Today I went to lunch with contestant #1 in the Great Quest for a New Faculty Member (from now on called simply Great Quest, or GQ).
He seemed like a very smart fellow, studying Rachmaninov and other Russian composers and their reception in historiography through time. But the cool thing was I totally could keep up with him in a conversation. He asked lots of questions about my thesis and it was awesome.
I didn't do much else today, research- or musicology-wise.
I did finish my project for 410 on Female DJs. I won't have to present until Wednesday, though. Which means I wasted a lot of stress and energy for nothing. I'll probably share some of my thoughts on that project in a later post (or not...).
I'm also reading part of a new book that features Pauline. The book is about earth and its relationship with art. I'll tell you more once I get into it.
Monday, November 9, 2015
Monday, November 2, 2015
Daily Log: 2 November, 2015
Discussed music alteration software like audacity, spek, and SPEAR. I downloaded Spek and Spear and I hope to do some work with spectrography in the near future.
Taught SS -- Starting on the 3rd today. Trying to figure out how I'm going to survive November with all of my comings and goings.
Read more of Bernstein's SFTMC book, including interviews and thoughts from William Miginnis and Terry Riley. I found out that Riley actually performed at a composer's workshop with La Monte Young HERE in PROVO! That's cool. I'm getting out of the realm of Oliveros with some of these articles -- especially the ones about the Buchla 100 Series. It's a cool thing, and Pauline did write a couple of pieces with it, but it never became her favorite compositional tool and I likely won't need to know too much about it.
Also finished correcting all of the unit 2 tests for 301. Now I just have to enter grades.
Listening to lots of David Guetta today. I think I know what House Music looks like.
Taught SS -- Starting on the 3rd today. Trying to figure out how I'm going to survive November with all of my comings and goings.
Read more of Bernstein's SFTMC book, including interviews and thoughts from William Miginnis and Terry Riley. I found out that Riley actually performed at a composer's workshop with La Monte Young HERE in PROVO! That's cool. I'm getting out of the realm of Oliveros with some of these articles -- especially the ones about the Buchla 100 Series. It's a cool thing, and Pauline did write a couple of pieces with it, but it never became her favorite compositional tool and I likely won't need to know too much about it.
Also finished correcting all of the unit 2 tests for 301. Now I just have to enter grades.
Listening to lots of David Guetta today. I think I know what House Music looks like.
Wednesday, October 28, 2015
Update: October 28, 2015
So it's been a while...
I won't belabor you with details, but I HAVE A THESIS TOPIC:
Pauline Oliveros and the Quest for Musical Utopia
Gotta get into more Oliveros literature, some Utopian novels, and some research on other socialist/utopian musical movements; Dada, Futurism, Russian socialism, Cowell, Cage...
It's going to be a long, long year.
On top of that, I have to learn more German. I think I'll make it through the BYU translation test well enough, but will I have what it takes to pass a test from another PhD program that I would wish to apply to?
What I'm reading: The San Francisco Tape Music Center: 1960s Countercuture and the Avant-Garde, edited by David Bernstein, from Mills College. I hope to have a chat with him about Pauline soon. I've been in communication with him via email.
I've also been in communication with Michael Lee from Oklahoma. He has some interview material that he thinks would be useful for me.
Classes: Not many. Falls are unusually quiet at BYU. I'm technically only signed up for 2 classes: One is GEM, which I happen to ALSO be TA-ing for (yay, money!). The other is a Special Topics class on Electronic Music. It's engaging, not that much of a stress, but it has helped me a ton in figuring out what Pauline's electronic music language is. Currently we are looking at DJ and EDM music and culture, which is cool but not that inspiring for me.
ON TOP OF THAT, I am also:
1. Teaching a Sight-Singing Section
2. TA-ing for Dr. Howard, Music 301
3. Auditing Dr. Harker's Music 101 class...
This leads me to announce that I will be TEACHING Music 101 THIS SUMMER. MY OWN CLASS. My own syllabus, my own choice of text, my own tests... WOW. Surprised that Dr. Johnson trusts me with that. I should be getting a move-on in that area soon.
