Well my sophomore year of college is over! For those of you who don't know, I'm a student at the University of Cincinnati majoring in viola performance. Technically I'm also a biology major...but that's a long story for another time. Anyway, this past year was exciting because I felt like I developed a new relationship with viola (not that kind of relationship...) that I had never really experienced before. I've been involved in music for basically my entire life and I decided to pursue it in college because it just seemed like the natural order of things. It was a big part of my life, I was good at it, I liked it, and it got me a full scholarship into school, so my wouldn't I? Well, I did start to run into some problems during my first year. I felt like music was turning into work, and that is the point at which I stopped enjoying it. It just became chore after chore of practicing and performing and I was getting approximately zero gratification. Dare I say it...I hated being a music major!
For one reason or another, that all changed this year. I somehow gained a newfound love and enjoyment of viola, orchestra, chamber music, you name it. I think this might have stemmed from a growing appreciation of being involved in the arts and, more specifically, the classical music industry. With orchestras folding around the country, it's exciting to be a part of a revolution of sorts, trying to revive and revamp classical music in our society. I think music can turn into a very selfish profession and that is why people lose interest and decide to go to med school or something. Examining my place in the larger context of the music world really helped me to see that being in this field is not just about practicing...it's about history, community, enrichment, expression, and so much more.
Well I should probably go do something productive! laterrrrrrrr
