Advocacy for Music

There is good reason to justify the importance of music education. There are personal, social, and educational benefits.

• It increases appreciation for one's own culture
• It promotes multicultural understanding
• It creates self-discipline
• It allows for self-expression
• It fosters creativity
• It activates all areas of the brain simultaneously ("whole brain" learning)
• It boosts self-esteem
• It encourages life-long learning
• It integrates all areas of learning in the curriculum
• It involves cooperative learning
• It creates aesthetic sensitivity
• It develops abstract thinking, problem solving, and high-order thinking skills
• It is conductive to better physical and mental health
• It enhances the quality of life

Obviously this list is not exhaustive.

"To study music is to study the learning process. Music is an academic subject that involves learning in the major domains: cognitive (knowledge), psychomotor (skills), affective (attitudes and feelings), and kinesthetic (the senses). Music comprises its own complex body of knowledge, requires the development of motor coordination, shapes attitudes and feeling process and develop keener understanding and insights as to know knowledge, skills, attitudes, feelings, and the senses interrelate." -taken from the article "A Stronger Rationale for Music Education"

"It is a privilege to be part of a profession that since the dawn of time has recognized the arts and their benefits for humankind. Choral directors make a positive contribution to life and living, and all who practice this ancient art should think well of themselves and what they do. It is a profession worthy of its calling." -Kenneth H. Phillips

In ancient times music was valued as an intelligent discipline. The upper-class included music in the basic education of youth along with arithmetic, geometry, and astronomy as part of what was known then as the quadrivium. Roman citizens understood the benefits of a strong academic education in music. This philosophy may be difficult to understand in contemporary society, where the general public shows little interest in the intellectual study of music, placing most of its value on music as entertainment. In reality, music has a much higher place than just for developing a skill, or performing on a stage.

So please do not discredit my entire education or choice of study.
And remember... 80% of millionaires play an instrument at an advanced level. :)

I made it out of there.

I've haven't driven to Rexburg in five days and it's been bliss. I have a love/hate relationship with the snow building, for obvious reasons to anyone who has been inside that building. I have spent a good 35-45 hours per week there for 14 weeks straight, and am happy to have 25 days away from some of those weirdly-awesome fellow classmates who occasionally have a higher maturity level than me. I do miss the Tres Amigos paninis that were only 2.99, but I do not miss the random faculty and students playing their brass instruments for each other or the drama students acting out various scenes in the Fish Bowl. Wierdos.

The main thing I learned Fall 2012:  Don't take 12 credits for 3 semesters when you're first starting out your education because soon you find that you will have to take 19-21 credits every subsequent semester to graduate before your catalog expires. If that happens (you don't finish by July 2013), you will have to take all the music lit classes, which are sequential, requiring you to postpone your graduation for an additional 3 semesters.

So, I maxed out my credits this semester. I knew after the first day of school that this was borderline impossible. In fact, after applying to be accepted as a Music Major, I was called into a meeting with the Dean of Arts and the Music Department Chair because they both agreed that this credit load was not possible. They then explained to me that my Musicianship class for 2 credits was really the workload of 6 credits, and that my Music 101 class for 2 was really the workload of 4, etc. etc. and that I had actually signed up for more like 29 credits. Their exact words: "This is a kiss of death."
I smiled and told them I am desperate to finish by July and that I would prove them wrong. They raised their eyebrows then reluctantly signed my application all contingent upon my final grades.

After risking several mental breakdowns, driving a little over 6700 miles in 14 weeks, spending between 36-45 hours per week in the Snow building, sleeping less than 6 hours each night, and crying on average four times per week, my final grades are as follows:

FAM160: A
REL301: A
SCI203: A
MUS161D: A
SCI206: A
MUS101: A
MUS165A: B+
MUS172: A
MUS334: A

GPA: 3.93

Now I can spend every second with my kids and family watching movies and drinking the large box of assorted hot chocolate mixes we just bought at Sam's and make up for time lost.

And clean our bathroom for the first time in about, oh say, 14 weeks.

