Aloha, friends!
Ok, so, I'm aware that "Aloha" isn't the proper greeting for the place I'm going to be spending the next few days in with the good ol' Cornhusker Marching Band, but still. Orlando, Florida has no official greeting that I'm aware of, so Aloha it shall be.
Oh, by the way, I'm going to be in Orlando for the remainder of 2011.
For those of you who didn't know, I play Alto Sax in the Cornhusker Marching Band. It's pretty cool, and pretty fun... And it'll probably be my last year doing it.
I'm a bit sad, but I had a crazy, busy, stressful semester last semester, trying to juggle the obligations between my two completely unrelated majors, and that + all the hours marching band consumes= a very tired, stressed out, Caitlin. I love it, don't get me wrong, but I have so much to do that trying out next year is going to be an impossibility I'm afraid.
I won't miss getting up early in the mornings, that's for sure, but my gamedays will almost definitely be a bitter letdown from how fun they were to watch from the band.
But, on to happier things, I'm going to be Orlando for the remainder of 2011!!!!
I get to spend that magical midnight moment that changes the year from 2011 to 2012 in Universal Studios, which is pretty exciting.
Don't worry, I'll try to toast the New Year with a Butterbeer for all of you. (:
Now, I have some packing to finish, and some sleep to be getting. It's going to be a long trip.
Song of the day that seems appropriate for travel and the mood I'm in about the place I get to go to: Daylight by Matt & Kim. The upbeat piano part is something you all might recognize from a few commercials, but if not, it's just a really great song. The music video is another one worth watching if you want a smile, even though this song will probably already have you grinning.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WgBeu3FVi60
I'm not sure if I'm bringing my laptop to Orlando yet... So if not, Happy New Year everyone, and catch you in 2012.
Don't worry, I'll be sure to write about my adventures next year.
With love,
Gilmore
Thursday, December 29, 2011
The Stunning Sequel to my Story of Serendipity
Ahoy, mateys!
So, here's the continuation of that super-long post about how I came to be a composer. I'll start with my Junior year of high school.
After doing some songwriting as a Sophomore, I was still convinced that I wanted to be on Broadway, as much as I loved this new thing I seemed to have a knack for. Junior year came, and I found out about this thing called Nebraska Young Artist's awards. So, I tried out on saxophone and... Composition. I was still a bit confused about it, but I'd written some things for piano, and thought I might try sending them in... And turns out my crappy recording of my saxophone solo didn't get me the award, but my composition, where I'd never had a lesson, training, or even a clue of what I was doing, won. I was a bit shocked. I was even more stunned when I found out I was 1 of 3 people to win the award, after hundreds of auditionees in the state.
Yeah, like I said, I really didn't have a clue.
Senior year came, and for scholarships, I tried out with voice and composition at UNL, and voice, composition, and jazz saxophone at Hillsdale College (I also had a jazz voice audition with Harvard, but it was way too expensive so I didn't even consider it). I applied to about 5 schools, Drake, Harvard, Northwestern University, Hillsdale, and UNL. Hillsdale and UNL gave me the best scholarships, and I had the most difficult decision I'd ever made in my life trying to choose between the two schools. Because I'm incredibly anal, I made a spreadsheet comparing the pros and cons of each school, and... The points were completely tied. Hillsdale wanted me to be the lead singer of their faculty jazz band. UNL's voice auditions herded me through like cattle, and all I could do was my classical repertoire. Hillsdale let me have an interview with all 3 of the music departments I made it into... UNL only gave me an interview with the composition department. However, UNL gave me even more scholarships than Hillsdale did after my composition interview, and Hillsdale literally made up a scholarship to give me. What decided me was that composition interview at UNL, and Dr. Damon Lee's filmscoring class. Dr. Lee let me sit in on his class for music majors, and I realized that this wasn't only something I could see myself doing reasonably well at, but something I'd really enjoy doing.
Oh God, and my interview! That's a pretty entertaining story, especially for any musicians that might be chancing upon this. Dr. Lee and Dr. Richards had my scores, and asked me if I could play the music I wrote. Until I got to UNL, I'd only ever composed music for myself to play, so I said, "Of course I can!" After (let's be honest, I was embellishing a lot and showing off) I played the music, they covered up the piano and started to play intervals and asking me to identify them. Well, I'd never taken a music theory class in my life, and had no idea about the difference between augmented, diminished, minor, and major intervals and what classified what as each of them... So, I warned them and they said "Just give the number." So, they sat there playing the intervals, and I distinctly recall what I named them. "The 7th that's flat. A sharp 4th. Er... A half step. A major chord with a flat 9?" Turns out, I got all of them correct, even with my... Atypical naming system.
And so, I finally decided to come to UNL. I actually felt so bad about not going to Hillsdale (they REALLY wanted me. Aside from making up a vocal jazz scholarship for the first time in the school's 100+ year history, they gave me an accounting scholarship (ha!) and a scholarship that I'm pretty sure was actually supposed to be for boys...) that I wrote an apology letter to all the people who tried to get me to go to school there. There are some days where I regret my decision, but most days I'm pretty happy with my choice.
Especially now, that my semester project is done. Also, I think I'm going to get to sing with either UNL's big band or the Jazz Orchestra next semester, which is amazing. I'd thought I'd given up an opportunity like that forever when I turned down Hillsdale, but Dr. Richards asked me to sing with one of the ensembles, which is a HUGE honor that I'm still extremely grateful for. PLUS, I get to pick the song, the key, and I get to arrange it!!! (: I've never written for so many instruments before, but I'm sure with Dr.'s Lee and Richards helping me, I'll be able to get something decent out there.
