8/27/07
Back to School Butterflies
I've often observed that the phrase "back to school" elicits a variety of feelings and reactions from students. The same is true for professors, and it's never been more pronounced for me than this year as I return to campus after the first sabbatical of my college teaching career. Like many of the students, I find myself wistfully reflecting back on the freedom of the months preceding, yet I am thoroughly enjoying seeing friends and familiar faces again, all of us in anticipation of a new and promising school year.
My year away from campus on sabbatical indeed renewed my spirit. Since my husband Bob and I live in different states (geographically, that is) during the nine months of the school year, the sabbatical offered a treasured opportunity for us to live together—in the same house—for fifteen months in a row! How precious it was for us just to be able to have dinner together, go for evening walks, and watch the sunsets over the Colorado mountains—things that so many people take for granted; we reveled in them every one.
The sabbatical was very productive time for me as a scholar. I appreciated the large blocks of time that I could devote to research and writing. I presented papers at two conferences. Three research trips (one to Wisconsin and two to Arizona) furthered my work on the Olgivanna Lloyd Wright project, and I also made progress on an anthology of early American sacred music that I'm compiling for A-R Editions.
Sabbatical was also a time when I could be a student again. I took piano lessons—again! I had studied piano for many years growing up, took lessons in college, and, of course, use my piano skills on almost a daily basis as a professor of music. But it had been years since I'd taken lessons or received any coaching on the instrument. I found a wonderful teacher in Colorado Springs whose formal training had been at a Russian conservatory. She was very inspiring. We chose some challenging pieces for me to work on—works by Chopin, Schubert, and Szymanowska. And it was funny. I had to learn how to practice all over again! I really had to discipline myself to work on those darned scales and arpeggios! I always wanted to go right to work on the pieces. (I guess some things never change!) Yelena, my teacher, taught me new ways of looking at the music, and for that, I will be forever in her debt. Oh, the joy of learning!
And now, I return to the Wesleyan campus, inspired, with greater depth to my scholarship, broader expression in my music, and renewed perspective on what it's like to be a student.
8/31/07
International House of Music:
NWU Music Students Performing, Teaching, Learning Around the World
This first week of school has been hectic, but exciting—a time to connect with returning students and get to know the new first-year and transfer students. At the first session of all my classes, we go around the room and have each student tell us who they are and tell us some interesting tidbit about their summer or their involvement with music (since all of my classes are music classes). Several students who participate in the University Choir recounted that a "memorable musical moment" in their lives had been the choir tour to Europe the summer before last, when they traveled to Germany, Austria, and Hungary, performing numerous concerts for welcoming and appreciative audiences. Another student, Laura, had just returned from a semester of study abroad, in Denmark. Vanessa, who has been very active in the Global Service Learning Program on campus, told us about her summer trip to Swaziland. Amanda, a senior who will finish her degree program at the end of the fall semester, had the great news that she has been selected for the Peace Corp. She'll likely be doing her work in Spanish-speaking South America.
One day, when I returned to my office after class, I checked my e-mail to find a wonderful message from one of my students who graduated last May. Jessica is her name. She sent lots of beautiful pictures of Hong Kong. She is living with a host family there and is teaching kindergarten.
Then there's all the excitement in the Music Department surrounding the University Band's upcoming international tour that will take them to Switzerland and Italy. The first informational meeting about the trip was this week, and there was an overwhelming amount of interest!
As I write this diary entry and reflect back on this very busy first week of classes, I feel great pride in our students and their choices to broaden their horizons through world travel and service to others. As conscientious global citizens, their reach is indeed boundless, their impact immeasurable.
9/7/07
Before Will Smith's "Wild Wild West":
Music Majors Begin Research Projects
Taking time for a little one-on-one. In addition to seeing students in the classroom, my week was filled with individual conferences. We're gearing up for the projects students will be doing in my classes this semester, and one-on-one meetings are the best way for us to brainstorm and design projects uniquely focused on each person's area of interest. Our meetings are also just a nice way for us to get to know one another better. That's one of the real joys of teaching and studying at a smaller university like Wesleyan—faculty and students get to know each other very well. There is a lot of individual attention.
