studio (20ish students? and 2 professors) on the concert grand in the recital hall.
6. Private lessons: Nina Scolnik. The reason I came to UCI in the first place (she's my lifelong teacher's former teacher). This quarter we will be disassembling my technique and rebuilding my skills, filling in all the holes and quirks I've developed over the years (especially during my 5-year break before my one year back at the piano), so we'll be taking a step back from the "impressive" or "big" works. I have a feeling my repertoire for the quarter (through December) will change once I have my full official first lesson Monday (we had a brief meeting this week to set the stage for my time at UCI - goals, etc.), but for now, it is:
- Moszkowski: Etude in F Major
- J.S. Bach: Prelude & Fugue in e minor, BWV 855
- (maybe) Chopin: Prelude Op. 28 No. 15 ("Raindrop" prelude)
- (maybe) the last couple movements of my Beethoven sonata - already learned, but she might work with them and my technique... but she also wants to start with a "blank slate," so maybe not.
The ARC is absolutely beautiful, and I'm going to try to get to campus early every day to get some exercise in and stay healthy.
I think I've taken care of just about everything I need to in order to consider myself an "official" anteater. I've been to each of my classes, checked out and returned books from the library, studied in several locations on campus, reserved my practice room times for the quarter, had a preliminary meeting/lesson, been to a department concert, seen the spirit team in action, been to the registrar's, counseling, and music offices, purchased food on campus, gotten phone numbers of fellow piano majors, given a class presentation, gotten a round of drinks at the campus pub...
...and there is still more to come! Next week I'll add: perform for a class, play a harpsichord, ride the campus shuttle, and have my first lesson!
My first few days were long and full of anxiousness, but I'm starting to settle in and come into my own now. I'm so excited for the next two years!