So there's my pretty long story about how I stumbled upon a talent I didn't know I had, and how I know that if my life were the best ever, I'd get to make a living doing this for the rest of my life.
Today's song of the day: My Body by Young the Giant. This has been one of my favorites since early this summer, and I listen to it almost every day and can never get sick of it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQYpF2pCkLI&ob=av2e
If you like this, I highly recommend getting the album. Every song in it is absolutely fantastic.
That's all for meow.
With love,
Gilmore
So, here's the continuation of that super-long post about how I came to be a composer. I'll start with my Junior year of high school.
After doing some songwriting as a Sophomore, I was still convinced that I wanted to be on Broadway, as much as I loved this new thing I seemed to have a knack for. Junior year came, and I found out about this thing called Nebraska Young Artist's awards. So, I tried out on saxophone and... Composition. I was still a bit confused about it, but I'd written some things for piano, and thought I might try sending them in... And turns out my crappy recording of my saxophone solo didn't get me the award, but my composition, where I'd never had a lesson, training, or even a clue of what I was doing, won. I was a bit shocked. I was even more stunned when I found out I was 1 of 3 people to win the award, after hundreds of auditionees in the state.
Yeah, like I said, I really didn't have a clue.
Senior year came, and for scholarships, I tried out with voice and composition at UNL, and voice, composition, and jazz saxophone at Hillsdale College (I also had a jazz voice audition with Harvard, but it was way too expensive so I didn't even consider it). I applied to about 5 schools, Drake, Harvard, Northwestern University, Hillsdale, and UNL. Hillsdale and UNL gave me the best scholarships, and I had the most difficult decision I'd ever made in my life trying to choose between the two schools. Because I'm incredibly anal, I made a spreadsheet comparing the pros and cons of each school, and... The points were completely tied. Hillsdale wanted me to be the lead singer of their faculty jazz band. UNL's voice auditions herded me through like cattle, and all I could do was my classical repertoire. Hillsdale let me have an interview with all 3 of the music departments I made it into... UNL only gave me an interview with the composition department. However, UNL gave me even more scholarships than Hillsdale did after my composition interview, and Hillsdale literally made up a scholarship to give me. What decided me was that composition interview at UNL, and Dr. Damon Lee's filmscoring class. Dr. Lee let me sit in on his class for music majors, and I realized that this wasn't only something I could see myself doing reasonably well at, but something I'd really enjoy doing.
Oh God, and my interview! That's a pretty entertaining story, especially for any musicians that might be chancing upon this. Dr. Lee and Dr. Richards had my scores, and asked me if I could play the music I wrote. Until I got to UNL, I'd only ever composed music for myself to play, so I said, "Of course I can!" After (let's be honest, I was embellishing a lot and showing off) I played the music, they covered up the piano and started to play intervals and asking me to identify them. Well, I'd never taken a music theory class in my life, and had no idea about the difference between augmented, diminished, minor, and major intervals and what classified what as each of them... So, I warned them and they said "Just give the number." So, they sat there playing the intervals, and I distinctly recall what I named them. "The 7th that's flat. A sharp 4th. Er... A half step. A major chord with a flat 9?" Turns out, I got all of them correct, even with my... Atypical naming system.
And so, I finally decided to come to UNL. I actually felt so bad about not going to Hillsdale (they REALLY wanted me. Aside from making up a vocal jazz scholarship for the first time in the school's 100+ year history, they gave me an accounting scholarship (ha!) and a scholarship that I'm pretty sure was actually supposed to be for boys...) that I wrote an apology letter to all the people who tried to get me to go to school there. There are some days where I regret my decision, but most days I'm pretty happy with my choice.
Especially now, that my semester project is done. Also, I think I'm going to get to sing with either UNL's big band or the Jazz Orchestra next semester, which is amazing. I'd thought I'd given up an opportunity like that forever when I turned down Hillsdale, but Dr. Richards asked me to sing with one of the ensembles, which is a HUGE honor that I'm still extremely grateful for. PLUS, I get to pick the song, the key, and I get to arrange it!!! (: I've never written for so many instruments before, but I'm sure with Dr.'s Lee and Richards helping me, I'll be able to get something decent out there.
So there's my pretty long story about how I stumbled upon a talent I didn't know I had, and how I know that if my life were the best ever, I'd get to make a living doing this for the rest of my life.
Today's song of the day: My Body by Young the Giant. This has been one of my favorites since early this summer, and I listen to it almost every day and can never get sick of it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQYpF2pCkLI&ob=av2e
If you like this, I highly recommend getting the album. Every song in it is absolutely fantastic.
That's all for meow.
With love,
Gilmore
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
"Stumble Upon."
Hey there, ladies and gentlemen...
I was talking with my mom the other day about how funny it was that I decided to be a composer in the first place. Looking back, I didn't really find the window of opportunity to be a composer... I more or less stumbled until I smacked my head against it.
If you had told me my freshman year of high school that I would someday start composing and write a full-length work for cello and piano, I might have laughed at you. I never imagined music taking me down this path.
Entering my freshman year of high school, I didn't really take music that seriously. I mean, I didn't imagine myself majoring in it or wanting a career in it. It was just something I enjoyed and was reasonably talented at. I played Annie in the musical Annie in middle school, sang the national anthem for the college world series when I was 11, but I was never enrolled in a choir class throughout any of that time. I was the (first) alto saxophonist to make our high school's symphonic band, sure, but it would probably surprise a bunch of people to know that I had no interest in being in choir or speech team at the beginning of freshman year. So, I wasn't.
