random stuff

Today was the second day of rehearsals for performances at the 2010 Max Aronoff Viola Institute, and it was my second visit to my alma mater, the University of Puget Sound, located in Tacoma, WA.

It’s been twenty years since I graduated, and though quite a bit has changed around campus, much has stayed the same.  My rehearsal yesterday was held in what used to be the orchestra room (now it’s devoted to choir rehearsals and there is a new orchestra and band rehearsal space across the hall) – and it was such a surreal experience, to be in that space and to be rehearsing with one of my revered professors from when I was a student.

I walked around the campus a bit today before going in to warm up, and I was reminded of so many great experiences that happened to me at this school.  It was the perfect place for me to begin my formal musical education, and the small scale of the school made sure that I wasn’t lost in the crowd – both in the music department and in the school at large.  In addition, I was able to study many disciplines outside of music, because UPS is a liberal arts college, and there was a lot of non-musical coursework to complete.  I learned to express myself through the written word (as well as through music) largely because there was a major emphasis on writing throughout the curriculum, from beginning to end.  It was good to be back on campus, and I hope that I’ll get a chance to visit and play when school is in session one of these years.