Pictures!!

The big tall Spaniard- that's Moises. His eyes don't normally bug out that much. The one with all the hair- that's Latana. She's not keen on having her picture taken. The other one- that's Meredith. She's more than okay with having her picture taken. She's holding a cilantro/corriander plant that subsequently died. Her miniature lemon tree is quite happy though, so alls well that ends well. A question you might have is "where's Patrick?" and I would say "Wow, good job remembering my fourth flat mate!" and then would explain that sadly I have yet to take a picture of him as my camera tends to come out during dinner parties and he hasn't come to one yet.

We're testing something:

Since I don't have an internet connection in my room, I'm hoping to be able to import blog entries from Word whenever I do end up getting this computer online. So this is the first one, we'll see if it works....eh, looks like it lost all of the formatting- but the text is there at least...

Okay, go:

My flat had another dinner club thingy on Wednesday and I made eggplant pasta sauce from Mommy’s cookbook. It was nice to finally get to cook something substantial and then also to feed a bunch of people. The highlight though was when Rita, who is a violinist from Italy, told me that it was good. Because think about that- an Italian told me my pasta sauce was good! So I was pretty psyched about that.

On Thursday Emma, one of the people in my programme, came over for a bass lesson. I am trading bass lessons with her in exchange for help with the electronic media class that I am planning on taking as she already has an undergraduate degree in electronic music. I’ve never started anyone off on the bass before, the people that I’ve taught or helped to practice or whatever have always had some sort of background already so it was an interesting challenge to figure out how to explain things and even where to start.

As it happened, I ended up getting excited about telling her what little of the history of the Double Bass I know explaining about how the bass is the sort of bastard child of the Viola da Gamba family and the violin family*. I told her what all of the parts of the bass and bow are called and then tried to explain ½ and 1st position to her so that we could start playing something. Then I realized that maybe I should have told her how to hold the bass, so we went back and did that. It was fascinating to realize where my technique differs from what I know I’m supposed to be doing. For instance my left thumb is supposed to be bent. Something to do with a curve being stronger than a straight line, but mine is definitely flat. In my defense I don’t grip the bass so mostly my thumb is just resting there and I think the key thing is really to make sure that your hand isn’t super tense, but still. I don’t think I ended up being terribly clear in my directions to Emma, I hope she was able to follow a bit anyway.

Then we picked up the bow and I kept jostling her arm around to loosen it up while she was playing because she was getting a very anemic sound and the best thing about bass playing is getting a huge fundamental sound with the bow- particularly on the low strings. So she eventually loosened up and ended up getting a remarkably good sound. She has a straight bow, when she isn’t cutting off the weight at her shoulder she moves from her back (something I’ve always struggled with) and we even talked about bow speed and how the higher a note is the more speed you need and vice versa. So all of that took an hour and we’re going to try keeping up with the lessons. I wonder what I should teach her next… it is nice to have a guinea pig.

After the lesson we both went to Pete Churchill’s jazz choir which was awesome. He teaches songs by ear and I’m sitting in the alto section which is good for me because it means that I have to really listen and then also sing harmony instead of the melody which is harder to hear. So not only is the choir totally fun, I’m also working on my ear. Which is always a good thing. This week he broke with tradition and gave us some written music. He has written a couple of arrangements for brass band and choir that we may end up performing later in the year. An arrangement of Danny Boy and then one that combines The Water is Wide and Shenandoah. Pete is a jazzer so there are some crazy harmonies going on and a lot of them are completely dependent on the alto voice. Meaning that everyone else is fairly diatonic (in the scale) and easy to hear/follow and the alto voice is doing crazy color tones that absolutely make the chord- but are *really* hard to find/hear. (It’s good for me, it’s good for me…)

*Characteristics belonging to the violin family: tuned in 5ths, violin corners (corners that jut out), rounded back, sound post, 4 strings, rounded shoulders. Characteristics belonging to the gamba family: tuned in 4ths, gamba corners (corners that meet neatly), flat back, no sound post, 6 or 7 strings, sloped shoulders. What Double Basses have: tuned in 4ths, either type of corners, either flat or curved back, sound post, 4 strings, sloped shoulders.

...and there's more

So I realize that I never did resolve those cliff hangers and also I realize that there are all *sorts* of things that I have been forgetting to tell you about; so here is an attempt to remedy that:

Dinner in Highgate-
Sarah is a very nice girl from Oberlin who plays the violin. She and my flat mate Meredith met at the international students meeting and Sarah invited us to dinner. (Very nice of her to include me even though I wasn't there.) So Meredith and I hopped on the tube and trekked out to Highgate where we promptly got lost. Fortunately for us mobile phones exist and A-Z's are sold in convenience stores. About an hour after we were supposed to be there we finally arrived at Sarah's flat which is the top floor of a house belonging to a violin teacher and a bassoonist. She lives up there with four other violinists, which sounds crowded- but Sarah's room at least was very spacious and open. She had made vegetarian sushi which we gobbled down and then followed with oranges and tea. The group ended up being Sarah, Me, Meredith, Rita (Violin, Italy), and Dave (Composition, Nottingham) we ended up talking about politics which was fascinating with that particular mix of people and nationalities.