Later on as a freshman, I got recruited by the speech teacher (which was a required class, but he was also the speech team coach) to be a member, and I fell in love with Humorous Prose. For all you non-forensics geeks, it's basically the only event in which my proclivity for using strange accents, voices, and sound-effects was not only accepted, but highly encouraged. It's a 10-minute, memorized, 1 Act comical play in which the speaker plays all of the characters.
After making the musical my freshman year, managing to win quite a few prizes at speech, and getting the lead role for the spring play (against quite a few upperclassmen), I got it into my head that I wanted to be on Broadway. I was winning quite a few prizes at speech in an acting event, plus, I got the lead role in the play as a freshman. Something that is still rather unheard of at Columbus High School. With all this, I thought my chances would be as reasonable as anyone else's, plus, I'd been in dance since I was 4 years old, so I really had the bases covered between singing, acting, and dancing.
This news made my parents a bit unhappy, because, until the end of that year, I'd been convinced for all my life through middle school that I was going to be a Veterinarian. It isn't that my parents didn't want me following my dreams, but being a Vet is a much more sustainable career than trying to make it as a Broadway star. We made a compromise, I would go to college studying Pre-Vet, go to grad school in Chicago or New York, and while doing that, I could wait tables, audition, and get my vet degree. I'd take a year or so off to really focus on auditioning, and if it didn't work out, go on to being a Vet with a decent starting salary and some interesting stories and experiences under my belt.
This plan stayed on course even during my sophomore year, even when I started songwriting.
For my non-musical friends out there, there are quite a few differences between composing and songwriting:
A songwriter might pick a few chords (as I did, on piano not guitar, since I can't play guitar), write some lyrics, and maybe put the chord names above the lyrics to have a general idea of what should be played where, with the accompanying line mostly improvised by the performer. These are usually referred to as lead sheets. They're also used by jazz musicians. I still do this from time to time, and also do this when I'm doing some quick arrangements for me to sing along to on the piano.
A composer, on the other hand... Has a lot more work cut out for them. See, if you're writing for other people (who aren't jazz musicians); the general rule is that they dislike it when you don't give them clear directions on what to do. Give a classical pianist lead sheets and expect them to play the exact same thing every time, and you'll probably get some dirty looks to say the least. Give a violinist some lead sheets... Well, never mind, I vow to keep this a profanity free blog, and all of my examples of what a violinist would probably say after being expected to play from lead sheets involve expletives. In other words, composers must write exactly what they want to happen while their music is being played, or it won't happen at all. This is rather arduous and time-consuming, and requires a good ear among many other skills.
So, I started out songwriting my sophomore year. I liked it; people told me my songs were pretty good. So I kept doing this until my junior year...
Where you'll have to stay tuned, because scrolling through what I've written so far, this post ended up being far longer than I intended.
Like Ryan Seacrest during American Idol, I want to keep you in suspense so you have to see what comes next. He gets paid for making everything into a cryptic, cliffhanger ending, and, though I'm no writer, I'm going to take a crack at it. Even though I completely broke the fourth wall by explaining why I'm doing all this, so I'm probably doing it incorrectly. Oh well.
With love,
Gilmore
P.S. Song of the day: Sail by AWOLNATION. No, I'm not yelling at you, the band name is in all caps. The music video is worth watching, too. It's super passionate and deep, and I dig the style. It's a bit of a departure from my normal type of music, but I love it nonetheless.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gH2efAcmBQM&ob=av2e
I was talking with my mom the other day about how funny it was that I decided to be a composer in the first place. Looking back, I didn't really find the window of opportunity to be a composer... I more or less stumbled until I smacked my head against it.
If you had told me my freshman year of high school that I would someday start composing and write a full-length work for cello and piano, I might have laughed at you. I never imagined music taking me down this path.
Entering my freshman year of high school, I didn't really take music that seriously. I mean, I didn't imagine myself majoring in it or wanting a career in it. It was just something I enjoyed and was reasonably talented at. I played Annie in the musical Annie in middle school, sang the national anthem for the college world series when I was 11, but I was never enrolled in a choir class throughout any of that time. I was the (first) alto saxophonist to make our high school's symphonic band, sure, but it would probably surprise a bunch of people to know that I had no interest in being in choir or speech team at the beginning of freshman year. So, I wasn't.
Later on as a freshman, I got recruited by the speech teacher (which was a required class, but he was also the speech team coach) to be a member, and I fell in love with Humorous Prose. For all you non-forensics geeks, it's basically the only event in which my proclivity for using strange accents, voices, and sound-effects was not only accepted, but highly encouraged. It's a 10-minute, memorized, 1 Act comical play in which the speaker plays all of the characters.
After making the musical my freshman year, managing to win quite a few prizes at speech, and getting the lead role for the spring play (against quite a few upperclassmen), I got it into my head that I wanted to be on Broadway. I was winning quite a few prizes at speech in an acting event, plus, I got the lead role in the play as a freshman. Something that is still rather unheard of at Columbus High School. With all this, I thought my chances would be as reasonable as anyone else's, plus, I'd been in dance since I was 4 years old, so I really had the bases covered between singing, acting, and dancing.
