Spring cleaning = life planning.

April 15, 2006 at 9:18 PM

Life famously never goes as planned, but I think I can be fairly certain that I'll now be doing the five-year BM/MM degree program at CIM. I had thought about it earlier in the year but had assumed that with transferring and having to take some theory over again (because at Northwestern we just wrote "V" but at CIM it's imperative that you write "G Major V"--root, chord, quality--and I needed a semester to get that straight) I wouldn't be able to fit the credits in. However, when I actually sat down and, referring to all the requirements, planned out a schedule, I think I can actually complete two degrees in the next two years without undue amounts of stress. It'll amount to an average of 17 credits/semester, and the recommended "normal" number is 16, so that's not bad at all, taking into account that I have a senior recital in the fall and the following year a recital both semesters. What helped is that I have 20 credits this semester as I am simultaneously taking two theory classes, Form & Analysis and Counterpoint, to sort of get back up to speed. I would like to take orch rep and German every semester that I can, but I always have a sort of safety net of being able to drop either of those if I have to. Although the application deadline for any degree program was way back in December, CIM continues to accept late applications. I also talked to both the Registrar and the Admissions Office and I will officially enter the program and be allowed to take grad school classes in Spring 2007, so as a bonus I've avoided the late application fee anyway.

All this means that my junior jury in May will double as my program audition, and I should probably, maybe start preparing for it. Even since recovering from the flu I haven't been practicing and keeping in shape very well, mostly because I had a big research paper and presentation on the Mozart "Dissonance" Quartet due in Chamber Lit. I'm not a huge fan of public speaking; I vaguely recall that I used to do some acting in sixth grade, but as I grew up I just became too self-conscious to enjoy it anymore. I'm certainly not shy, but in anything from class to quartet rehearsals, it's always helpful to be able to quickly articulate your thoughts. I've always preferred writing, in which you have a less limited amount of time to put ideas together, not to mention a backspace key. So in light of my quasi-awkwardness, the presentation went pretty well; I stuck closely to my ten-page paper as a guide, and counting the time it took for my quartet to come in and perform a couple movements, I actually had too much to say. I was also able to find some revisions that 19th-century critics actually made to Mozart's opening, correcting his "mistakes" in harmony and counterpoint and making it more pleasing to the ear. So we played a few bars of those revisions--one was quite subtle, merely softening the dissonances by delaying some notes, and the other was pretty dramatic, changing the harmony entirely and essentially ruining Mozart's opening VI --> V4/2 of V --> V6 chord progression (for there was, in fact, a logic to his chromaticism--surprise!).

The Chamber Lit story was a digression, so back to life-planning. I'll be quite happy to do the program as I think three years total at CIM would be just right, but I didn't want to take an extra year and call myself a sophomore, so completing a Master's as well in the extra time seems like a bit of work, but a great deal. I've been through the whole process of applying, then flying around auditioning at too many schools, a couple times now and I'd much rather not have to do it again next year. I won't officially know if I'm accepted until after my jury I believe, but I imagine the school doesn't often turn down its own students, and I know Mr. Preucil keeps anyone who wants to stay. The essay was also not difficult to write--I had to answer the question of why I wanted to stay here when CIM encourages students to go elsewhere and broaden their horizons for further study. Clearly, I haven't been here as long as most other undergrads, and would like to have enough time to really reap all the benefits the school, Case, and Cleveland have to offer. Miraculously (back to Chamber Lit for a second), by now I've even figured out how to use the library to look up sources and call numbers and feel comfortable being able to find stuff for research when I need it. This is helpful as I don't use the Case Kulas Music Library often, but when I do there is definitely a wealth of information waiting to be discovered. Other points of my essay were that I have a better idea now of the Cleveland Orchestra sound, but still would like to go to as many concerts as I can, usually because they do some great programming, and for the most part their advertising is effective, as far as I can tell. (The second part of that sentence was not included in the essay.) I also like the idea of having greater flexibility when I do get out of school. I can either start auditioning for orchestras right away (yet another type of exciting audition ordeal, I mean experience, to look forward to)--New World would be a great place to go in the interim--or I can apply and audition to do some kind of Artist Diploma or Certificate at another school. At this point, I really don't think a PhD is at all necessary for the type of work I'm looking for, so those "Artist"-labelled programs seem like a good way to continue my education if I feel it's necessary. I also still have thoughts of going to Germany and Austria for a longer period of time in the back of my mind, so we'll see if that opportunity arises down the road--for now I'm just thankful to be spending two months there (along with touring to Switzerland and the Netherlands)!

I've come up with somewhat ambitious plans for the next couple years, but I feel pretty confident that I can handle them as long as I stay on the ball most of the time. Greater consistency and discipline, especially with maintaining technical work, are some of the main things I have to learn, so a continuously full schedule will force me to learn those lessons anyway. Anyone who reads this blog may think that I already sound rather disciplined, but I would say I'm far more analytical than disciplined--they're definitely two different things. I'll know the exact spots and details, or on the flip side the exact big picture artistic ideas, that I need to work on, but convincing myself to stop procrastinating and go achieve those high-standard goals is something else. The school here generally has a very positive environment simply because the faculty that I've met all happen to be such kind and generous people--perhaps there's some conspiracy theory as to how they all convened at one music school--and this can be either an excuse to coast, or an opportunity to develop as much as possible with great support. Though it's easier to slip into the former role, I know for a fact that when I'm unprepared for a lesson, my teacher may be understanding and still want to work on amazing artistic things despite the notes, but I just can't feel comfortable unless I have all my stuff together before walking in.

At any rate, my aim now is just to make the Korngold and Bach as expressive as possible, to be happy with my jury audition, and to sound like someone the school might like to keep for another year.

Spring cleaning = life planning.

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