We've ended up forming a bit of a dinner club which has so far also included curry and has expanded to include Latana and Ed (Composition, Cambridge) and maybe Cat (Recorder, Oxford). We'll see how long it lasts.

Oh, speaking of food: I've volunteered to make something for International students/food day in November. So no rush, but can you think of any particularly American, vegetarian finger food type of thing?

On to the next- Silent Disco:
Silent disco was one of the Freshers week activites that I was planning on skipping. Fortunately Latana convinced me that I really should go, so I did. A silent disco involves wireless headphones and at least two DJ's and whole bunch of people bopping around silently (or, alternatively, singing along to a song that only they can hear.)It was a lot of fun and being the music dorks we are; we started playing a game wherein you try to guess which channel the other person was listening to based on what beat they were bopping along to. It was totally goofy and great- but hope they find a good way of cleaning the headphones because they got very sweaty and gross.

Have I mentioned that Latana is a truely amazing dancer? Because she really is- and she really loves it which is great because that means that she drags me along, but it is a little intimidating to dance near her because she is so, so very good. We went to the final night of the freshers week activites too which was great because there was a live band: Pandora's Jukebox (great name, huh?) made up of Guildhall students. They were awsome and were doing lots of jazzed up energetic versions of things like N*Sync and Destiny's Child and other poppy dance tunes.

Induction Concert:
This is the most substantial thing I have done so far. Each post-graduate department had a 10 minute slot to fill at the concert. The composition students were paired with the pianists and they had 24hours to write a new piece and then perform it. The strings did a movement from a Beethoven quartet, the brass dept. had a quintet playing Holborn consort pieces (I started hiccuping during this and didn't stop until halfway through the winds when the singer seated next to me gave me a sip of water. It was horribly embarrassing), the winds did a Strauss chamber piece with an overly enthusiastic conductor, the voice department sang a vocal version of Bolero (which was hilarious) and had a sing along for the Hallelujah chorus, and the Opera department did a scene from Die Fledermaus which was also hilarious.

For the part that I participated in they combined the Jazz, Music Therapy, and Leadership departments all together for a pair of West African tunes that we learned by ear and then arranged ourselves (sort of, there was a lot of assistance, but still) It was very confidence building in terms of my estimation of whether or not I can learn by ear- so for that reason alone I'm grateful. It was also fantastic to be grouped together with the other departments because now we have a larger group of people that we know we can work with.

When we performed we also sang another song with various harmonies. It had been taught to all the postgrads and since we all learned it by ear (and because it is very catchy) we have all been singing it ever since. Irritating? Yes! (And also a little bit great because after our group was done playing we segued directly into the song and the whole auditoreum burst into song. Burt in to harmony. It was a bit like living in a musical which is kind of what I have always wanted to do.)

So there you go. That is what I have been doing and I *think* now you are all caught up. Or at least, close enough.

Repetitive Conversations

One of the really lovely things about living in London and going to Guildhall in particular is that there are so many international people around. It's really neat, and I've been having a ball meeting new people and talking to them. However, the conversation inevitably degenerates into this:

"Oo! How do you say this word?!"

Which really can be fun at times- like last night when my flat mates and I were all congregated in the kitchen. You have to remember that Patrick is an actor and therfore is madly in love with accents. So he was speaking French to Latana (who was getting more and more mixed up because it really isn't fair to switch languages back and forth like that on a person)and Moises was following mostly and I was sitting there going "Matin! I know that from Frere Jaques! It's, like, morning, right?" So then Patrick moved on to his NYC Queens accent, which is remarkably good- so I had to teach him Southern Californian Valley Girl. Then general mocking of American accents began and we started writing words out phonetically to see how they are different. Have you ever noticed that City is pronounced sih-dee? I hadn't until it was pointed out to me.

Anyhow, we have decided to watch Pan's Labyrinth later this week as a flat because we all want to see it and it is in Spanish, so Moises won't get confused.

My first real class is tomorrow. Actually, I have two tomrrow, but they are in the same room so I don't know that that really counts...They are "Introduction to group dynamics, motivation and individual and group learning" and "Into to Module 1: Foundation for fundamental skills" So woo hoo! I get to start school finally!

Today I finally bought pots and pans (From Argos, a catalog shop, have I described it yet? I don't remember- anyhow- you look things up at a station with a catalog, write down the number you want, pay for it at the register, and then pick it up five minutes later when they bring it out to the front. Not so good for seeing things before you buy them, but lovely for cheapness and handiness.) And chatted with Lisa Dery from Student Services. I had missed the international students meeting for some reason or another, so I wanted to make sure that I was able to get the inforamtion that was give out then.