This news made my parents a bit unhappy, because, until the end of that year, I'd been convinced for all my life through middle school that I was going to be a Veterinarian. It isn't that my parents didn't want me following my dreams, but being a Vet is a much more sustainable career than trying to make it as a Broadway star. We made a compromise, I would go to college studying Pre-Vet, go to grad school in Chicago or New York, and while doing that, I could wait tables, audition, and get my vet degree. I'd take a year or so off to really focus on auditioning, and if it didn't work out, go on to being a Vet with a decent starting salary and some interesting stories and experiences under my belt.
This plan stayed on course even during my sophomore year, even when I started songwriting.
For my non-musical friends out there, there are quite a few differences between composing and songwriting:
A songwriter might pick a few chords (as I did, on piano not guitar, since I can't play guitar), write some lyrics, and maybe put the chord names above the lyrics to have a general idea of what should be played where, with the accompanying line mostly improvised by the performer. These are usually referred to as lead sheets. They're also used by jazz musicians. I still do this from time to time, and also do this when I'm doing some quick arrangements for me to sing along to on the piano.
A composer, on the other hand... Has a lot more work cut out for them. See, if you're writing for other people (who aren't jazz musicians); the general rule is that they dislike it when you don't give them clear directions on what to do. Give a classical pianist lead sheets and expect them to play the exact same thing every time, and you'll probably get some dirty looks to say the least. Give a violinist some lead sheets... Well, never mind, I vow to keep this a profanity free blog, and all of my examples of what a violinist would probably say after being expected to play from lead sheets involve expletives. In other words, composers must write exactly what they want to happen while their music is being played, or it won't happen at all. This is rather arduous and time-consuming, and requires a good ear among many other skills.
So, I started out songwriting my sophomore year. I liked it; people told me my songs were pretty good. So I kept doing this until my junior year...
Where you'll have to stay tuned, because scrolling through what I've written so far, this post ended up being far longer than I intended.
Like Ryan Seacrest during American Idol, I want to keep you in suspense so you have to see what comes next. He gets paid for making everything into a cryptic, cliffhanger ending, and, though I'm no writer, I'm going to take a crack at it. Even though I completely broke the fourth wall by explaining why I'm doing all this, so I'm probably doing it incorrectly. Oh well.
With love,
Gilmore
P.S. Song of the day: Sail by AWOLNATION. No, I'm not yelling at you, the band name is in all caps. The music video is worth watching, too. It's super passionate and deep, and I dig the style. It's a bit of a departure from my normal type of music, but I love it nonetheless.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gH2efAcmBQM&ob=av2e
Monday, December 26, 2011
Bad, Busy Blogger.
Hello, friends!
So... I've been a bad blogger. I know. And I'm sorry my postings are so irregular.
To fill you in on my life these past two months:
November:
Was a sleep-deprived blur that I honestly can't remember very well. What I do know now is that sleeping an average of 2.5 hours a night is very bad for you, and it does NOT do much for your memory.
To my knowledge, there weren't many incredibly notable events, but I know that it was rather stressful and I'm grateful to my wonderful friends who got me through it. I don't know where I'd be without them.
Oh, wait! The second movement of my piece was finished at some point during this month. It is entitled "Flamenco-ish."
December:
This month, I do remember a little better.
Finals were... Crazy. I got A's on all of them except for one (which, as a perfectionist, will probably nag at me for the rest of my college career, but oh well), and I got an A on my semester project (my piece. You know, the one I'd pretty much devoted my entire life to and lived in?)
But on finishing the piece...
"Three 'Span-ish' Dance-ish" was finally completely finished about 12 hours before it was due. The rollercoaster ride I went through while writing it was tremendous, as this was really my first full-length work. I've written single songs before plenty of times, sure, but I've never done a work that lasts about 11 minutes like this one does. It was definitely the biggest crowning moment of my musical career to date.
There were times, when writing it where I felt like I wanted to give up being a composer, because it is really freaking difficult. And there were plenty of times that I wanted to give up because I was convinced I wasn't good enough, where I'd have 2-week long writer's block, where I'd thought that I was hopeless and would never be able to finish a piece this large. But thanks to my wonderful friends, some fantastic professors, and an awesome lessons teacher, I was able to come to terms with me actually being sort of decent at this whole composing thing.
Now, after trying it for a semester (and I mean actually being a composer instead of someone who would occasionally write a song and scribble down the outline of it really quick most of the time because she was too lazy to notate anything...), I'm convinced beyond a doubt that if my life were perfect, I would be able to make a sustainable living doing this. However, since life isn't perfect and you need to be prepared for the worst... I'm still sticking with my Pre-Vet major, because there are a lot of other talented composers out there, too. However, I AM also minoring in Music Tech, which might actually get me some other types of jobs if this doesn't work out, so... We'll see. Ideally, I'll be able to keep all 3 of these things up, because I'll really be getting the most bang out of my buck from that Regents scholarship I worked my butt off through high school to get.
So now, I've got a complete work on my hands. The whole of it is entitled "Three 'Span-ish' Dance-ish." The first movement is named "Tango-ish," the second is called "Flamenco-ish", and the third is entitled "Paso Doble-ish."
Thank you to everyone who helped me survive the semester. I love you all, and you all know who you are. I really have the best kind of people in my life, and I'm eternally grateful to all of you.
With love,
Gilmore
P.S. Today's song of the day (I think this is becoming a trademark) is Stay or Leave by Dave Matthews Band. The Live at Radio City version with Tim Reynolds is my personal favorite, which you can look up on Spotify, or go to this YouTube link. (Be forwarned, I think it skips about 5 seconds in the middle from the YouTube version.)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2p_yNPBKVE
So... I've been a bad blogger. I know. And I'm sorry my postings are so irregular.