Since I last wrote, I have visited both the Oliveros Archives at the Houston Public Library and the Oliveros Archives at UCSD. I have yet to visit Oliveros or her archives in New York, but I'm getting on it soon. I hope to go out there in April or May.
Seems like a lot to do in only a year, but I'm thinking back on how much I have done this past year, and it seems like the harder stuff is actually over. All I have to do now is just READ READ READ, STUDY STUDY STUDY, and WRITE WRITE WRITE and I'll be there!
Part of why I want to re-introduce this blog is to keep track of what I am learning everyday so that I'll be able to better study for my oral exams at the end of my time here. This semester is not that much, but NEXT semester I am taking....
Baroque Seminar
Contemporary Seminar
Schenker Analysis
Philosophy of Music
I'll be a TA for both 303 AND 302 under Dr. Johnson next semester. Fortunately, I won't have to do too much in regards to office hours. I'm thinking I'm going to just have it be a by-appointment thing.
PLUS I'm teaching GEM (!) and Sight-singing. I'll probably be visiting some other 101 classes (besides Harker's) from time to time just to get a feel for the different approaches. I've already asked for all of the 101 syllabi that are out there, so that should also be useful.
Dr. Asplund has invited me to consider getting a second master's degree in performance art or sound art. It is intriguing, but I think I'm going to stick to Musicology. That will more likely ensure me a job, and it will allow me to do more teaching and more writing, which are things I am really good at. Performing is a wonderful hobby that I don't wish to lose, but I think that's all it ever will be. I'm not willing to devote enough time to putting programs and performances on, and I am not good at self-promotion in that way. I'm more of an appreciator than a creator of original music. But maybe that will change. I don't have to worry about applications for another year, so I've got time to consider it.
I think that brings you all up to speed about what I'm doing with my life right now. I'm about to go up and grade lots of tests for 301.
I won't belabor you with details, but I HAVE A THESIS TOPIC:
Pauline Oliveros and the Quest for Musical Utopia
Gotta get into more Oliveros literature, some Utopian novels, and some research on other socialist/utopian musical movements; Dada, Futurism, Russian socialism, Cowell, Cage...
It's going to be a long, long year.
On top of that, I have to learn more German. I think I'll make it through the BYU translation test well enough, but will I have what it takes to pass a test from another PhD program that I would wish to apply to?
What I'm reading: The San Francisco Tape Music Center: 1960s Countercuture and the Avant-Garde, edited by David Bernstein, from Mills College. I hope to have a chat with him about Pauline soon. I've been in communication with him via email.
I've also been in communication with Michael Lee from Oklahoma. He has some interview material that he thinks would be useful for me.
Classes: Not many. Falls are unusually quiet at BYU. I'm technically only signed up for 2 classes: One is GEM, which I happen to ALSO be TA-ing for (yay, money!). The other is a Special Topics class on Electronic Music. It's engaging, not that much of a stress, but it has helped me a ton in figuring out what Pauline's electronic music language is. Currently we are looking at DJ and EDM music and culture, which is cool but not that inspiring for me.
ON TOP OF THAT, I am also:
1. Teaching a Sight-Singing Section
2. TA-ing for Dr. Howard, Music 301
3. Auditing Dr. Harker's Music 101 class...
This leads me to announce that I will be TEACHING Music 101 THIS SUMMER. MY OWN CLASS. My own syllabus, my own choice of text, my own tests... WOW. Surprised that Dr. Johnson trusts me with that. I should be getting a move-on in that area soon.
Since I last wrote, I have visited both the Oliveros Archives at the Houston Public Library and the Oliveros Archives at UCSD. I have yet to visit Oliveros or her archives in New York, but I'm getting on it soon. I hope to go out there in April or May.
Seems like a lot to do in only a year, but I'm thinking back on how much I have done this past year, and it seems like the harder stuff is actually over. All I have to do now is just READ READ READ, STUDY STUDY STUDY, and WRITE WRITE WRITE and I'll be there!
Part of why I want to re-introduce this blog is to keep track of what I am learning everyday so that I'll be able to better study for my oral exams at the end of my time here. This semester is not that much, but NEXT semester I am taking....