I had really just a lovely chat with Lisa and now have even more paper with which to clutter up my room! So that is fantastic. I also delivered the chocolate to the Professional Development office and made an inquiry about whether or not the school could help me pay for the rental of the bass that I'm borrowing from Malcolm. (of course it has a case, guys. I wouldn't have dared to a: take it on the tube or b: take it around rainy rainy London without one.)

So I'm beginning to get my stuff together (I've even started scoping out job websites, though not actually applying for anything yet. Maybe once classes start and I don't have a whole day in which I could either get important things done or stare at a wall saying "why on earth aren't you getting all of those important things done Casey?!" Because inevitably I choose the latter.)

And that is long enough for one entry.

The story of the bass

On Wednesday we had a bit of a break from induction activities, so I took that opportunity to go down to Surrey on the tube which is where Malcolm Healey's shop is. I got to take the bus too, because the tube doesn't go quite far enough, so that was good because it was my first opportunity for that.

The bus went right by Malcolm's shop which was good because that meant that I knew where to get off. I got there a little after two and was quickly let in and given a mug of tea. Malcolm showed me the bass that he had set aside for me and I tried it out for a bit to see if it was the same size. It was a good thing that I had given him the string length, because that means that the notes are in roughly the same place on the new instrument that they are on the one I have at home. So anyhow-I didn't have any problems with that instrument, so that is the one I've got back at Sundial now.

While I was at the shop though, people kept coming in, so there was an 87 year old bassist who still plays with local orchestras and a pair of friends who are building a mandolin and wanted some help seeing if their fingerboard plane was straight enough. Those friends then ended up trying out Malcolm's new musical saw too. It was a little ridiculous.

Malcolm gave me a ride back to the tube station (Morden, at the end of the Northern Line. I kept saying "Morden" to myself in the voice that they used in the Lord of the Rings movies when they say "Mordor" all dramatically.) And then I rode the tube all the way up to Moorgate with the bass. I perched on one of the seats at the every end of the car and tried to stay out of the way. The people who work at the stations were actually very nice about my having a giant instrument on the tube and helped me go through the luggage gates.

It is a bit awkward to carry- and I don't know quite what the dimensions are yet and it doesn't have shoulder strap- so Malcolm gave me a leather carry strap that hooks on to the end pin and around the neck of the bass. It is nice in theory, but I haven't quite got the hang of it yet. I'm trying very hard not to bang in to doors and ceilings and the like...

It's going to be £500 to lease it for the year, which I think is probably reasonable. I'm going to talk to Jose and Clare and see if perhaps I can get the Leadership office to help with the cost. I figure it is worth a try.

And now I have to rush off for yet another rehearsal...I'll let you know about last night's dinner in Highgate and the silent disco from two night's ago soon. (Do you like these cliff hangers? Okay, maybe not cliff, maybe short wall hangers...)

I don't even know where to start...

The last couple of days have been awfully full, so I'm going to start by answering questions that my Dad sent me. It's as good a place to start as any and it has the added benefit of making sure that he knows I recieved the email. Two birds, one stone and all that.

Housing Questions

The housing is fine mostly. I have quite a spacious room that I have done really just a stellar job of making as messy as possible with as little stuff as possible. The bass in the middle of the room helps with that. (A bass? What?! But that story comes later. Housing questions, remember?) I have a twin bed with springs that jab into my back at night, but does look lovely with my red and orange comforter and Grammy's quilt. There is a wardrobe that opens into an easy chair that is blocking the three drawer drawer thingy, a desk, a hollow footstool storage box, a small cabinet, and a sink. It is arranged such that nothing is totally usable because everything blocks something else. I bought a tape measurer though, and I have great hopes for being able to rearrange everything so that it works more smoothly. In the mean time I have put up posters and pictures and, as I said, have strewn my stuff everywhere. (is strewn even a word?) Oh, and I have a big window and my herb pots. It's nice really.

The flat is set up like this: the door opens into a short thin hallway with a bathroo and a shower on the left. The hallway then turns right and is long and thin. On the left is the kitchen followed by two single rooms and on the right is three single rooms and a bathroom that doesn't have a shower. The kitchen has five cabinets, five drawers, and five lower storage cabinets. (There are five people in the flat) There is a reasonably sized fridge, an oven that is missing some buttons but is apparently still usable (I haven't tried yet), a stove unit next to the sink and across the room from the oven, a sink, a round kitchen table with five chairs, an ironing board, two irons, and a large, unweildly vaccuum.