To fill you in on my life these past two months:
November:
Was a sleep-deprived blur that I honestly can't remember very well. What I do know now is that sleeping an average of 2.5 hours a night is very bad for you, and it does NOT do much for your memory.
To my knowledge, there weren't many incredibly notable events, but I know that it was rather stressful and I'm grateful to my wonderful friends who got me through it. I don't know where I'd be without them.
Oh, wait! The second movement of my piece was finished at some point during this month. It is entitled "Flamenco-ish."
December:
This month, I do remember a little better.
Finals were... Crazy. I got A's on all of them except for one (which, as a perfectionist, will probably nag at me for the rest of my college career, but oh well), and I got an A on my semester project (my piece. You know, the one I'd pretty much devoted my entire life to and lived in?)
But on finishing the piece...
"Three 'Span-ish' Dance-ish" was finally completely finished about 12 hours before it was due. The rollercoaster ride I went through while writing it was tremendous, as this was really my first full-length work. I've written single songs before plenty of times, sure, but I've never done a work that lasts about 11 minutes like this one does. It was definitely the biggest crowning moment of my musical career to date.
There were times, when writing it where I felt like I wanted to give up being a composer, because it is really freaking difficult. And there were plenty of times that I wanted to give up because I was convinced I wasn't good enough, where I'd have 2-week long writer's block, where I'd thought that I was hopeless and would never be able to finish a piece this large. But thanks to my wonderful friends, some fantastic professors, and an awesome lessons teacher, I was able to come to terms with me actually being sort of decent at this whole composing thing.
Now, after trying it for a semester (and I mean actually being a composer instead of someone who would occasionally write a song and scribble down the outline of it really quick most of the time because she was too lazy to notate anything...), I'm convinced beyond a doubt that if my life were perfect, I would be able to make a sustainable living doing this. However, since life isn't perfect and you need to be prepared for the worst... I'm still sticking with my Pre-Vet major, because there are a lot of other talented composers out there, too. However, I AM also minoring in Music Tech, which might actually get me some other types of jobs if this doesn't work out, so... We'll see. Ideally, I'll be able to keep all 3 of these things up, because I'll really be getting the most bang out of my buck from that Regents scholarship I worked my butt off through high school to get.
So now, I've got a complete work on my hands. The whole of it is entitled "Three 'Span-ish' Dance-ish." The first movement is named "Tango-ish," the second is called "Flamenco-ish", and the third is entitled "Paso Doble-ish."
Thank you to everyone who helped me survive the semester. I love you all, and you all know who you are. I really have the best kind of people in my life, and I'm eternally grateful to all of you.
With love,
Gilmore
P.S. Today's song of the day (I think this is becoming a trademark) is Stay or Leave by Dave Matthews Band. The Live at Radio City version with Tim Reynolds is my personal favorite, which you can look up on Spotify, or go to this YouTube link. (Be forwarned, I think it skips about 5 seconds in the middle from the YouTube version.)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2p_yNPBKVE
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Boring.
Hola, interwebberz!
I know this shouldn't be something to be proud of, because I should be posting more frequently anyway, but it's only been a little over a week since my last post, and that means my life isn't so crazy after this lovely weekend. Granted, I have an exam on Tuesday that I haven't even begun to study for, but still. Life can't be perfect.
Things are going pretty well I would say, the first movement of my piece, Tango-ish (premiering on Nov. 3 at 730, Westbrook room 119 (coughcoughnudgenudgehinthint)) is completely finished and was sent to my performers this week. This makes Caitlin a very happy person.
Just writing to let everyone know that my life is going pretty well. Sorry this post is so boring, but a pile of homework beckons my name, and I honestly don't have much more to say.
Song of the day: Sometime Around Midnight by The Airborne Toxic Event
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UYPoMjR6-Ao
Thanks for reading!
With love,
Gilmore
I know this shouldn't be something to be proud of, because I should be posting more frequently anyway, but it's only been a little over a week since my last post, and that means my life isn't so crazy after this lovely weekend. Granted, I have an exam on Tuesday that I haven't even begun to study for, but still. Life can't be perfect.
Things are going pretty well I would say, the first movement of my piece, Tango-ish (premiering on Nov. 3 at 730, Westbrook room 119 (coughcoughnudgenudgehinthint)) is completely finished and was sent to my performers this week. This makes Caitlin a very happy person.
Just writing to let everyone know that my life is going pretty well. Sorry this post is so boring, but a pile of homework beckons my name, and I honestly don't have much more to say.
Song of the day: Sometime Around Midnight by The Airborne Toxic Event
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UYPoMjR6-Ao
Thanks for reading!
With love,
Gilmore
Saturday, October 15, 2011
Typical College Life?
Hello internet friends!
So, I realize that I haven't been nearly as dillegent about this blog as I told myself I would be. Maybe after marching band is over, I will gain the semblance of a normal life and be able to write more. I know this has been long in coming, so I again apologize to all the readers that have been telling me to post more.
Well, it is now fall break (huzzah!), and I am going to be headed home to Columbus within the next 2 hours. This is probably for the better, I've only been home once and am starting to miss my friends and family and dogs again, so this break couldn't have come soon enough. For those of you who I might not get to hang out with over break, I apologize, but I have a huge compositional deadline to meet, and plan on being antisocial after today.
Sitting here on my couch in my dorm room, I've been thinking about some things. Namely, the fact that people are liars.
I was told that when I arrived at college I would:
1) Have so much free time.
2) Not have to pull an all-nighter until semester exams.
