Alright fellas, it's my final semester of undergrad. Due to the fact that I took a very full course load the past four years, I don鈥檛 have very many courses I need to take to complete my majors, so I鈥檓 taking it easy and having a lot of fun this semester. Unfortunately, my senior fall crashed and burned in November and did not ever have a comeback, so this senior spring has to be good enough to make up for it. Fortunately, I鈥檓 feeling pretty optimistic about that happening. Here are the things I鈥檓 doing in my last semester:
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Ballet
This is my last college class ever and my first class in the dance department. I did dance for a very little bit in middle school, and I thought this would be a fun, low-stress class to take in my last semester. This class meets Monday and Wednesday mornings at 8:30am, and it鈥檚 a wonderful way to start my day. I鈥檝e always liked morning classes because they give me a reason to get up early, and when they鈥檙e over I feel like there鈥檚 still so much of the day left.
One of the funniest things about ballet class is the music. All of the dancing we do is to piano covers of songs that are either showtunes, a 1980s-2010s pop or rock hit, or a song that was on Glee at some point. Frequently the songs fall into more than one of these categories. A lot of the time these covers are redone completely differently than the original, so I鈥檒l be dancing for a while before I notice that the song is 鈥淐ake by the Ocean.鈥 Music aside, so far I鈥檓 really enjoying revisiting something I haven鈥檛 done in a long time. It鈥檚 fun to stay active and dance with a group of people who are at a lot of different skill levels. The class is open to non-majors, but there are quite a few dance majors in the class who are way better than me. However, I don鈥檛 feel intimidated, because I decided to take the class to learn and have fun, and now that鈥檚 exactly what I鈥檓 doing.
Lessons and Large Ensemble
As with every other semester, I鈥檓 taking private lessons with my studio instructor, Professor Jeff Scott. Right now I鈥檓 gearing up for my Senior Recital, which is in a few weeks on March 27th. It鈥檚 been over two years since my Junior Recital, which was in October of 2019. A while ago, I decided to push my Senior Recital from my fourth year to my fifth year in the hopes that the Conservatory鈥檚 Covid protocols would change; last year, audiences weren鈥檛 allowed for recitals, but thankfully that鈥檚 changed and my family will be able to come see me later this month. I picked repertoire I like, I鈥檓 enjoying preparing for the recital, and I鈥檓 looking forward to it, but I鈥檓 also very glad that when it鈥檚 over, a huge weight will be lifted and I鈥檒l have two months of next to no responsibilities before graduation. And, as of today, I鈥檝e officially turned in my program to be printed! In addition to preparing for my recital, I鈥檓 also rehearsing in orchestra for our weekly concerts. My first concert of the semester is going to be March 18th, and it鈥檚 going to be the first time I鈥檓 playing in a section with my best friend (who鈥檚 also a horn player) since the spring of my sophomore year.
ExCos
I鈥檓 taking two this semester: MythCo and CultClassixCo. All of the ExCos I鈥檝e taken thus far have been practicum-based, which are more hands-on and involve doing an activity or learning a skill, but both of these ExCos are academic, which involve more discussion of material. CultClassixCo is a course on cult classic movies, including The Rocky Horror Picture Show, The Room, Donnie Darko, and Heathers. For most of my life, the vast majority of movies I鈥檝e watched have been animated; I love animated movies and musicals, and it鈥檚 always seemed like a big commitment to sit down for a two to two and a half hour film. Somehow, since the pandemic started, I have grown a longer attention span, and I now find myself interested in watching a bunch of classic movies that I might not have the motivation to watch if I weren鈥檛 enrolled in a class about them.
The other ExCo I鈥檓 taking is MythCo, a class about the Percy Jackson and the Olympians book series. Funnily enough, my wonderful former roommate of three years, Emily, researched and designed this course for her first Winter Term project, and began teaching it soon after. Sadly, I didn鈥檛 get to take the course with her, but I鈥檓 happy to continue her legacy and take the class with the student instructor she passed it off to. I read this book series so many times growing up, and I鈥檓 excited to reread them for the first time in a while, and discuss them with a group of students who are as enthusiastic about them as I am.
VIBE Tap
Not a class, but I鈥檓 super excited that I鈥檒l be continuing my tap dancing escapades in 91直播鈥檚 this semester. I certainly think it鈥檚 never too late to join a student organization, and I鈥檓 really looking forward to tap dancing more and making new friends in this group this semester. Auditions were last Saturday, and rehearsals are now underway鈥 my Tap ExCo was my favorite thing I did last semester, and I鈥檓 really happy I get to keep doing it and perform in the Student Dance Showcase again. I wish that I had taken the Tap ExCo sooner so that I could have been tapping for most of my time at 91直播, but even if I didn鈥檛 start as soon as I wish I did in hindsight, I鈥檓 still glad I made it here in the end.
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Here鈥檚 to finishing strong and getting those degrees.