Music majors in my music history class are just beginning their research projects where they will explore a particular piece of classical music. One student, for example, is researching a work by composer Libby Larson It's a group of songs based on letters that Calamity Jane (of "Wild West" fame) wrote to her daughter. (Hmm . . .how would you like letters, e-mails, or text messages between you and your parents set to music and immortalized forever in song?)
Students in my World Music class are laying the foundation for their fieldwork, where they will go out and experience music from cultures currently unfamiliar to them by doing interviews of musicians from other parts of the world. At the end of the semester, each student will do a brief fieldwork presentation for the class. It's always amazing to consider just how many different types of music there are in the world!
And then there are the seniors in the Capstone Seminar. I met with each of them this week to discuss the presentations they will be doing at the end of the semester. We also talked about the portfolios they are preparing. Among other aspects of the Capstone class, students compile a portfolio filled with papers, tests, recital programs, video and audio recordings of their performances, and various other types of projects from classes they've taken over their now almost four years of study at Wesleyan. They write brief reflective responses about their progress and are always absolutely astounded by just how much they've learned during their college years!
9/28/07
Viewing Culture through the Lens of Music
What is a guzheng? That’s what everybody was asking me this week. As the Director of the NWU World Music Concert Series, I have the pleasure each year to serve as campus host to the talented and diverse musicians we invite to come share their music with us. Music is a “window” into another culture, and this semester’s performer opened our eyes, and gave our ears a real treat, with her instrument called the guzheng (pronounced “goo jung”).
Mary Li Ma was born in China and has traveled to various parts of the world performing on the guzheng, an instrument she’s played since she was eight years old. Now living in the Seattle area, Mary conducts workshops and gives concerts here in the States. She’s even played at Carnegie Hall. The guzheng is a stringed instrument. It has 21 strings, in fact, and it sets on a stand with the strings outstretched horizontally in front of the player. The strings are plucked as you play it, or occasionally strummed like a guitar, but the instrument still lies flat in front of you. It sounds a lot like a harp, although its sound is unique because of the way the guzheng is tuned. All of the pieces that Mary played for us on the concert had a story that went with them, or some image that the music was trying to convey, like an autumn moon shining in the night sky or snowcapped mountains in the spring.
There were probably 250 people or more gathered in O’Donnell Auditorium for Mary Li Ma’s concert Tuesday night. At the end, she got a standing ovation and even played an encore!
10/4/07
The advantage of the Advantage Program
It’s hard to believe it, but in only a few days the Music Appreciation class that I’m teaching for the Nebraska Wesleyan Advantage Program will be over. That’s right, so soon! I just met the students in this class a few short weeks ago. While the regular semester for our traditional students begins in August and ends in December, classes offered for non-traditional students (students who may be returning to college after having been away for awhile, or students whose work schedules or lifestyles require a non-traditional class schedule) are offered in 5-week or 8-week formats through the Wesleyan Advantage Program.
My Music Appreciation class in the Advantage Program, for example, last for five weeks. Yes, in five weeks we cover over 500 year’s worth of classical music—it’s condensed, of course, but still we explore everything from Gregorian chant of the early Catholic Church to the Star Wars theme by John Williams, all in a very short time. Many of the students in my Advantage classes are majoring in nursing or business. They work full-time jobs during the day, and then come to my class on Monday nights (we meet for four hours each Monday during the five-week session). Among the advantages of the Advantage Program is how quickly you can complete a course—in a matter of five weeks. And the study is very focused. At the same time, it’s very challenging. I really admire my Advantage students for their dedication to their education.
10/11/07
Watching History in the Making
As a historian, I love to see history in the making. History is, in my opinion, an interactive process, we are at once making history and influenced by it. Last Friday, we made history here at Nebraska Wesleyan. We celebrated the inaugurated a new president of our university, Dr. Frederik Ohles. I’ve taught in higher education for 10+ years, and before that, I attended universities for, well, let’s just say “a number of years,” as I pursued my bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees. In all that time, I’ve never actually witnessed the inauguration of a college president. So the inauguration of our sixteenth president here at Nebraska Wesleyan was a piece of history I didn’t want to miss. The day was filled with festivities (from a step show performance to Taiko drummers), ceremony (including an academic procession through campus led by a bagpiper), and community (celebrated through the meals we enjoyed together at the Octoberfest-style lunch and the down-home style picnic in the evening). Students, faculty, and staff all gathered together to make this a memorable day--everyone excited as we begin this new chapter in the history of NWU.