3) Get to skip classes occasionally.
4) Get really sick of campus about a week before fall break.
5) Not make as many friends because I opted to live in Knoll vs. the traditional style dorms.
6) Eat so much and have a hard time keeping off my freshman 15.
7) Eat nothing but pizza for about a week.
I am sure there are various other things that belong on that list that aren't on there, but I'm a bit groggy from an entire week of extreme sleep deprivation, so please forgive my lack of recall.
I'm going to disprove every single one of the above in the next list. Get ready.
1) HA. HAHAHA. HA. Free time? That is the biggest joke I've ever heard in my life. Double major, marching band... Free time is as elusive to me as unicorns are.
2) Already took care of that one this week. Gee, I sure do love it when professors run their classes on the basis that you have nothing else to do.
3) I don't know how or why this happened, but all of my classes are partially graded on attendance of said classes. So even when I'm really stressed and would LOVE to skip ONE time so I can get more stuff done, I can't. Yay me.
4) Truthfully, even though I've been rather stressed out lately, I'm not sick of campus at all. I love how much there is to do here, I'm never bored, and my mind is always engaged. I feel like I'm really learning things here, unlike high school where everything was far too easy.
5) In fact, I probably have a larger network of new friends than many kids who live in Abel or HSS or any of the other traditional style dorms... This probably has a lot to do with marching band and being a music major, but, seriously? Come on folks, I'm a social creature. Making friends is not that difficult for me. Plus, as social as I am, it's nice to go back to the quieter atmosphere of my dorm, and have a living room, full sized fridge and bathroom to boot. So I'm actually EXTREMELY happy with my decision.
6) I hardly have time to eat at all some days. So, a combination of stress, not eating, marching band, and running around campus has actually made me lose about 7 pounds. Yay!
7) I've actually only had one slice of pizza since I've been on campus, and I've gotta say, it isn't really that great.
I don't know if disproving all of these general rules makes my college experience atypical, but I wouldn't trade it for anything. Well, ok, I'd trade it for the same with less stress, but you can't have everything I suppose. The plan on Sunday and part of Monday is to get all the assignments with extended due dates done all at once, and to finish composing the first movement of my duet for cello and piano.
On a side note, this movement will be premiering on Wednesday, November 2 here in Lincoln. You all should try to go, it will be a fantastic concert of great music written by myself and my fellow composition majors.
I've also realized something rather recently. This past Monday, Columbus' mens choir came to Lincoln for the men's choral festival. It was great to see all of my friends.... But I now know the reason I was voted least conforming in the senior class. I had a general idea before I left, but being here has made me realize how completely and totally different I am from almost everybody there. This isn't a bad thing, not at all, but it sure explains a lot.
This period of self-inflection also makes me realize this: I'm actually rather happy with my life right now. I'm always stressed out, and my friend Sarah Ebner knows that my love life situation is... Less than ideal. (That is a story not for the internet. In case you haven't noticed, I don't even have my relationship status on Facebook, because I believe that it's nobody's business but mine.) But despite that and the stress, everything else is great. I've made some really awesome friends since I've been here, and although I occasionally have to trade sleep for social life, I find that it's well worth it. College has been rather good to me, and I'm much happier now than I EVER was in Columbus. Something about that town actually really depresses me, but I'm not going to say exactly why at the risk of offending anybody besides my current readers who happen to stumble upon this.
Unrelated note, my song of the day is this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e2J-0EtsCpo
It's entitled Rivers and Roads, and is by a band called The Head and the Heart. I've actually recently done an arrangement of this one, and it helps me get through the more stressful and crappy of days.
Well, that's everything on my mind right now, thanks for reading!
With love,
Gilmore
So, I realize that I haven't been nearly as dillegent about this blog as I told myself I would be. Maybe after marching band is over, I will gain the semblance of a normal life and be able to write more. I know this has been long in coming, so I again apologize to all the readers that have been telling me to post more.
Well, it is now fall break (huzzah!), and I am going to be headed home to Columbus within the next 2 hours. This is probably for the better, I've only been home once and am starting to miss my friends and family and dogs again, so this break couldn't have come soon enough. For those of you who I might not get to hang out with over break, I apologize, but I have a huge compositional deadline to meet, and plan on being antisocial after today.
Sitting here on my couch in my dorm room, I've been thinking about some things. Namely, the fact that people are liars.
I was told that when I arrived at college I would:
1) Have so much free time.
2) Not have to pull an all-nighter until semester exams.
3) Get to skip classes occasionally.
4) Get really sick of campus about a week before fall break.
5) Not make as many friends because I opted to live in Knoll vs. the traditional style dorms.
6) Eat so much and have a hard time keeping off my freshman 15.
7) Eat nothing but pizza for about a week.
I am sure there are various other things that belong on that list that aren't on there, but I'm a bit groggy from an entire week of extreme sleep deprivation, so please forgive my lack of recall.
I'm going to disprove every single one of the above in the next list. Get ready.
1) HA. HAHAHA. HA. Free time? That is the biggest joke I've ever heard in my life. Double major, marching band... Free time is as elusive to me as unicorns are.
2) Already took care of that one this week. Gee, I sure do love it when professors run their classes on the basis that you have nothing else to do.
3) I don't know how or why this happened, but all of my classes are partially graded on attendance of said classes. So even when I'm really stressed and would LOVE to skip ONE time so I can get more stuff done, I can't. Yay me.