Baroque Seminar
Contemporary Seminar
Schenker Analysis
Philosophy of Music
I'll be a TA for both 303 AND 302 under Dr. Johnson next semester. Fortunately, I won't have to do too much in regards to office hours. I'm thinking I'm going to just have it be a by-appointment thing.
PLUS I'm teaching GEM (!) and Sight-singing. I'll probably be visiting some other 101 classes (besides Harker's) from time to time just to get a feel for the different approaches. I've already asked for all of the 101 syllabi that are out there, so that should also be useful.
Dr. Asplund has invited me to consider getting a second master's degree in performance art or sound art. It is intriguing, but I think I'm going to stick to Musicology. That will more likely ensure me a job, and it will allow me to do more teaching and more writing, which are things I am really good at. Performing is a wonderful hobby that I don't wish to lose, but I think that's all it ever will be. I'm not willing to devote enough time to putting programs and performances on, and I am not good at self-promotion in that way. I'm more of an appreciator than a creator of original music. But maybe that will change. I don't have to worry about applications for another year, so I've got time to consider it.
I think that brings you all up to speed about what I'm doing with my life right now. I'm about to go up and grade lots of tests for 301.
Wednesday, March 4, 2015
Daily Log: March 4, 2015
I wrote three pages of my Haydn paper! I am on a ROLL!
The bad news: It looks nothing like my outline. However, part of this has to do with the fact that I completely changed my thesis. So it's alright, I guess. I should probably chat with Harker and present him a NEW outline.
I decided to just buy the Mockus book. I also finally bought Deep Listening. I figure I should actually own books by or about Pauline Oliveros. They're going to become a big part of me the next three years, and I'd like to be able to mark up the books and keep the bibliographies.
I'm also curious about attending one of Oliveros's Deep Listening Workshops. It doesn't look like they had any since early 2014, so I wonder if I've missed my opportunity. I'll probably have to (*shudder*) call the guy in charge and figure out how I could possibly get a personal one here at BYU (with school funding, of course).
There's actually a lot of funding and such that I should be considering. I can probably do a lot of the travelling at my own expense. A drive down to San Diego or a plane ticket to Houston isn't bad. But I'd like to have stuff paid for by the school if I can get it. I'd also like to work on having Pauline Oliveros come out HERE to BYU. Wouldn't that be cool? I've got about a year and a half to make stuff happen. Better get down to it.
I was the only one to show up for class today in Classical Seminar, so it was cancelled.
We discussed Anthony Braxton's use of symbols as notation for improvisation in 20th-Century Counterpoint today, and were given the assignment to write a piece using this notation. I am excited, because I want to extend the technique one step further using colors.
The bad news: It looks nothing like my outline. However, part of this has to do with the fact that I completely changed my thesis. So it's alright, I guess. I should probably chat with Harker and present him a NEW outline.
I decided to just buy the Mockus book. I also finally bought Deep Listening. I figure I should actually own books by or about Pauline Oliveros. They're going to become a big part of me the next three years, and I'd like to be able to mark up the books and keep the bibliographies.
I'm also curious about attending one of Oliveros's Deep Listening Workshops. It doesn't look like they had any since early 2014, so I wonder if I've missed my opportunity. I'll probably have to (*shudder*) call the guy in charge and figure out how I could possibly get a personal one here at BYU (with school funding, of course).
There's actually a lot of funding and such that I should be considering. I can probably do a lot of the travelling at my own expense. A drive down to San Diego or a plane ticket to Houston isn't bad. But I'd like to have stuff paid for by the school if I can get it. I'd also like to work on having Pauline Oliveros come out HERE to BYU. Wouldn't that be cool? I've got about a year and a half to make stuff happen. Better get down to it.
I was the only one to show up for class today in Classical Seminar, so it was cancelled.
We discussed Anthony Braxton's use of symbols as notation for improvisation in 20th-Century Counterpoint today, and were given the assignment to write a piece using this notation. I am excited, because I want to extend the technique one step further using colors.
Tuesday, March 3, 2015
What I'm Reading: Sounding Out
Today I begin a new book:
Mockus, Martha. Sounding Out: Pauline Oliveros and Lesbian Musicality. New York and London: Routledge, Taylor and Francis Group, 2008.
