The Concert Schedule has been posted! It looks like we will be performing in some really, really neat places. I will be attempting to photodocument all these "performance venues," as well as ...well, everywhere I go, I'm sure. (happy dance!)
Saarburg Concert Schedule
None of the performances will be professionally recorded, so I am going to try to record them with my IPod. We shall see how that works out...
Monday, June 27, 2011
Deutch - warum nicht?
So, it's five days until we fly out for Germany! This week, my "list" of things to do include: Practicing, Packing, and Learning more German -- not an overwhelmingly large list. Perhaps later today or tomorrow I will post a picture or two of my packing setup...
Until preparing for this trip, I had nearly forgotten how much I enjoy learning other languages. In the past, my learning other languages involved mostly writing and grammar studies, since that is what "classes" test you on. I have found during this most recent learning process, that the reading and comprehension is not the difficult part, and therefore not something upon which I'm focusing on very strongly. Instead, I am focusing on two things: aural comprehension and grammar. I have found that this speeds the retention process greatly, which makes learning the language that much more exciting! Must admit, the suggestion that a faculty member made to me this past semester about teaching English in Europe is becoming more and more appealing, especially if the jobs here don't pan out. But I get ahead of myself - back to German, and learning German.
Of course, finding the resource "Deutch - warum nicht?" has been so helpful in this case. The lessons (originally radio broadcasts, now streaming audio + pdf files for study) are organized very well and explain things superbly! It is quite exciting to actually be able to understand things as the lessons continue. Currently, I am on lesson five, and hoping to finish many more before we fly out in a few days. As each lesson and day goes by, I am feeling more and more confident and excited about communicating with people in German. I can't wait!
Until preparing for this trip, I had nearly forgotten how much I enjoy learning other languages. In the past, my learning other languages involved mostly writing and grammar studies, since that is what "classes" test you on. I have found during this most recent learning process, that the reading and comprehension is not the difficult part, and therefore not something upon which I'm focusing on very strongly. Instead, I am focusing on two things: aural comprehension and grammar. I have found that this speeds the retention process greatly, which makes learning the language that much more exciting! Must admit, the suggestion that a faculty member made to me this past semester about teaching English in Europe is becoming more and more appealing, especially if the jobs here don't pan out. But I get ahead of myself - back to German, and learning German.
Of course, finding the resource "Deutch - warum nicht?" has been so helpful in this case. The lessons (originally radio broadcasts, now streaming audio + pdf files for study) are organized very well and explain things superbly! It is quite exciting to actually be able to understand things as the lessons continue. Currently, I am on lesson five, and hoping to finish many more before we fly out in a few days. As each lesson and day goes by, I am feeling more and more confident and excited about communicating with people in German. I can't wait!
Saturday, June 25, 2011
An Introduction
"An undertaking usually involving danger and unknown risks." What keeps you from taking risks? Is it fear of the unknown, or merely complacency? Fear of failure or rejection?
Fear of the unknown can be a very powerful thing. Fear of failure or rejection is equally as powerful, sometimes even more so. I understand these things, because I have been in that place, and it is a battle I feel I fight on a regular basis.
Sometimes, taking risks does involve rejection -- the rejection of an idea or plan as frivolous, silly, or insurmountable. This so-called rejection can come from many sources, but the most dangerous is the voice inside your head that resists your taking action in the first place: the voice that tells you "you will fail" before you even try. Sometimes, this voice is correct -- we all fail at times -- but it is what we do after we fail that makes the biggest difference. I have found that getting back up and trying again makes it easier to attempt harder and harder things. Why? Well, even if the first or the ninth attempt was a "failure," how can it be a failure if you learned something from it that can be carried to the next step? How can it be a failure if, through this attempt, you gained valuable skills that will make the next attempt a little easier?
I have learned more from what others might consider "failures" than I have from successes, but only when I have not allowed a so-called "failure" to effectively paralyze my next move. Not being afraid to fail is a very liberating feeling -- what's the worst that could happen? In music, the audience could hate your performance, the hiring committee not pick you, the performance not go well, the reviewer give you a bad review... the list goes on, but it's all the same. Every performance is a learning experience, if you allow it to be. Every new application process can be one as well, if you are able to set aside your fear of rejection and approach it with the attitude of "I have many assets to bring to this position," or, "I may have different background than many, but I am just as deserving of a position like this as someone who has entered and won this or that competition."
Beginning this post with "adventure" and arriving at "application process" may seem like a rather strange conclusion; after all, doesn't adventure have to be a vacation to an exotic place, filled with new experiences and maybe a bit of danger? In my case, the answer is no... and yes. Earlier this year, I applied and was accepted to a chamber music festival in Saarburg, Germany. For me, it IS the next great adventure. I am unbelievably excited at the opportunity to interact with musicians from all over the world; this excitement also extends to the desire I have to actually be able to communicate with people in their own language and absorbing their culture.
We fly out in one week. More updates soon.
Fear of the unknown can be a very powerful thing. Fear of failure or rejection is equally as powerful, sometimes even more so. I understand these things, because I have been in that place, and it is a battle I feel I fight on a regular basis.
Sometimes, taking risks does involve rejection -- the rejection of an idea or plan as frivolous, silly, or insurmountable. This so-called rejection can come from many sources, but the most dangerous is the voice inside your head that resists your taking action in the first place: the voice that tells you "you will fail" before you even try. Sometimes, this voice is correct -- we all fail at times -- but it is what we do after we fail that makes the biggest difference. I have found that getting back up and trying again makes it easier to attempt harder and harder things. Why? Well, even if the first or the ninth attempt was a "failure," how can it be a failure if you learned something from it that can be carried to the next step? How can it be a failure if, through this attempt, you gained valuable skills that will make the next attempt a little easier?
I have learned more from what others might consider "failures" than I have from successes, but only when I have not allowed a so-called "failure" to effectively paralyze my next move. Not being afraid to fail is a very liberating feeling -- what's the worst that could happen? In music, the audience could hate your performance, the hiring committee not pick you, the performance not go well, the reviewer give you a bad review... the list goes on, but it's all the same. Every performance is a learning experience, if you allow it to be. Every new application process can be one as well, if you are able to set aside your fear of rejection and approach it with the attitude of "I have many assets to bring to this position," or, "I may have different background than many, but I am just as deserving of a position like this as someone who has entered and won this or that competition."
Beginning this post with "adventure" and arriving at "application process" may seem like a rather strange conclusion; after all, doesn't adventure have to be a vacation to an exotic place, filled with new experiences and maybe a bit of danger? In my case, the answer is no... and yes. Earlier this year, I applied and was accepted to a chamber music festival in Saarburg, Germany. For me, it IS the next great adventure. I am unbelievably excited at the opportunity to interact with musicians from all over the world; this excitement also extends to the desire I have to actually be able to communicate with people in their own language and absorbing their culture.
We fly out in one week. More updates soon.
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