4) Truthfully, even though I've been rather stressed out lately, I'm not sick of campus at all. I love how much there is to do here, I'm never bored, and my mind is always engaged. I feel like I'm really learning things here, unlike high school where everything was far too easy.
5) In fact, I probably have a larger network of new friends than many kids who live in Abel or HSS or any of the other traditional style dorms... This probably has a lot to do with marching band and being a music major, but, seriously? Come on folks, I'm a social creature. Making friends is not that difficult for me. Plus, as social as I am, it's nice to go back to the quieter atmosphere of my dorm, and have a living room, full sized fridge and bathroom to boot. So I'm actually EXTREMELY happy with my decision.
6) I hardly have time to eat at all some days. So, a combination of stress, not eating, marching band, and running around campus has actually made me lose about 7 pounds. Yay!
7) I've actually only had one slice of pizza since I've been on campus, and I've gotta say, it isn't really that great.
I don't know if disproving all of these general rules makes my college experience atypical, but I wouldn't trade it for anything. Well, ok, I'd trade it for the same with less stress, but you can't have everything I suppose. The plan on Sunday and part of Monday is to get all the assignments with extended due dates done all at once, and to finish composing the first movement of my duet for cello and piano.
On a side note, this movement will be premiering on Wednesday, November 2 here in Lincoln. You all should try to go, it will be a fantastic concert of great music written by myself and my fellow composition majors.
I've also realized something rather recently. This past Monday, Columbus' mens choir came to Lincoln for the men's choral festival. It was great to see all of my friends.... But I now know the reason I was voted least conforming in the senior class. I had a general idea before I left, but being here has made me realize how completely and totally different I am from almost everybody there. This isn't a bad thing, not at all, but it sure explains a lot.
This period of self-inflection also makes me realize this: I'm actually rather happy with my life right now. I'm always stressed out, and my friend Sarah Ebner knows that my love life situation is... Less than ideal. (That is a story not for the internet. In case you haven't noticed, I don't even have my relationship status on Facebook, because I believe that it's nobody's business but mine.) But despite that and the stress, everything else is great. I've made some really awesome friends since I've been here, and although I occasionally have to trade sleep for social life, I find that it's well worth it. College has been rather good to me, and I'm much happier now than I EVER was in Columbus. Something about that town actually really depresses me, but I'm not going to say exactly why at the risk of offending anybody besides my current readers who happen to stumble upon this.
Unrelated note, my song of the day is this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e2J-0EtsCpo
It's entitled Rivers and Roads, and is by a band called The Head and the Heart. I've actually recently done an arrangement of this one, and it helps me get through the more stressful and crappy of days.
Well, that's everything on my mind right now, thanks for reading!
With love,
Gilmore
Sunday, September 4, 2011
Lions and Tigers and... Blogs. Oh my.
Hi friends,
My Labor Day weekend has thus far, unfortunately, consisted of plenty of labor on my part. I suppose this comes with the territory of being a college student, but after a good 12 hours of homework that I'm still not finished with, I believe I have a right to whine slightly. Fortunately, I've had my good ol' sassy friend Steven to keep me company through this incredibly long Sunday. I'm going to be enjoying a movie marathon tomorrow, so hopefully that helps take some of the stress away, especially from my rather depressing Agriscience class.
As you can probably tell from the fact that there are no other posts prior to this one, this is my first post on this blog. Or any blog. I am, in fact, a blogging virgin. I don't find myself horribly interesting, but a few people (i.e. Brandon and his "Caitlin Watching Club"), seem to, so I figured that it would be a pretty good idea. I already thought myself a slight narcissist for having a Facebook account, and I've yet to have a Twitter or a Tumblr. But here I am, writing this blog in the hopes that someone will read what I have to say.
Oh, by the way, my sassy friend Steven says hi.
Alright, so, a bit about myself for those of you who don't know me that well, or who do and have nothing better to do than read this: I go by Caitlin (No variations such as Kate or Katie) or Gilmore. No, I am NOT related to the popular television show, The Gilmore Girls. I'm at the rather majestic height of 5 feet and 1 inch, have brown curly hair, green eyes... Yadayada. I'm half Chinese on my mom's side of the family, and Irish/Czech on my dad's side. Ever since I've started college at the fine institution of University of Nebraska-Lincoln, I've developed an affinity for macaroni that didn't exist prior to starting school here. I'm double majoring in Music Composition and Pre-Vet. Why, might you ask? Because I'm crazy and overly ambitious. That, and:
1) It's free.
2) The second one is so I won't go broke if the whole music thing flops. It's a pretty damn competitive business, in case you haven't noticed.
3) I also plan on taking a year or two off between college and grad school, maybe doing the whole waiting tables/starving musician thing, and seeing if I'm good/lucky enough to make it as a composer or performer in the real world. If it doesn't work out, whatever, I'll get my vet degree, but you won't catch me supersizing your fries after I'm through with the education system. Sorry.
I've noticed that my writing style tends to be a bit dry, and I'll inform you now that although this is sometimes the case with my sense of humor, I'm actually a rather cheery person. Even though getting up really early in the morning for marching band might threaten that happy disposition of mine if I'm forced to function on too little sleep.
Let's see, I'm also quite the grammar and spelling nerd, and I SWEAR nothing makes me more irritated when browsing through Facebook than seeing how people always manage to spell the word "definitely" with an 'a' in it. Drives me absolutely bonkers. If you are one of those people, stop it. Seriously.