10/18/07
Getting Ready for a Productive Break
It’s been a busy week for faculty and students! It’s mid-term and everyone is focused on projects, papers, and tests. The reward at the end of the week—fall break! We’ll have Friday, Monday, and Tuesday off from classes. When I’ve asked the students in my classes what they’ll be doing over our brief, but ever-so-appreciated break, most of them have replied, either “sleeping” or “working.” I myself will be working through break this semester. I won’t be able to make it back to see my family in Colorado over the break, but I will have the peace of mind in getting caught up with at least some of the items on my “things to do” list. More later . . .
10/25/07
Quebec Bound!
We’re back from fall break. Although I worked straight through the break, I will actually have a few days away from classes next week. I am scheduled to present some of my research at a conference in Canada. The conference is the national meeting of the American Musicological Society. I will be giving a 30-minute presentation on the research I’ve been doing on the life and music of composer Olgivanna Lloyd Wright. I’m excited to have the opportunity to share some of the information I’ve gathered and the analysis I’ve done on this individual’s fascinating life and some of the compositions she wrote—specifically, I’ll be talking about one of her piano solos, a piece of chamber music (for violin and piano), and the music for a dance drama. I have invested several years into conducting the research, and have spent well over six months now writing the paper that I will present in Canada. It’s almost ready to go. I’ll be doing a local presentation of the paper this Monday, October 29, here at NWU. It’s always fun to share my research with my students as well as other faculty members. Wish me luck! The next time I write to you, I’ll be in Quebec City.
11/2/07
Hello from Quebec City!
This is a long journal entry, but as you read, I think you’ll understand why. I have lots to tell you. I’m writing to you today from Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. I arrived here on Tuesday along with my husband Bob. We’re here for the American Musicological Society Conference. It’s beautiful here, but rather chilly. You can sure tell we’re a lot further north than Lincoln, Nebraska. The conference hotel where we’re staying is large; our room is on the 22nd floor! From it, we have a beautiful view of the two rivers that converge here, the St. Charles and the St. Lawrence. Quebec City is the oldest “walled city” in North America. From our hotel window we can see parts of Old Quebec, surrounded by the stately stone wall and large arched gates. We can also see the Chateau Frontenac, built in 1892, a massive structure that stands on the site of the original Chateau St-Louis, the prestigious home of the governors of New France. Speaking of New France, which is what this part of the country was called during certain times in its history, French is still today the language prevalently spoken here. Fortunately for me, most of the people I’ve encountered outside of the conference hotel have spoken at least some English. (My German served me well when I was in Germany and Austria with the Nebraska Wesleyan Choir two summers ago, but my French, I must say, is very limited. Bonjour, bonsoir, and merci beaucoup are among the few phrases I’ve mastered in my short time here.)
I have to tell you about something that happened when Bob and I stopped for lunch at a fast food restaurant over near the Isle d’Orleans. When I ordered my ham and cheese sandwich, the cashier asked me (in her best English) if I wanted the “combo.” So, I’m thinking, “combo, hmm . . . that usually means fries and a drink in the U.S.” Much to my surprise, a combo at Tim Horton’s in Quebec City means that your sandwich comes with soup and a donut! Now that’s my kind of combo! They had some absolutely delicious pastries there. The chocolate iced donut, however, remains my favorite. While over in that part of town we were also able to visit St. Anne’s Basilica and were able to see Montmorency Falls. We were happy that we came one day early for the conference, so we could enjoy some of the sights in Quebec City before the research presentations began.