This oughta be good.
It's due back on March 16, which gives me 13 days or so to read it. 5 chapters (excluding the introduction) means I need to read about half a chapter a day. 172 pages means about 13 pages a day.
This is going to be an intense regimen. But I'll be reading about lesbians, which means it'll go by quickly, I hope.
Mockus, Martha. Sounding Out: Pauline Oliveros and Lesbian Musicality. New York and London: Routledge, Taylor and Francis Group, 2008.
This oughta be good.
It's due back on March 16, which gives me 13 days or so to read it. 5 chapters (excluding the introduction) means I need to read about half a chapter a day. 172 pages means about 13 pages a day.
This is going to be an intense regimen. But I'll be reading about lesbians, which means it'll go by quickly, I hope.
Wednesday, February 18, 2015
Daily Log: February 18, 2015
Aaaaaaaaaand I'm back!
My regiment has been... well, off. Mainly because I've been putting all of my focus into compiling my notes for my Haydn paper, and now I'm correcting midterm essays for 302. I'd really like to create a post about how to become a better writer about music. I think my students need that.
Once I finish correcting 302 essays, I suspect things will start getting back to normal. I've learned not to try and do them all in one sitting, and to double check my scoring before I make their grades official.
In the meantime, we've studied Mozart and Beethoven in 302, and we finished up Haydn's London Symphony in 604. 20th Century Counterpoint has led us through a whirlwind of sound mass pieces, including lots of Ligeti's "micropolyphonic" techniques.
I then composed a short work using those techniques. I'll post about that some other time as well.
As far as my Oliveros research is concerned, I'm slowly working my way through von Gunden. I should probably start some of my other books that I have checked out before they're due at the library. And I've gotten my hands on a lot of sheet music.
LaRue... meh, I read a little bit of a chapter the other day.
I have a good idea about the kinds of points I'd like to address in my Haydn paper. The hard part now is figuring out what order to present them in. Do I want to discuss Haydn's background as a Freemason first, or do I want to just jump right into the music and explain his possible motivations for the choices he made later? Hmmm...
I did make some progress on Goethe poetry the other day. And I translated a source from German to English for my Haydn paper. It wasn't a very helpful source, however, so it felt like a slight waste of time.
A couple of important accomplishments:
1. Dr. Johnson wants to use portions of my Mussorgsky paper as a sample for his future students in 605. What an honor!
2. My piece "For Five Bodies" is probably going to be performed at the Salt Lake Library for their Concert Series called 12 Minutes Max. This is kind of important.
My regiment has been... well, off. Mainly because I've been putting all of my focus into compiling my notes for my Haydn paper, and now I'm correcting midterm essays for 302. I'd really like to create a post about how to become a better writer about music. I think my students need that.
Once I finish correcting 302 essays, I suspect things will start getting back to normal. I've learned not to try and do them all in one sitting, and to double check my scoring before I make their grades official.
In the meantime, we've studied Mozart and Beethoven in 302, and we finished up Haydn's London Symphony in 604. 20th Century Counterpoint has led us through a whirlwind of sound mass pieces, including lots of Ligeti's "micropolyphonic" techniques.
I then composed a short work using those techniques. I'll post about that some other time as well.
As far as my Oliveros research is concerned, I'm slowly working my way through von Gunden. I should probably start some of my other books that I have checked out before they're due at the library. And I've gotten my hands on a lot of sheet music.
LaRue... meh, I read a little bit of a chapter the other day.
I have a good idea about the kinds of points I'd like to address in my Haydn paper. The hard part now is figuring out what order to present them in. Do I want to discuss Haydn's background as a Freemason first, or do I want to just jump right into the music and explain his possible motivations for the choices he made later? Hmmm...
I did make some progress on Goethe poetry the other day. And I translated a source from German to English for my Haydn paper. It wasn't a very helpful source, however, so it felt like a slight waste of time.
A couple of important accomplishments:
1. Dr. Johnson wants to use portions of my Mussorgsky paper as a sample for his future students in 605. What an honor!
2. My piece "For Five Bodies" is probably going to be performed at the Salt Lake Library for their Concert Series called 12 Minutes Max. This is kind of important.
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