I have quite a large collection of pet peeves and odd fears, and I'm sure you'll hear me complaining about them in later posts. But there is one that I find rather important: I absolutely detest anything going near my eyeballs. Or other peoples' eyeballs. You may think I'm kidding, but a lot of people can tell you that I am, in fact, afraid of wearing eyeliner because of it. Yeah. Go ahead and laugh, but when it pokes your eye out, you'll be sorry for your vanity then, ladies. Also, I can't watch other people put their contacts in. Which is why I'm extremely grateful for the fact that I have no vision problems of my own, but don't be surprised to see me wearing fake glasses anyway.
Another thing, I don't have very many female friends. I've never really liked other girls all that much. I have 5 girls in my life that I'm close to. That's it. I prefer spending my time with the opposite sex because,
1) They, like myself, are usually terrible at holding grudges.
2) They don't take as many things personally.
3) They're more honest. You usually don't have to go through layers of body language, hidden meanings, and other pointless things to figure out what they actually mean.
Just a little more, then I'm done with this post, I promise. Another 25 pages of AgriScience gloom and doom beckon my name.
I find that I'm a slightly older soul than some of the people my age. I have many quirks, and many flaws, and a handful of good attributes. Ella Fitzgerald is my superhero. I'm rather happy with my life right now, despite all the homework and early mornings that seem to be a part of it.
So that's it for now, my Spidey senses tell me that you're probably a bit bored with this post, thanks to its long length, and I'm thankful to those of you who stuck it out this far.
With love,
Gilmore
My Labor Day weekend has thus far, unfortunately, consisted of plenty of labor on my part. I suppose this comes with the territory of being a college student, but after a good 12 hours of homework that I'm still not finished with, I believe I have a right to whine slightly. Fortunately, I've had my good ol' sassy friend Steven to keep me company through this incredibly long Sunday. I'm going to be enjoying a movie marathon tomorrow, so hopefully that helps take some of the stress away, especially from my rather depressing Agriscience class.
As you can probably tell from the fact that there are no other posts prior to this one, this is my first post on this blog. Or any blog. I am, in fact, a blogging virgin. I don't find myself horribly interesting, but a few people (i.e. Brandon and his "Caitlin Watching Club"), seem to, so I figured that it would be a pretty good idea. I already thought myself a slight narcissist for having a Facebook account, and I've yet to have a Twitter or a Tumblr. But here I am, writing this blog in the hopes that someone will read what I have to say.
Oh, by the way, my sassy friend Steven says hi.
Alright, so, a bit about myself for those of you who don't know me that well, or who do and have nothing better to do than read this: I go by Caitlin (No variations such as Kate or Katie) or Gilmore. No, I am NOT related to the popular television show, The Gilmore Girls. I'm at the rather majestic height of 5 feet and 1 inch, have brown curly hair, green eyes... Yadayada. I'm half Chinese on my mom's side of the family, and Irish/Czech on my dad's side. Ever since I've started college at the fine institution of University of Nebraska-Lincoln, I've developed an affinity for macaroni that didn't exist prior to starting school here. I'm double majoring in Music Composition and Pre-Vet. Why, might you ask? Because I'm crazy and overly ambitious. That, and:
1) It's free.
2) The second one is so I won't go broke if the whole music thing flops. It's a pretty damn competitive business, in case you haven't noticed.
3) I also plan on taking a year or two off between college and grad school, maybe doing the whole waiting tables/starving musician thing, and seeing if I'm good/lucky enough to make it as a composer or performer in the real world. If it doesn't work out, whatever, I'll get my vet degree, but you won't catch me supersizing your fries after I'm through with the education system. Sorry.
I've noticed that my writing style tends to be a bit dry, and I'll inform you now that although this is sometimes the case with my sense of humor, I'm actually a rather cheery person. Even though getting up really early in the morning for marching band might threaten that happy disposition of mine if I'm forced to function on too little sleep.
Let's see, I'm also quite the grammar and spelling nerd, and I SWEAR nothing makes me more irritated when browsing through Facebook than seeing how people always manage to spell the word "definitely" with an 'a' in it. Drives me absolutely bonkers. If you are one of those people, stop it. Seriously.
I have quite a large collection of pet peeves and odd fears, and I'm sure you'll hear me complaining about them in later posts. But there is one that I find rather important: I absolutely detest anything going near my eyeballs. Or other peoples' eyeballs. You may think I'm kidding, but a lot of people can tell you that I am, in fact, afraid of wearing eyeliner because of it. Yeah. Go ahead and laugh, but when it pokes your eye out, you'll be sorry for your vanity then, ladies. Also, I can't watch other people put their contacts in. Which is why I'm extremely grateful for the fact that I have no vision problems of my own, but don't be surprised to see me wearing fake glasses anyway.
Another thing, I don't have very many female friends. I've never really liked other girls all that much. I have 5 girls in my life that I'm close to. That's it. I prefer spending my time with the opposite sex because,
1) They, like myself, are usually terrible at holding grudges.
2) They don't take as many things personally.
3) They're more honest. You usually don't have to go through layers of body language, hidden meanings, and other pointless things to figure out what they actually mean.
Just a little more, then I'm done with this post, I promise. Another 25 pages of AgriScience gloom and doom beckon my name.
I find that I'm a slightly older soul than some of the people my age. I have many quirks, and many flaws, and a handful of good attributes. Ella Fitzgerald is my superhero. I'm rather happy with my life right now, despite all the homework and early mornings that seem to be a part of it.
So that's it for now, my Spidey senses tell me that you're probably a bit bored with this post, thanks to its long length, and I'm thankful to those of you who stuck it out this far.
With love,
Gilmore
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