The conference is big one. There are usually 4-6 sessions going on at the same time, so there’s much variety to choose from. It’s always exciting to see what other scholars are doing in the area of musicology. I worked on the finishing touches of my paper right up until the day of my presentation, which was today—November 2nd. My presentation, as I mentioned in a previous entry, was about the life and music of Olgivanna Lloyd Wright. If you happen to know something about architecture, you may know that her husband was Frank Lloyd Wright, an innovative twentieth-century American architect. What I’ve found in my research is that Olgivanna was also a very creative and artistic individual. I was pleased to be able to share information about her life and to be able to play an audio excerpt of her Sonata No. 4 for Violin and Piano and a video excerpt from her dance drama Time Upon Time for the nearly 60 people who attended my session at the conference.
All in all, this conference has been a wonderful experience—a time to learn about what’s new in my field and interface with other scholars, an opportunity to present a portion of the research I’ve been working on for the past several years, and a time to visit a part of the world that was new to me. Au revoir for now!
11/10/07
National Museum of Music
At 5:45 a.m., with coats on and granola bars and pillows in hand, nine students from my music history class climbed into the van and we headed for Vermillion, South Dakota—roughly a four-hour drive from Lincoln. What would entice a bunch of college students and their professor to get up at that hour on a Saturday morning? THE NATIONAL MUSEUM OF MUSIC! That’s right, tucked away on the campus of the University of South Dakota is the National Museum of Music, where one can find everything from a seventeenth-century Stradivarius violin and a glass harmonica like the one invented by Benjamin Franklin to a full gamelan ensemble from the Indonesian island of Java and one of the guitars belonging to America’s own blues singer, B.B. King.
One of the reasons we get up so early is because if we arrive by 10 a.m., we are able to get a very special guided tour given by curator Dr. Deborah Check Reeves. She’s very knowledgeable and gives us a tour filled with lots of details that music majors really appreciate. This time, Dr. Reeves took the students to visit the room with the gamelan first. We ended up spending quite a bit of time in there because Dr. Reeves taught the students part of a piece of music and let them play the instruments. In case you’ve never heard of a gamelan before, a gamelan is a set of very large percussion instruments, comprised of metal slab instruments (something like a xylophone), metal pots, and very large gongs. Well, this was the highlight of our trip this time. Most of my students had studied about the gamelan in World Music class, but to be able to play them was a rare opportunity.
After a delicious meal at a local restaurant featuring Chinese and Korean food, we headed back. We were listening to numerous selections from Nathaniel’s ipod and playing “Name that Tune,” (a game at which Steve is quite adept) when we noticed one of the prettiest sunsets any of us had seen in a long time—a beautiful end to our musical road trip.
11/16/07
Introducing...the Nebraska Wesleyan Symphonic Band.
Just a quick note this time. I’m attending the Nebraska Music Educators Association (NMEA) annual convention Thursday through Saturday of this week. I look forward to this conference every year because it’s a time to hear performances and sessions presented by teachers and ensembles from all around Nebraska—from elementary to college-level. Believe me, music is alive and well in Nebraska schools! I had a special treat today because I actually got to introduce the Nebraska Wesleyan Symphonic Band, directed by Mr. Sam Zitek, as the group performed at the Lied Center this morning. They played very well. Go NWU!
11/29/07
Giving the Gift of Music
In one of my previous diary entries, I told you about my music history class’s trip to Vermillion, South Dakota to visit the National Museum of Music. We all feel very fortunate to have a collection of such exquisite instruments like that available to us.
As we thought about the many opportunities we have to go out and visit museums and hear numerous concerts in our community, especially during the upcoming holiday season, it reminded us of those who are not able to get out and enjoy music as easily. So, we decided, as a class full of music majors, we would give back to the community by taking music to individuals in a health care facility here in Lincoln. Working with Wesleyan’s Service Learning Coordinator, we “adopted” the Homestead Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center. The nine students in my class were able to put together a program of instrumental and vocal solos, along with some group selections, that really brought joy to the faces of the folks at the Homestead Center this week. It warmed our hearts to see so many smiles. As a class, we learned a very important lesson that day: Giving of yourself—your time, your talents—can be one of the most precious gifts you can share with someone.
12/21/07
Happy Holidays!
