A weird feeling just came over me. A mixture of sadness, relief, and nostalgia.

I don't have to practice anymore.

The key word, or words, is "have to". I'm not required to sit in a practice room and rehearse over and over until I get the part right. Of course I will, because I want to continue to learn flute repertoire and progress as a flutist. But unless I decide to pursue a performance degree in grad school, which is not something I plan on doing in the next few years, I will no longer feel the pressure of deadlines. No longer have a part under my fingers by a specific time and a specific level. No longer have to study a piece I don't like, play in styles that don't interest me.

I'll miss the lessons. Lisa and Genevieve were amazing teachers, and I'm so glad I chose to come to Montevallo to study under them. But now, I have the challenge of taking the knowledge I've gained from them and applying it to any piece I want to study. And I can choose what I want to play. If I need help, I can always take lessons. But they'll be by choice, not by requirement.

No juries. No recitals. Just playing for playing's sake.

Weird.

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My senior recital is done. Now all I have left to focus on academically are my classes, Joie's recital, and the Chaminade for the last Wind Ensemble concert.

I have a new computer! A bright green Dell Inspiron 1420 laptop, a lot faster and better processor, and a lot more RAM than my desktop had.

Yesterday I signed the lease for my first apartment. $375 a month for a 1 bedroom, water included. I had to agree to move in April 15 instead of May 1 because the current tenant is moving out at the end of this month, or else I would have had to wait for another apartment to open up. Having to pay an extra $187.50 for April made me a little nervous until I remembered that I had my honor band paycheck and the check from the All-State gig two weeks ago. It'll also help that I'm not going to hook up TV and internet until I start classes in June.

Today I went by the SAC to get an application to work there this summer, and instead I ended up getting hired! Billy Cannon, the director of the SAC, was my racquetball teacher last semester and apparently he liked me, so he gave me the automatic hookup. I'll be working 8-10 AM Monday through Friday during Summer 1 (gotta be a morning person for a month), 1-7 PM Tuesdays and Thursdays during Summer 2, and 3-7 PM Sundays for both terms. Sorry I won't get to work with you Joie, but I think working the front desk at the SAC has got to be one of the easiest jobs on campus.

Now I just need financial aid for the summer and fall to come through, and I'll be good to go. =)

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The course sections for May, Summer 1, and Summer 2 are online now. And I can take the month of May off!!! :)

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Found this little jewel on the Dilbert newsletter today:

Recently on the Dilbert Blog, I mused about the seeming randomness of the lyrics of popular songs. And I challenged my readers to submit random lyrics of their own that could be combined into a song.

Lots of people submitted their random lyrics, and German band RIVO DREI put the best ones together, added music, and created a surprisingly great little song.

One of my blog readers took it an extra step and made a music video using nothing but images from the Internet. You might be surprised how well it came out:

She Amazed Me

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How sad.

This is my last, here's-my-crazy-busy-schedule-for-the-semester post.

I doubt I'll miss it.

Here we go!

Mondays
9:00 = High School Methods
10:00 = Evaluation for Music Education
12:00 = Music Analysis
1:00 = University Chorus
2:00 = Wind Ensemble
4:00 = Flute Choir
5:00 = Flute Lesson

Tuesdays
1:00 = University Chorus
2:00 = Wind Ensemble

Wednesdays
same as Mondays except
+ 8:00 = Woodwind Quintet
- Flute Choir
- Flute Lesson
+ 5:00 = Exceptional Learners

Thursdays
12:30 = Recital Class
2:00 = Wind Ensemble

Fridays
9:00 = High School Methods

The only thing that will get me through Mondays/Wednesdays is knowing the next day is Tuesday/Thursday.

And until the second week of February, here's the rest of my schedule:

Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays
9:00 - 10:30 = Orchestra Rehearsal

That's all, folks.

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What's your musical horoscope?  (Put your player on shuffle and write down the first 10 songs that come up.) 

Heh. This could be interesting.

1. Cigarettes & Alcohol - Oasis
2. Another One Bites the Dust - Queen
3. Times Like These - Foo Fighters
4. Carmen - Georges Bizet
5. The Rite of Spring: Dance of the Adolescent Girls - Stravinsky
6. Symphonic Dances from West Side Story, Mvt. 4 - Leonard Bernstein
7. Ain't That Unusual - Goo Goo Dolls
8. I Want It All - Queen
9. Lucky Star - Goo Goo Dolls
10. Girl Can't Help It - Journey

Ahh, the Ipod of a music major...

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=) WE ARE KEEPING PUNKIN!!!! =)

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For those who would like an explanation as to why I am beginning to freak out, and also why you may not see me for the rest of the semester, let me lay it out for you. These are the assignments I have due THAT I KNOW ABOUT for the remainder of the year. This doesn't include what I have due in the next two weeks, but what is due after that. This also doesn't include any random assignments that may be thrown on me, nor does it include the thing I came here for...playing the flute and preparing my senior recital. No final exams or most tests included on here either.

• Present Genealogy presentation
• Asian American lesson plan
• African American lesson plan
• Native American presentation
• Reaction paper to Crash
• Paper comparing 16th Street Baptist Church to my home church (these two papers are in place of the North Carolina trip)
  
• Reaction paper to the 16th Street Baptist Church and Civil Rights Institute
• African American questions
• Native American questions
• Integrated field assignment
• Resource notebook including:
  
• Alabama Course of Study
• Class notes and handouts
• Observation log
• Equipment inventory
• Index
• Listening and Movement lesson plan
• Recorder lesson plan
• Script the kindergarten recorded lesson
• 2 elementary school compositions
• Philosophy of Music Education essay
• Musical competencies test
• Alto flute presentation
• Orchestration project

Soooo, goodbye, and I'll see you sometime in mid-December.

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Eric surprised me today. WITH SEASON ONE OF HEROES.

=) =) =) =) =)

This weekend will be the best weekend ever spent in Haleyville, AL.

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