What's Next?

The semester is finally at an end, and its been one heckuva roller coaster ride. 3.900 GPA, not too bad, and it looks like I'll be applying to Northern Illinois University for the Masters degree beginning Fall 2007 and hopefully getting a Performer's Certificate from Indiana University and transferring some credits at the end of the next semester. Main reason being that the Avalon String Quartet will be moving there. It all boils down to the greenback, and I'll be exploring scholarship and assistantship possibilities there and comparing it to my current scholarship. I should mention that I am thankful for my opportunities here in South Bend, and IUSB has some great assets, especially their two new professors, Dr Muniz and Dr Kolt - if I do decide to stay here and complete my current Masters program, that's fine too. But NIU looks promising from the perspectives of having a larger student body both overall and also specifically in music... both of which I think would be a positive thing in my life right now.

There are many interesting things I've learned this semester, and I'm gonna list down some of the more interesting ones here:

I. PDQ Bach - PDQ actually stands for "Pretty Damn Quick".

II. The alto clef was actually used by altos (and by that not the elegant French version of viola, but, you know, the ones who hate sopranos but are glad all the same that they aren't the victims of soprano jokes... and blonde jokes... which are basically the same anyway...). The original scores of Bach cantatas had sopranos with the soprano clef, and the altos with the alto clef, but I suppose enventually the altos accidentally got, you know, an education, and the clef was a little unapplicable:

(That being said, true education is really about asking questions. But true violists just like to leave it at that. Answers can be troublesome little things. Like, you know, violinists.) Source of graphic: This site, and many years of experience. (Especially the experience of annoying the violinists).

Who wouldn't just dig being a violist? Not only do you get to 1. insult yourself, but 2. include sopranos in your buat lawak bodoh and 3. get away with it (see 1).

III. What's in a Name? The word "violin" did not actually come from the word "violent" (I know, I'm as surprised as you!) but rather the "in" actually acts as a prefix to "viola", meaning, "little viola". Also, the armonica is the first American-made musical instrument (by Benjamin Franklin, I think), and Aaron Copland had three heart attacks.