ring saga continued..

it was found!

by Alan's dad.

{i have pretty great in-laws}

relief.

in other news.. i got the role of Isabel in Scrooge! the musical.

pretty exciting.

I've only had a few weeks off and ready ready ready to get busy.

more info soon. come see it!

a major change

called: i changed my major.

best decision ever, by the way.

I am now a BA of Theater.

My life goal has been to get myself graced on the broadway stage..or something of that sort. I love musical theater and i so love being center stage with those lights in my eyes.

Long story short, my advisor in music talked all about the big picture and obviously had no grasp of what my big picture is. It became obvious that getting a music degree was not the path i needed to take. I'm not in love with classical voice. I like it, but my strength is belting and i will utilize it.

i cant believe how unbelievably happy i am to be working in the direction i want to be going in. i loved choir in high school and that will always be a part of me. Music in college has been a different story and i'm glad to say goodbye.

so, there it is.

i didnt give up, like i'm sure some of you assumed.

{sorry that you're all miserable with yourselves.}

sometimes you've got to stand up for yourself.

i decided to do what i want for a change, and i'm the better for it.

si.

Sleep

Today, Eric Whitacre's Virtual Choir 2.0 premiered. Though not perfect, it is a symbol of what music creates between people. 2000 people who would never otherwise have these connections sing together. Anything that shows the tenderness in humanity is so ok with me. I think it is a magnificent project and I am grateful to be part of it. Sleep was the first choral piece I heard that really struck me. I knew that I wanted to be a part of the choral world. It was what I wanted to do with my life. Though my collegiate choral experience has not been stellar, and my pathway has strayed somewhat from choir, I am so pleased that I could participate in something that is changing music and is so meaningful. I am so grateful to have participated in a choir that contains so much love, care and passion. We could all use a little more of those things. Enjoy:)

that day when i got things done because Bach made me

Most people hate having to write papers {especailly long ones} for school.

I was one of those people...

You see:

I am the kind of person that doesnt do laundry until I have one day of underwear left.

And, I can never find it in myself to pick up my clutter. Or clothes

It would be unheard of for me to cook food for no reason.

Or paint my nails.

Or write an interesting blog post.

Or watch Netflix and eat said cupcakes

It would only be fitting that I would hate to write a legnthy paper.

However, all those things that I never can find it in myself to do, even when I have nothing going on, get done when there's something I would like to do even less. Thus, I must do these things to put off that thing.

I really like terrible school requirements. They make everything else so much easier.

And if you cant tell how tongue in cheek i'm being....then maybe you should come write my paper for me. I'm having a hard time using anything less than a snarky tone when discussing Bach....

Soaring Leap

If you recall..a few months back, I won a Rockstar Diaries Giveaway. The prize was a gift certificate to Lisa Leonard Jewelry, which boasts custom messages of the purchaser's choice. I knew that I definitely wanted to get a ring, but I couldn't think of something meaningful and non cliche that would actually fit on it for the longest time. Thus, the gift certificate sat around for a while. I thought on it for a long time and finally came up with 'soaring leap' from Charles Anthony Silvestri's poem 'Sleep'. I guess i didn't totally avoid cliche, at least from a musical standpoint...but the ring is gorgeous.

I really like the things I own to have a significance, and I really like what soaring leap signifies in my life. I don't really expect you to understand. I'm so bad with words, usually. So i'll leave it at that.

The evening hangs beneath the moon

A silver thread on darkened dune

With closing eyes and resting head

I know that sleep is coming soon

Upon my pillow, safe in bed

A thousand pictures fill my head

I cannot sleep, my mind’s a-flight

And yet my limbs seem made of lead

If there are noises in the night

A frightening shadow, flickering light

Then I surrender unto sleep

Where clouds of dream give second sight

What dreams may come, both dark and deep

Of flying wings and soaring leap

As I surrender unto sleep,

As I surrender unto sleep.

-C.A Silvestri

This photo summs up my life so well

I hate being that dang last bird.....

scratch that off the bucket list..

Remember this?

I am ready to divulge one of the things I was talking about.

I would also ask you to remember this.

Do you remember how excited it made me?

I do.

I also remember when Eric Whitacre mentioned he would do it again, how busy I was.

There was no way I could add it to my to do list.

But at almost the last minute I decided to just learn the music...{what was I thinking not wanting to do it? It was fun}

And I submitted a video.

And today, that video was counted among 1357 other entries and put into post production.

Thats right, I'm in Eric Whitacres' 2011 Virtual Choir. Performing Sleep.

The song I always miss by a year. I've finally done it!

A thought while my Form and Analysis homework sits untouched

You'd think that being a music major, my tests would look like this:

I assure you, they dont.

Something needs to change..

School is in session

..and I'm really excited to be back. For whatever reason, I've been feeling rather invincible up against 17 credits and what is sure to be a bunch of music to learn. I'm in upper division classes (finally) and it's great to have some non standard classes to look forward to. Philosophy, Choral conducting and Anthropology have all given me a zen* vibe. If I start using interesting words or anunciating...you'll know why.

As for Alan, he does not let trivial things like school determine how he feels about life...so we'll just assume is happy about his semester as well, being that it's his last year as an ISU student.