Finals week is a real roller coaster. All regular class meetings are replaced by a special schedule that has each class meeting only once throughout the week, but with a longer session to accommodate for final exams. The early part of the week is very hectic—everyone is stressed (students and faculty alike)—preparing for exams. As the week goes by, though, exams are taken and, little by little, students finish up and then pack their belongings and head home for the holidays. It’s Friday, and I still had one exam to give, but it’s over now. The building is almost empty, the pianos are quiet, no voices or instruments are heard in the practice rooms. Another semester has come to an end; another year comes to a close. Here’s wishing you a Blessed Holiday Season!
1/25/08
Dream Big!
It may be called the spring semester, but it definitely still feels like winter! It’s January in Nebraska, and we’re in the midst of an arctic blast, but the warm smiles and lively conversations on campus certainly indicate that school is back in full swing.
My holiday break was spent in the high country of Colorado with my family. Our Christmas Day was indeed just like the one in the song; it was a “White Christmas,” with several inches of snow, and our “guests” consisted of lots of birds, squirrels, and deer. It was one of the most beautiful holidays I’ve had in a long time.
Being a musician, I do often have songs that come to mind for various occasions. One of the school-related things I did over the holiday break was write LOTS of letters of recommendations for seniors who will graduate from NWU in May and who are getting ready to move on to the next chapter in their lives. For many of my current seniors, the next chapter involves graduate school. Yes, after four years of college, they’ve decided they want even MORE education! I don’t know if you know the song, “Dream Big,” by Ryan Shupe and the Rubberband, but my NWU seniors getting ready to graduate remind me of that song. Some of the lyrics of the song say, “When you dream, dream big,” and that’s certainly what Nebraska Wesleyan students do. They dream big! I have seniors applying for graduate school at Harvard and Columbia, among other universities. I have seniors applying for Fulbright Scholarships that could take them abroad for various types of study. I even have a former student who is now going on to pursue a Ph.D. Nebraska Wesleyan students set their sights high and definitely dream big! I hope the many letters of recommendation that I wrote for them over the holiday break are effective in making those dreams become realities. By the way, if you haven’t heard the song, you’ll find a video of it out on YouTube. Check it out! It may inspire you to dream big, too!
2/2/08
All About Sophomore Year
Last week I was telling you about some of the plans our current seniors have for after graduation. Today I had the chance to touch bases with some of our sophomores at the first annual Sophomore Retreat for music majors. I’ve noticed that the sophomore year of college can be rather stressful. The same could probably be said of being a sophomore in high school. Whether a sophomore in high school or a sophomore in college, either case marks a halfway point—a point that often seems to arrive much too quickly, and a point that in very emphatic way clamors out, “ready or not, here you are!”
My meeting today with fifteen sophomores enrolled in the music program was a way for them to celebrate their accomplishments thus far, to laugh at the funny little quirks they’ve experienced along the way, to lament some things that haven’t quite gone the way they had hoped, and, in a supportive setting, to share their concern and anticipation for all that awaits them in the next two years—the Sophomore Interview (with the music faculty), the Sophomore Jury (where students perform a 20-minute selection of the music they’ve been learning in their private lessons), the practicum assignments out in the schools that the music education students have already begun, the many ensemble performances, various tours with the performing groups, upper-division classes in music theory and music history, and, finally, the Senior Recital of Senior Thesis and the Senior Capstone Seminar! It helped that I had two current seniors assisting me with facilitating the Sophomore Retreat. They were able to share their very recent firsthand experiences with all the facets of the degree program we were talking about. Some of their words of wisdom for the sophomores were “hone those time management skills, you’ll need them even more in the next two years,” “get to know your professors, this is one of the real perks of studying at Wesleyan,” and “enjoy your time here—it goes by much faster than you’d think!”
2/8/08
Wish You Were Here!
Just a few quick lines like the words on a postcard. It’s Wesleyan Honors Festival weekend! For three tuneful and somewhat chaotic days the Rogers Fine Arts Center on the NWU campus is filled with the sound of music made by nearly 200 high school students from around Nebraska—all here to participate in the festival band, chorus, and orchestra. It’s really music to my ears, and when all the families of the students participating in the festival arrive on campus to hear the final concert, I know it will be music to their ears as well!