Internet

There is a computer lab in the main school building, I'm currently in the library tying up one of the computers there, and there is no access in the dormitory rooms. There is apparently wireless access in the "basement" which is where the pub is and the laundry room. I haven't explored this yet, so I don't know how it works. I also have not yet explored skype. Nor bought a mobile phone. Nor a phone card. I'm just trying to be as unaccesible as possible... Sorry about all that.

Classes

I hadn't expected this to be as different as it seems to be. In America you have a schedule- it is very usually the same every week and the school knows what your schedule is. Oftentimes they know where there are double bookings before you do. This is so not in any way the case here. I have a large, year long schedule of the main class times from the leadership program which, for the most part, follow Tuesday morning, Tuesday afternoon, Thursday evening, and Friday morning. But that simple ad schedule seems to be the exception rather than the norm. For instance, October 15-19? We'll be in Alderburgh. Which is totally neat and cool, but still. Also, projects come up at anytime and can be whenever. (How am I going to get a job?! I am very concerned about that. To be fair I haven't actually talked to anyone who can help me yet, and have instead just fretted.)

Then there are the electives...oh the electives. We need to take two over the course of the program- so two years. There is a list of about 20 offered electives, however many of these are very specific to certain departments and so if you're not in the department you can't take them. Then there are a few that are just wholly uninteresting. (Thanks, I've already done 5 years of theory, if I don't have to take it again- I won't.) That leaves about five electives- two of which are exactly what our program does and are led by Sean Gregory- the head of the Leadership Program and Professional Development Office. So cool, but what? Oh! Oh! And these classes aren't at specific times either, some are once a week but some are in intensive periods and none of them start until the fourth week of term. What?! You don't even start all your classes until half way through the first of three terms? This is bizzarre.

Meredith, the other American in my flat, and I had a good incredulity session about all this. It's kind of fascinating though.

As for my classes within the Leadership programme- they don't seem to vbe specific classes as such as much as times when we all meet and here are the things we'll normally do during those times. Things such as: Foundation in fundamental skills, creation and performance in community settings, creative ensemble, Voice, body and communication skills, percussion skills, and improvisation.

No idea what any of that is, but it sounds fun, doesn't it? When we had our first meeting and went around introducing ourselves I found myself sitting next to Sean and so ended up beginning the introductions. He said that I should tell my story of how I found the programme because it was a good one- so I explained that I had found this website that made no sense but was still totally intriguing. So I was totally confused and came to London. Where I was still confused, but really excited. Pretty much everyone echoed this sentiment ("I have NO idea what this programme is, but man, it's neat!") Clare said that someone had suggested a new tag line for Connect, which is the outreach and community branch of the professional development offiec. "Connect, the program that no one understands." Sean says he still can't quite explain what he does to his father.

OKay, and now I need to go back for more induction activities (I skipped lunch to write this for you!) I'll write more soon, I promise! Thought may I point out that specific questions help me on my way- because then I can answer those and have a jumping off point for my next entry. Love you all!

Telephone numbers

Why are telephone numbers in the UK so random in their divisions? The first 3 numbers are the city code, then there are 8 for your phone number- so why don't people just stick to a sensical 020 1234 5678 division? But noooo, sometimes it is all jumbled together 02012345678 and how do you remember all that? And then sometimes it is 0201 234 5678 which helps a bit, but 020 is the area code, it's easy to remember and doesn't need to be mucked up with one extra number! And then there is this one 02012 345678. Do you see how my original format is the easiest to remember and to look at when dialing? So simple! So useful! So not standard!

And that is my rant for today.

I am in the computer lab up on the second floor (3rd if we're speaking 'merican here.) and I am currently surrounded by people I don't know. Hopefully that will begin to be remedied soon.

In any case I am all officially enrolled and will be able to pick up my Student ID card on Wednesday morning. (My hair was a bit too big for the photo, so some of it got cropped off...) I've run into four other people from the program- three of whom were in the workshop with me. Nicholas- the Mexican guitarist who is also staying at Sundial Court, Heather- the American cellist who is part of the CIM cello posse, Jo- the tuba player from London that I'm fairly certain I've written about before (I liked her a lot), and Jo's friend Emma whom I've just met and am not sure about what she plays. We have our department meeting tomorrow.

All the new students were crowded into the Music Hall which is apparently a performance space, but is quite small and filled with instruments so that it looks like a rather full rehearsal space (I'm sure it gets used for rehearsals too, but this is where the performances are? JVS (which was a gym!) looked vaguely more professional than this. I didn't realize I was getting spoiled with Friedberg at Peabody.)There were various speeches (take advantage of everything! Know why you want to be a musician! Blah Blah.)

There were giant queues everywhere, but I managed to get through fairly quickly and spent some more time being thankful for how helpful Polly and Jennifer Kay in the Registry office are.

It is cold and dreary, so I think I will now finish this particular entry and go back to my flat to bundle up a bit before going grocery shopping.