5 days before - Schedule

I have a schedule!

Well, sort of. I'm finally registered for classes, though I still need to check a couple things. But I'm fairly sure I know what I'm doing this semester at any rate.

Actually, I'm only taking three classes. (Well, four, if you count this week. Technically, GradSTEP is a class. But after this week, I'll be done.) On Monday nights, I'll be in a two hour class for Directed Research in music education . . . I'm not sure what this entails yet, but I assume it involves figuring out the best way to research for a thesis or a project. (Depending on what I decide to do . . . more on that later.)

On Tuesdays, I'll be in the University Choral Society. I found out to my delight that my ensemble credits do NOT have to be instrumental, like they did when I was an undergrad. I was not particularly looking forward to returning to the drama and childishness of the band audition and was hoping I would be able to join a choir. (Yes, Kaitlyn, you read correctly . . . I would rather be in a choir than a band.) Anyway, University Choral Society is a group that's open to students, faculty, and community members, and they're performing Messiah this year. So, yay for that.

On Wednesdays I don't have a class, but I do have bell choir rehearsal. I've been hired by the church I attended as an undergrad to be the bell choir director, so that'll be a little extra income coming my way. Moreover, it'll be a job I actually, you know, enjoy and am trained to do. I'm slightly wary of working jobs in which I have no training whatsoever.

On Thursdays nights, I'll be learning about History and Philosophy of music education, which means that, sadly, I won't be able to be in church choir rehearsals this year. (I'll have another Thursday night class next semester if I'm still on track.) Bill will not be happy, but that's the way it goes.

And then Fridays are free. I'm trying not to let this deceptively easy schedule lull me into a false sense of security. I know that the workload will be ridiculous. I bought a desk calender and a planner this afternoon.

At this point, I have a choice of two different directions I can go: thesis or non thesis. I don't need to make a decision quite yet, because I'll need the classes I'm taking no matter what I choose. In fact, my advisor told me that most people decide based on their directed research class what would be best for them. Basically, I have to decide whether I want to write a massive paper or do a massive project. So, we'll see.

And that's what my semester is going to be like. And it starts in five days. Almost there . . .

-Matt