Final Composition

I know I'm just a beginner at this, but I've had to submit many short "hymn-like" songs such as this one this semester as I'm just learning all of the rules with composition in tonal music. I just turned this piece in today for my final and feel somewhat content with it. I wanted to write a song to teach my kids the days of the week. It was fun listening to my class sight sing it in solfege this morning!

Here were the requirements:
1. One of each diatonic triad (in inversion or root position)
2. One neighbor or passing 6/4
3. A cadential 6/4
4. A suspension, appoggiatura, and escape tone
5. A dominant seventh chord
6. A supertonic seventh chord
7. A parallel or contrasting period

You can also view it a little better by following this link.

Hectic, Insane, Frugal, Fabulous.

I know what you're thinking. The title of this post sounds like a Taylor Swift song.

Life has been going well for us here on 6th Street. While we technically have our long couch covered in 4 loads of unfolded laundry and a living room floor with some throw pillows, books, a couple of children-sized coats, a Nerf sword, and a Snow White dress scattered about, life is still great.

Dustin applied to several schools over the past two months and got in everywhere he applied. Plus, thanks to an excellent GPA from his undergrad, he never needed to take the GMAT or GRE or whatever it was suppose to be. Each school is requiring some prerequisite courses prior to starting. And because our children are getting older and we want to be as stable as possible, Dustin turned down BYU and Boise State and is still choosing between UofI (Idaho Falls campus) and Idaho State University. He's getting his Master's in civil engineering focusing on structural engineering. It totally fits him. The timing seems almost too perfect, actually.

Dust is still on the Ucon Volunteer Fire Department. He hopes he can be a volunteer firefighter for his entire working life. And for serious. It's pretty awesome having a husband who is a firefighter. Like, a real certified one that drives the big trucks and wears the red suspenders and knows all the codes on the radios. He has some pretty roudy friends there and gets a whole bunch of Pepsi everytime he goes to the firehouse.

Dustin's company just made their maintenance division a separate company called Mr. Maintenance. So, Dustin is now Mr. Manager and has a small crew of blue-collored men and a new office/shop and even drives a 2011 creepy white van without windows. He's on his last week of inspections (900+ units) and stays busy. I don't think he has worked less than 10 hours a day in three months. My favorite quote from him lately is, "You see? If you take care of a paint brush, it will take care of you."

On top of THAT, Dustin is currently outside in the 26 degree temperatures sanding our new dining room table. I'm sure you all can remember our old one... it was 20$ from the RC Willeyscratch and dent room in Las Vegas. That thing is crap and was probably a hazard to the safety and well-being of our children. It was so wobbley that sometimes if I pushed in a chair too hard I quickly took a couple steps back just in case that was the time it finally collapsed. And really, after moving it roughly 7 times or so, it's done suprizingly well. In the end, it will become doll furniture. Dustin picked up an old maple wood table in his parent's back garage that was being used as a shelf for bird seed and is just finishing sanding all the scratches out of it. It's my Christmas present.

Lillie and Jack are the highlight of our days here. I taught Lillie the word "diaphragm" a few weeks ago and everytime she gets the hiccups she's been annoucing "My diaphragm is going crazy!" Which is always good for a laugh. Today when my mom told her on the phone that she was coming to visit, Lillie said, "That's fantastic, Grandma!" then proceded to tell her how much Jack bugs her.

Jack calls the microwave the "Microphone" and frosted flakes "snowflakes." He's in a very egocentric phase and often runs past me mischeiviously covering his eyes with his somewhat chubby hands thinking I can't see him because he can't see me. He's also up every morning before the sun rises and runs into our room and jumps on us saying, "Get up, Mommy and Daddy! Time for cereal!"

And unfortunatly, I have nothing new to report on. Same-ol for this full-time voice student and mother of 2. Thankfully I have only 4 weeks left of school for this semester. I actually enjoy all my classes (besides one of them) but just wish there could be 5 more hours everyday to complete all of the assignments and spend time with my family. I found out last week that I am only 11 credits away to double majoring with a BS of Music and a BS of Social Work. I am also only 9 credits away from a BA in Vocal Performance. My minor could also either be Marriage Studies or Science Foundations (I have 20+ credits for both). I had no idea how much I would enjoy my science courses and I even registered for a robotics class next semester just for the heck of it. I'll graduate this Spring with a BS of Music and a minor in Marriage Studies. I hopefully can go back as a non-matriculating student to finish the last 3 classes for the BS of Social Work and maybe even take more composition classes.