I'm sure that my blogging will be quite sparse until December, as I would like to keep my newfound energy for academia, here's my warning in advance. I'd apologize, but I know that there is not a soul out there that is offended by me not updating about my faboosh life every other day:)

Anyway..here's to a good semester. :))))

* Is zen the right word to use? I get this sort of 'becoming in touch with your body and movements' and developing 'sage wisdom' vibe from conducting and philosophy. Hum..

Hey ya

I love this.

I am so appreciative for people that have the ability to take something average and make it beautiful. It makes me grateful to have a musical skill set as well.

A wish...

I wish I was Regina Spektor.

Pretty Voice.

Good writing.

She makes me believe that maybe I'll make it in the music industry.

One day, perhaps.

Quote of the day

I'm going to wake up, wake up every morning and then decide
I'm going to wake up, wake up every morning and make it mine
Rain or shine

-Mae

I like...

My musical

notation. As seen above. It's mine.

Also, I like that we have a washer and dryer to ourselves (but this makes a cooler picture and thus blogpost)

I like that I have been working out. It gives me something to do and I look better so I can fit into these new capris that I bought (online of course)

I am of course going to look as great as the model does. Practically my same body..

Getting back in touch

I'm pretty positive that in the past year, I've made some huge life changing decisions and I feel like maybe I have been mostly numb through the past 365 days or so. Something changed in me last summer and I hadnt been able to put a finger on it. I started getting ill frequently and having some weird issues and mostly going through the motions of living but being stuck on the outside.

Today it struck me. As I visited a website i used to frequent, I realized what's been missing. I sat on our couch with tears streaming at a ridiculous rate as I listened to The Seal Lullaby by Eric Whitacre. I realized I had stopped listening to the music in my life. I stopped loving my music. I stopped letting it move me. I stopped expressing myself with music. I began to take amazing works for granted. I let the music theory and performance pressures and hectic college life ruin something very close to me. Sure, I had been eating, drinking, sleeping music, but I wasn't listening to it.

Now, let me interject and say that I realize that no one likes this genre of posts. It's my least favorite thing to read blog posts about people's problems and about really personal things that should be left to a personal journal and not put on the internet for anyone and everyone. Totally a pet peeve. And while i realize this, I also realize that I have something to share with anyone who comes across this.

Never make the mistake of not listening to the music.

Seriously, Dont stop.

Also, here is a decent recording of the Seal Lullaby. So simple and beautiful

I am literally dorking out on choir:

This is magnificent!

This choir is literally comprised of individual recordings posted on YouTube. Eric Whitacre

had this innovative idea and had the music available to upload for those who wanted to learn

it and post a recording. This choir has such a great sound and to think its all individuals from

everywhere.

Overwhelming!

My little choral world

Last semester, Dr. Anderson sat chamber choir down in our last rehearsal of the year and introduced to us, our next project. He presented a set of 5 songs by Morten Lauridsen, with poetry by Robert Graves.
And I was overwhelmed.
And I didn't love the music. or the poetry. I will be honest about that. I wasn't stoked to learn the music, which looked hard (little did I know, it was incredibly hard) and I was feeling a little pessimistic about the whole thing. at least at first.
And the set of 5 songs, did kick my butt. I learned almost the whole thing intervallically, which I must say, is a huge feat. We have worked our butts of in quartets, sing tests and individual part learning.We performed the set on Friday, and it went really reallly well. Chamber choir really looked into this incredible poetry, dissected it, felt it out and finally I feel like this choir has a connection that I feel like has been missing this year.

I just hafta say that this kinda made me feel a little bit better. (i've been feeling sickish and kindof...blahish)

So like, I feel like I can probably be proud of myself.

oh and p.s. I arranged my first song on Thursday and ok...its a little bit exciting as well:)

Top 25 most played.

I just realized that my Top 25 most played songs on my itunes is the weirdest ever. Mostly its weird because while my favorite band is Incubus..i really dont listen to them that often..at least on itunes. i prefer the CD experience i guess. Anyway...i thought i would share my 25...again, because..they are weirdo mcbeardo. Also i thought i would promoste some of these artists.

1. Run, Run, Run-Emme Packer**

2.Missing? -Emme Packer
3.New American Classic-Taking Back Sunday
4. The Sun And The Moon-Mae
5.1422- .thedecember drive
6. Avalanche! Oh, Avelanche!-Gregory and the Hawk
7. Skyline Drive-Mae
8. Boats & Birds-Gregory and the Hawk
9.Yashal-Elisa
10.*Fin- Anberlin
11. Out of My League-Stephen Speaks
12. Sleep-Whitacre
13. A Boy And A Girl-Whitacre
14. O Magnum Mysterium- Morton Lauridsen
15. Pollen and Salt-Daphne Loves Derby
16. Under the Covers- Spill Canvas
17. Wordsworths Ridge (For Fran Fike)-Sufjan Stevens
18. Saeglopur-Sigur ros
19. Aim Snap Fall- Spill Canvas
20.Io Piango-Morton Lauridsen
21. Hero/Heroine-Boys Like Girls
22.Never Think-Rob Pattinson
23. Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing-performed by the Kansas City Choral
24. Bella's Lullabye-Carter Burwell
25. Derait-on-Morton Lauridsen

**I seriously cant believe this. i like her music alot alot, but shes probably not on my top 5 favorite Musicians