Sunday I never wrote. I was busy. That will be the case again this Sunday, so this post will have to count for both weeks.
This past Sunday after dinner with friends from church I came back to take a 2 hour walk around campus with Carrie. Then I ate dinner with friends, came back to the dorm to surprise another friend for her birthday, and then went to two senior recitals in a row--one a little disappointing, but fun, the other (french horn) truly an inspiration. After that I stopped at Aileen's room and "seduced her to the dark side." (Brian will get that.) So she came over to my room and she, Carrie, Marcia, and I watched Princess Bride and ate popcorn.
Last week was extremely busy. Busy, but not stressful. I think I've forgotten what real stress feels like. I'm sure I'll be able to pick it up again in a moment, personality that I have. But for now, I am busy to the max, but without any stress. This week I practiced precious little, but played a Mendelssohn violin concerto reduction, which made my tendons very unhappy. So I took some time off practicing. That time went to writing a paper, which was my grand obsession this week. I finished at last night and I'm very happy with it. I smoked my theory exam on Thursday and did OK-ish on my ear-training exam on Monday.
And now it's Thanksgiving break. The campus is nearly dead, with just a few of us staying over. I will go downtown tomorrow to explore and find sustenance. I will also practice in Studio A an inordinate amount. I'll also probably play in Boe for a little while: some of it is playable and I heard it for the first time Saturday. Enchanting. Thursday and Friday I'll be with the Shavers and then the Keisters. But even had I not had them, I would've been well taken care of. Ferg asked me if I had a place. Mary Hakes invited me over. I hear Aspaas invited anyone from his two choirs without a place. The music department here is the greatest thing ever.
Once again, this has been a delightful week because of Christmas Fest, and only promises to be more delightful in the two weeks of preparation to come. This week, in addition to the song I quoted in my last post, I've been meditating on Mary's Song, the Magnificat, which Ferg set and which we're singing. I love singing this stuff.
I am continually impressed with the comradery on this campus, and especially within the music department. Until I came here I never understood the meaning of common grace quite this well. I am amazed by the amount of common grace God has poured out on this place--particularly the music department. The harmony and goodwill and mutual appreciation and respect that exist within those walls would put many churches to shame.
An important contributor is Sig. I love Sig more every time I lay eyes on her. I'm so glad she's doing better. (She lost weeks to arthritis this semester.) I love being in Manitou and I love it when she directs mass choir. This weekend she was awarded one of the most prestigious choral music awards in the country--or at least in these parts: ACDA's F. Melius Christiansen award for lifetime achievement. A more worthy candidate I can't imagine. And yet this is Sig: "How did you know?" she asked when we presented her with flowers yesterday. And the most gracious posture I can think of when Armstrong announced at the end of mass choir last night and we all brought the house down. And best of all, the moment on Friday when her two grown sons surprised her by walking in at the end of rehearsal. She hadn't known one was coming in from Nashville. Her husband came in with them and she was speechless for a moment; then walked over to them, put her arms around their shoulders (they're a head taller than she), and turned to those 100 girls: "These are my two proudest achievements." (Not the award.) That's who Sig is. Incidentally, I believe she's a genuine Christian.
Well, now I'm off to eat dinner with Teagan, who is, surprisingly enough, one of my good friends here on campus. College has a way of making friends out of people who share nothing but classes in common. And I mean nothing. Teagan, and of course I can't forget Elizabeth, who is becoming one of my closest buddies here. She adopted me long before I was willing to adopt her, to my shame. And now we're pretty tight. It helps that she spent an hour helping me to know how to sing better, which automatically made her my hero.
So, three cheers for break--I haven't felt this unstressed in years perhaps--and for a chance to get ahead on homework. And for the St. Olaf music department. And for coming home in only three and a half weeks. I'll post sometime next week, hopefully, before I get eaten alive by Christmas Fest.
Happy Thanksgiving!
This past Sunday after dinner with friends from church I came back to take a 2 hour walk around campus with Carrie. Then I ate dinner with friends, came back to the dorm to surprise another friend for her birthday, and then went to two senior recitals in a row--one a little disappointing, but fun, the other (french horn) truly an inspiration. After that I stopped at Aileen's room and "seduced her to the dark side." (Brian will get that.) So she came over to my room and she, Carrie, Marcia, and I watched Princess Bride and ate popcorn.
Last week was extremely busy. Busy, but not stressful. I think I've forgotten what real stress feels like. I'm sure I'll be able to pick it up again in a moment, personality that I have. But for now, I am busy to the max, but without any stress. This week I practiced precious little, but played a Mendelssohn violin concerto reduction, which made my tendons very unhappy. So I took some time off practicing. That time went to writing a paper, which was my grand obsession this week. I finished at last night and I'm very happy with it. I smoked my theory exam on Thursday and did OK-ish on my ear-training exam on Monday.
And now it's Thanksgiving break. The campus is nearly dead, with just a few of us staying over. I will go downtown tomorrow to explore and find sustenance. I will also practice in Studio A an inordinate amount. I'll also probably play in Boe for a little while: some of it is playable and I heard it for the first time Saturday. Enchanting. Thursday and Friday I'll be with the Shavers and then the Keisters. But even had I not had them, I would've been well taken care of. Ferg asked me if I had a place. Mary Hakes invited me over. I hear Aspaas invited anyone from his two choirs without a place. The music department here is the greatest thing ever.
Once again, this has been a delightful week because of Christmas Fest, and only promises to be more delightful in the two weeks of preparation to come. This week, in addition to the song I quoted in my last post, I've been meditating on Mary's Song, the Magnificat, which Ferg set and which we're singing. I love singing this stuff.
I am continually impressed with the comradery on this campus, and especially within the music department. Until I came here I never understood the meaning of common grace quite this well. I am amazed by the amount of common grace God has poured out on this place--particularly the music department. The harmony and goodwill and mutual appreciation and respect that exist within those walls would put many churches to shame.
An important contributor is Sig. I love Sig more every time I lay eyes on her. I'm so glad she's doing better. (She lost weeks to arthritis this semester.) I love being in Manitou and I love it when she directs mass choir. This weekend she was awarded one of the most prestigious choral music awards in the country--or at least in these parts: ACDA's F. Melius Christiansen award for lifetime achievement. A more worthy candidate I can't imagine. And yet this is Sig: "How did you know?" she asked when we presented her with flowers yesterday. And the most gracious posture I can think of when Armstrong announced at the end of mass choir last night and we all brought the house down. And best of all, the moment on Friday when her two grown sons surprised her by walking in at the end of rehearsal. She hadn't known one was coming in from Nashville. Her husband came in with them and she was speechless for a moment; then walked over to them, put her arms around their shoulders (they're a head taller than she), and turned to those 100 girls: "These are my two proudest achievements." (Not the award.) That's who Sig is. Incidentally, I believe she's a genuine Christian.
Well, now I'm off to eat dinner with Teagan, who is, surprisingly enough, one of my good friends here on campus. College has a way of making friends out of people who share nothing but classes in common. And I mean nothing. Teagan, and of course I can't forget Elizabeth, who is becoming one of my closest buddies here. She adopted me long before I was willing to adopt her, to my shame. And now we're pretty tight. It helps that she spent an hour helping me to know how to sing better, which automatically made her my hero.
So, three cheers for break--I haven't felt this unstressed in years perhaps--and for a chance to get ahead on homework. And for the St. Olaf music department. And for coming home in only three and a half weeks. I'll post sometime next week, hopefully, before I get eaten alive by Christmas Fest.
Happy Thanksgiving!
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