4/6/08
Relationships that Last
Students from larger universities often marvel at the close relationships Wesleyan students enjoy with their professors. At Wesleyan we, of course, know the names of all the students in our classes. Students are welcome to stop by our offices almost anytime for guidance on projects, or just to talk, for that matter. Professors take their students on field trips in conjunction with classes, and sometimes a professor will have a class over to their house for dinner or some other special gathering. With the individual attention we give to our students, it’s not surprising that we build meaningful relationships that last long after the four years of an undergraduate education.
This weekend was a special joy for me. One of my former students, Emily, got married, and I was invited to the wedding. The ceremony was at a church out in central Nebraska, so I left bright and early on Saturday morning. The weather was perfect, and so was the wedding. The church was decorated beautifully and the bride and groom looked very happy. There was a lot of music, both at the wedding and the reception, as you would expect for someone who graduated with a degree in music. I wish the bride and groom all the blessings that life can hold, and I feel blessed myself, for having such an enduring relationship with Emily and so many of my other students who have graduated and gone on to write the next chapter in their lives.
4/25/08
Alaska Fever
This week I’ve been busy preparing a presentation that I’m going to give for the NWU Music Department students and faculty next Monday. It’s about my travel and research in Alaska. My husband Bob lived in Alaska three times in his life, first when he was young and his father was stationed at Elmendorf Air Force Base in Anchorage, once when Bob was in college and he spent a summer working for a contractor up there, and another time when Bob was in the Air Force himself and he was stationed at a remote site outside of Fairbanks. After Bob and I got married, he told me so much about Alaska that I too caught “Alaska fever,” and couldn’t wait to be able to go myself.
Together, Bob and I have made three trips to Alaska. We traveled through the Inside Passage area twice, going to Juneau, Haines, Skagway, Wrangell, Sitka, and Ketchikan. The other time we were up in Anchorage and also in the Matanuska-Susitna valley. The scenery is amazing—mountains, ocean, glaciers! And there’s a lot of wildlife too—eagles, bears, moose, whales! Alaska also has a rich and colorful history.
As an ethnomusicologist, I specialize in Native American music. One area that has been of particular interest to me is the music of Native Alaskans, and my travel there has made it possible for me to do fieldwork with members of the Tlingit tribe. The presentation I’m doing on campus next week examines the significance of the Raven in the visual art, music, and dance of the Tlingits. I’m assembling a Power Point slide presentation that includes photos from my travels. I also have video footage of some of the music and the dances. Who knows, maybe some of my students will catch “Alaska fever,” too!
5/4/08
An "Awesome" Experience
Yesterday I took my students on a field trip to the Holy Family Shrine near Gretna, Nebraska. It was my Medieval and Renaissance Music class. In this class we learn about Gregorian chant music, some of the earliest notated music in the Western tradition. Pope Gregory, who reigned from 590 to 604, advocated for writing down the chants that had been a part of the Roman Catholic musical tradition for many years. You see, previously the chants had been learned by rote, passed along by word of mouth, you could say. Pope Gregory did not want this rich repertory of music to be lost, so the chants were preserved in manuscripts notated by scribes in medieval monasteries. Most of the chants were based upon words and texts associated with the Catholic Mass and other prayers and services that are said throughout the day and throughout the liturgical year. Thus, as we’ve been studying this music in class, we’ve learned a lot about the Catholic Mass.
To bring all of this to life for us, we decided to take a trip to the Holy Family Shrine and attend the Saturday morning Mass there. It’s just a short drive from Lincoln. The Holy Family Shrine is quite a unique building. You may have even seen it driving on I-80 between Lincoln and Omaha. Aside from the beautiful wooden framework, the rest of the building is made entirely of glass. As you sit in the pews, you can see for miles, and you are surrounded by nature. You can see the gentle hills and the wooded areas on the banks of the Platte River just below the Shrine, and the prairie grasses around the Shrine were rustling in the wind the morning we were there. In this inspiring setting, we observed the Mass and indeed heard several chants sung in Latin, just like the ones we’d been studying in class. It was awesome, in the true sense of the word.
