The First Two Weeks of Full Time Classes

The first two weeks of full time classes were exciting and stimulating!  I am enjoying all that I am learning about the many facets of music.  One of my professors, Dr. Karel Lidral, talks about learning music being like a sphere, and as we learn more about theory, history and applied practice, we fill in the different parts of the sphere.  These facets are all connected and all support each other.

The first week was somewhat hectic, as I worked to determine the best way to meet all the requirements for my classes, including practice time and homework.   My stamina was tested.  Because I can concentrate best in the early morning, I use that time for my organ practice, so that it is most productive. 

At the end of the first week, I decided that I had been too ambitious when I registered for classes and so I dropped one of my music history courses. The pace for the second week of classes was more manageable. 

On Monday, January 20, I had the privilege of singing Ein Deutsches Requiem by Johannes Brahms with the Oratorio Society and the University of Maine Orchestra, conducted by Professor Ludlow Hallman.  The Oratorio Society is a large choir of University of Maine students, faculty, and community members.  This is one of the most sweeping and inspirational choral works I have ever sung.  Brahms’ work departed from the tradition by setting to music seven biblical texts that express a range of emotions from solemn sorrow to joyful rejoicing in moving beyond death.  This requiem begins with “Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall have comfort.  They that sow in tears shall reap in joy.”  Only in the last movement does Brahms turn to “Blessed are the dead.”  The performance was initially scheduled for December 15, 2013 and was postponed due to inclement weather.

One of the advantages of being a student is the access to student discounts, especially for music recitals.  On Friday evening, January 17, I attended “An Evening of Rodgers & Hammerstein Classics” performed by music students and faculty of the University of Maine School of Performing Arts.  This brought back many memories of the musical standards that I grew up with.  On Saturday, January 18, I attended a recital of Phillip Silver, piano, and Alexander Volpov, cello.  They mostly performed music by Russian composers and I was inspired by and in awe of both musicians. 

I am attending two evening yoga classes each week.  This improves the flexibility of my body, especially by back.

My first test in Ear Training and Sight Singing is on Monday, so I will be practicing! 

My classes for the next semester at the University of Maine start next Monday, January 13, 2014. (It feels strange to be typing 2014!)

Because I already have a Bachelor’s Degree, I am only required to meet the degree requirements of the Music Department to get my BA in music.  This will take me 4 to 5 more semesters, depending on how heavy a course load I take each term.  The minimum requirements are for 55 credits.  I want to take many courses beyond the minimum requirements because there is so much I want to learn! 

I registered for 16 credits for the Spring 2014 semester:

Elementary Harmony II

Elementary Sight Singing and Ear Training II

History of Western Music II

Music Period Course (Music History of the Romantic Period)

Chamber Jazz and Arranging Piano

Chamber Jazz Ensemble

Applied Music Lessons (Organ)

Applied Music Lessons (Piano)

One of the challenges in choosing my courses is breadth vs. depth.  At this point in my learning, I am working to balance the breadth (I want to learn everything, now!) with the depth where I will study specific literature in great detail, mostly through my applied music lessons. 

I need to schedule time every day to practice both the organ and the piano.  In addition to having access to the pianos and the pipe organ at the University of Maine, I am very fortunate to have a 1914 Mason and Hamlin AA baby grand piano at home, which is a joy to play!  I am also very fortunate to have the support of the local Hampden Methodist church that allows me to practice regularly on their 1909 Hook and Hastings organ, Opus 2223, with 2 manuals, 30-note pedal, and 8 ranks.  This organ was restored by David Wallace & Co. in 2004. 

http://www.wallacepipeorgans.com/html/instruments/hampden_me.html

The St. John’s Adult choir provided the music for the Christmas Midnight Mass.  Our music prelude started at 11:40 pm.  The choir and organ were joined by violin and flute for a festive celebration of Jesus’ birth.

I am visiting New York City for a few days with my daughter, Carletta, and her husband, Aaron.  We enjoyed seeing Mozart’s Magic Flute at the Metropolitan Opera on December 28.  What a treat to hear Mozart’s magical music that is at times sublimely beautiful and at other times comic and playful.  This production and the costumes were designed by Julie Taymor, which gave it a whimsical fairy tale feeling.  This is a photo of the outside of the Metropolitan Opera in Lincoln Center.

We also enjoyed two matinee Shakespeare plays on December 28 and 29 with the same cast at the Belasco Theatre:  Richard III and Twelfth Night.  It was fascinating to see the same actors perform in both a tragedy and a comedy.  Even though Richard III is a tragedy, the actors, with their skill and timing, often introduced comedic gestures and intonations in their voices that lightened at least some of the tragedy.  Each play began 20 minutes early with the actors on stage in a pre-show Shakespearean ritual preparing their costumes and makeup in front of the audience accompanied by musicians on traditional period instruments.  The musicians played periodically throughout each play.

Since I was in New York, I took the opportunity to attend several training sessions at the Apple Store on Fifth Avenue: how to better use iPhoto, iMovie, my iPhone and iPad.  I wanted to learn how to better use the tools available on my Mac computer and other Apple devices.

In addition to great opera and theater, we enjoyed wonderful New York cuisine and the beautiful Christmas and holiday decorations in the city.

Best wishes to all for a blessed and healthy 2014!

After I announced my retirement in June 2013, I continued to work full time at Eastern Maine Healthcare Systems (EMHS) coaching others and gradually transferring my responsibilities to them.  Dr. Richard Freeman, who I reported to at EMHS, generously allowed me to start my music education at the University of Maine in September by taking three classes (5 credits) during the fall semester.  These courses were only offered in the fall semester and this gave me a “jump start” on my music education.  I took:

1.   Elementary Harmony I

2.  Elementary Sight Singing and Ear Training I.  Do my ears look more trained?

3.   Oratorio Society – a large choir performing “Ein Deutsches Requiem” by Johannes Brahms.  This is one of the most sweeping and inspirational choral works I have ever performed.  Brahms’ work departed from the tradition by setting to music seven biblical texts that expresses a range of emotions from solemn sorrow to joyful rejoicing in moving beyond death.  Brahms work begins with “Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall have comfort.  They that sow in tears shall reap in joy.”  Only in the last movement does Brahms turn to “Blessed are the dead.”  The performance was initially scheduled for December 15, 2013 and was postponed due to inclement weather to Monday, January 20, 2014 (Martin Luther King, Jr. Day) at 7:30 pm, at Hampden Academy.

I formally retired from EMHS on December 6, 2013.  This gave me time to study for my final examinations, which were the week of December 16-20.

I have now completed the first semester at the University of Maine and I am enrolled as a full time music student starting January 13, 2013!