definitely obscure German words

Hello and welcome from the baked bean capital of the universe! In keeping with what is becoming a long-standing and venerated tradition, I have not posted to the site in weeks. As a result, much has transpired that I will not be able to communicate to the reader. Due to the fact that the time it is taking me to collect my thoughts and organize them carefully on this site could be spent in study or practice, both of which I have (of late) been grossly negligent in, this post will not be as long as I would like.

If the reader happened to be in Boston, Massachusetts and walked down Boylston street and across the Mass Pike, he could take an immediate sharp left in the general direction of Fenway Park and, once past the illegal inner-city art projects on the right, arrive at 523 Newbury street (on the ghetto side). Inside, if he climbed the stairs to the third floor of the “old family house,” he would discover my room, numbered 31 and only a little smaller than Prince’s closet. He might meet my roommate there, the half-Canadian, half-Filipino violist and Daytona Beach resident who answers to Angelo. He might even see me there, buried in a stack of books which are (I swear it) reproducing on my desk and slowly taking possession of my workspace.

It is more likely, however, that no one would be in the room, because both of us and our classmates generally live in a building on the Fenway wherein lie the practice rooms and studios we wait in line to enter on a daily basis. Between classes one can find many of us talking heatedly about practicing and studying and the unnecessary strain that both are on our lives (particulary when we engage in the activities themselves). The professors are a colorful lot, most of whom really know their material and some of whom can really teach it. Either way, they provide more than adequate amounts of homework for our eager minds to absorb. A scientific study I recently undertook (it should be in most of the major journals next quarter) revealed the ideal daily schedule for a graduate music student such as myself taking an average semester load of 10 credit hours. The results are posted below (note that these are the minimum values returned and do not reflect the efforts of the more studious or the more healthy):

4 hours practice, solo repertoire
3 hours meals (includes walking time)
4 hours practice, technique and chamber repertoire
1 hour physical exercise
6 hours general study and note-taking
3 hours listening with scores and note-taking
3 hours of class (average)
2 hours workstudy (otherwise known as “standing at the copy machine”)
2 hours personal study or leisure time
1 hour brown-nosing (for good measure)
6 hours sleep (8 recommended)
_____________________________
35 hours total

Of course, it is difficult for most of us (as inexperienced new students) to put in a 35-hour day. I am told that there are remedial courses given on the subject and I’m trying to fit one in next semester.

In other news, I need to be practicing now. I just can’t decide whether to practice my repertoire, practice my presentation skills, or practice my pronunciation of obscure German words.

Until next time.