So, life is dramatic and busy and frugal and really, really fun. We even found a fool-proof recipe for homemade bread and have made four loaves in the past week or so. When I went grocery shopping, I splurged and bought the 6$ peppered bacon and ingrediants to make a cheese ball... just because. Today Jack and I played Candyland and I won every time and Jack didn't even care. And on Friday I'm going out with a friend to see Edward and Bella's vampire child on the big screen.

Hectic and insane? No doubt about it.
Wonderful and fabulous? Definitely.

A Message from 1985

Bruce R. McConkie's final testimony in 1985.

Divine Direction

I keep a pretty consistent hand-written journal. I suppose you could say that my blog is my journal also, but nobody ever really writes EVERYTHING on a blog when you know people will be reading it. Plus, I'm a fan of my handwritten journals. I can tell what sort of mood I'm in just glancing at each entry. My handwriting is all sorts of wack, and it's even more crazy and sharp-like when I'm upset or being dramatic about something. In the end, once or twice a year I'll sit down with an old journal and read back on past entries. I really like going back to as close to 1 year, then 2 years, then 3 years ago, and so on from that days current date and read exactly what was going on year by year (Wierd? Well, maybe.). There have been great times of sorrow and confusion, only to learn the WHY of it all a year or two or seven down the road. My journals have been a great resource for me, especially when I'm seeking more faith or more strength to just get through whatever the new battle is. I can better see the divine direction in my life.

So.... let's be honest.

This semester has been pretty rough. I've never been the roller-coaster emotional crier until about 11 days ago... I don't think I've gone one day without crying since then. Actually, I'm starting to annoy myself from all of it. I attribute this to midterms in general, but really, I feel that this could also be because I feel like I've completely neglected my children and husband lately, I just received an additional calling that I feel very intimidated and unqualified for, and the fact that 11 days ago my pregnancy test had only 1 line, for the millionth time in a row.

I cried in my voice lesson, I cried in the car listening to every Taylor Swift song (the current CD), and I cried to Dustin each night in bed knowing that the next day would be just as overwhelming.

So, back to the title thing. Divine direction.

My sister watched Lillie and Jack on Tuesday so I could go to the temple, it had been a few weeks. I got there pretty early and was able to spend some time alone listening to the kind Sister playing the organ. BTW-I hope she knows how much her simple calling of playing the organ meant to me. She was even exemplifying excellent musicianship skills with her phrasing and musicality and played all the really, really good hymns. I cried again. It felt so, just, good to be there. I hope heaven feels just like that. I prayed for strength, I prayed for my husband and sweet little's, I prayed to have more time with my family, I prayed to have all my studying and learning reflected on my exams, I prayed to be inspired in my callings, I prayed for another baby. I prayed for help.

Tonight is Friday, and in just 3 hours I was able to complete four classes worth of homework and write out our ward's Christmas Program in it's entirety. I even went through music and felt inspired on which songs to have the choir sing, solos to have performed, even speakers to say certain parts in between. I passed all of my exams this week with A's, and I was able to spend some time with just the kids after school today and took my family on a "family date" to Leo's Place. Dana even made us dinner one night "just because" not knowing how sometimes getting home at 6:15 and tucking the kids into bed at 7 can be really sad for me, especially when that tiny amount of time to spend together is spent making dinner. AND Tomorrow night Dustin and I have the night to ourselves. As of right now, the tightness in my shoulders is alleviated and I'm at some kind of content and peace.
I'm in gratitude of this help and comfort that took me 4 days to notice. This will be one of those journal entries that I can look back on oneday when life seems difficult and unfair and dramatic and overwhelming and just hard... and know that if I just ask for help, it will come.

Excuse me while I go to bed now and cry.

Interrupting Chicken and Other Stories

I spend a great amount of time each day reading books to my children. I decided to share some of my favorites with all-a-y'all. It was difficult to narrow these down to five, but I think I might share more favorites later. Run to your library or find them on Amazon. They're awesome. And your kids will be smart.

Happy Reading!