First Day of School?!

Oh my god,  It's the first day of school!

Dear readers, this is a weird feeling:
1)  I'm a graduate student in ENGLAND?! (How did that happen?)
2)  I'm actually getting my masters in the thing I love most?!
3)  I haven't been a student in 3 WHOLE YEARS!!  I've been on the other end of those lectures and lessons!
4)  As a grad student, I don't even have classes today - I have an orchestra audition, a conductors meeting, a big band audition, and a wind band rehearsal.  You should be jealous!  My life rocks!

However,  I will have you know that some things never change. 
What did I do last night?  Play football with the music department. 
What did I do this morning?  My first homework assignment as a grad student. 
 Yes, that's right, even at 25 I'm still putting off doing homework until
THE LAST POSSIBLE SECOND. 
Ah, well,  you can't teach an old dog new tricks ;) 

Anyway,  for those of you wondering what the schedule of a master's program conductor looks like, I'll give you an idea
Monday - absolutely nothing until the evening!  Wind Band and Big Band both rehearse at 7ish I think, so we'll see how that goes...
Tuesday - Popular Musicology from 2-4, Masters Research Seminar from 4-6, then Orchestra from 6:30-9:30
Wednesday - HE2 Conducting  (for second year students)
Thursday - HE3 Conducting from 11-1, PostGrad Conducting Seminar from 1-2
Friday - Drunk Orchestra (or Dorkestra) sometime in the evening.  More developments on that later..it's still in the works.

So yes, that's my WHOLE schedule! Amazing!  All of that extra time will probably be filled with ensemble rehearsals  (I'm pretty sure I'm missing something else, like Jazz Band, and University Choir, but I can't remember what day/time those are...)  and maybe a job.  Hopefully a job.  I NEED a job.  College life is EXPENSIVE. Mostly because of the sheer volume of alcohol consumed, but also, this girl needs clothing!  And shoes!  and presents for myself!

So dear readers, after you've read this, and are about to head off into the working world, just remember,  I'm waving a stick in front of a group of people all day! :-p

~ Sie

Back in the UK, time to start posting again!

Good morning all!

I'm finally back in the UK, back in Guildford, and settled into my new dorm room! 
 Which means, you probably want to hear some more about my trip to France! (Of course you do..)

 So First - A note on French Cooking

While I didn't get to eat EVERYTHING my heart desired,

I did get a good sampling of french food.  And here's what I've observed: the french do subtle very well.  As I jotted this little note to myself down, I was sitting in a cafe on Rue La Fontaine eating a wonderful duck confit.  I had my reservations about ordering that particular item because the meal came with garlic potatoes and I didn't want to be walking around Paris reeking of garlicky goodness for the rest of the night!   But let me tell you, this meal is wonderful!  The duck has a nice crunchy coating of I don't know what, and the potatoes have only the slightest hint of garlic, salt, and....thyme? basil?  I'm not even sure, but I just know its amazing!  Same for the other formal meals I've had here.  The escargot had some kick to it, but within reason, and the canard a l'orange has such a delicate orange flavor that I literally couldn't stop smiling at the dinner table.  So over all - what would I say about french cuisine?  C'est magnifique! 

 

 Next time on "Seeing the Sights With Sierra Schwartz" 

we'll learn how Sierra cut the line - not once! not twice! But THREE TIMES!  Stay Tuned!

~ Sie