I titled this entry with a quote from Confucius for two reasons…

-The first is that I live strongly by this idea of doing what you love. I honestly could not see myself doing anything else in the world other than music. I have never been without music, nor do I think at this point could I be outside of a musical field. A fraternity brother and myself did an experiment one afternoon while out to lunch: We attempted to not sing any melodies, tap any rhythms, or discuss music in a more advanced manner than the average person would have knowledge of. We found that it is incredibly hard for us to discuss things, especially with one another, that are not in the world of music. Even as I was walking up to get more falafel and hummus (we were at an all-you-can-eat Middle Eastern “Schwarma King”, one of my personal favorites), I started quietly singing away. It wasn’t until I was almost back to the table that I realized I was even singing.

-The second reason is because Confucius has been on my mind a lot in the past week or so. This year WMU is being awarded Confucius Institute Accreditation. This is an amazing opportunity for the university on so many levels. It puts WMU in a category that only includes about 3% of all colleges and universities in the United States. It also furthers education and development of international relations with China. The ceremony will be on Monday, 23.November, and I have been asked to run the music for the ceremony! I am currently the Fraternal Choral Director for WMU’s chapter of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia (a men’s music fraternity), and we have been asked to perform the U.S. National Anthem, the WMU Alma Mater, and the Chinese National Anthem. This is an amazing opportunity and I am so glad that we were asked to sing for such an occasion. Plus I get to learn how to sing the Chinese National Anthem, “March of the Volunteers”, in Chinese and then teach it to 30+ other people. This will be a musically educational experience.

Other than that I am looking forward to Thanksgiving break. If I had not mentioned it before, my sister and I are both vegans. We hang out every year the night before Thanksgiving and cook up vegan-friendly food for the holiday. It is always a fun occasion making a Tofu Loaf, a non-dairy green bean casserole, and whatever other recipes we found during the year.

Have a great rest of the week!

Zechariah

A very busy lifestyle is not the norm for most people. For us music majors, it is a way of life. I am amazed at how many things we are able to juggle at one time. Myself included. I recently overheard a conversation a percussionist was having with a recent WMU School of Music graduate. He was saying that he is currently performing with five major ensembles. Compared to my two ensembles this percussionist wins that award.

During my second year at Lansing Community College Bill Bastian, the director of the vocal jazz group The Lanswingers that I sang in, said something interesting. He was talking about how different our lives are from when he was in music school. He talked about how he went to school full-time and his only job was playing gigs on the weekends. He commented on how the majority of us were working multiple part-time, even full-time, jobs while being a full-time student.

A funny story…
Last night I was running (literally) into the Dalton Center around 7:00PM carrying my Music Education Methods books, some notebooks, a folder full of music, a Slurpee, a bowl of rice and curried garbanzo beans, and a tie in my teeth. Julie Evans, professor of Music Theory, saw me and laughed, asking me what all I had going on that evening. After I took the tie out of my mouth I told her about the study group, meetings, and rehearsals that I had that evening. The only thing she could reply with was, “The life of a musician…”

I would not be doing this if I did not love it. I think that the majority of upperclassmen music majors will say that. If they were not positive that this is what they want to do for the rest of their lives they would not have gotten this far in this field.

Fun Upcoming Musical Endeavors:
-City of Portage Veteran’s Day Memorial Service: I am singing at the City of Portage’s Veteran’s Day Service tomorrow. So many of my friends and family members are currently serving, or have served, in the military. I look forward to honoring their service.
-WMU’s Department of Theatre and the School of Music are presenting Roger and Hammerstein’s musical “Carousel”. The show opens this weekend and runs through next weekend. I am not in this production but I am really looking forward to seeing it on Friday.
-WMU Annual Christmas Concert: The show is entitled “Messiah and More!” It will feature the WMU Symphony Orchestra, Grand Chorus, as well as faculty and student soloists. The performance is Sunday, 6.December at 3:00PM in Miller Auditorium. It is only every few years that this concert is held in Miller so this is a very special performance. I will most likely talk more about this later because I am so excited to perform pieces from Handel’s “Messiah” with the original Baroque stylings…I’m a nerd.

Zechariah

I have really noticed this year how certain activities that I always affiliate with fall are really such midwestern icons; hay rides, going to cider mills, corn mazes, etc.  In movies you always see people carving pumpkins in their kitchen but you never see the group of students heading out to a cider mill/haunted corn maze.  At least I never have.  And I have seen a lot of movies.

Around here there are a ton of Midwestern Aumtun activities to participate in.  Kalamazoo and Portage were originally farming areas (celery farms, acutally…) so there is a still a good amount of rural space around us if you drive a few miles away from downtown.  These activities seem to be really popular among WMU students this year. Most likely because they are inexpensive, and because most of these places can cater to large groups like Registered Student Organizations, Fraternities, Sororities, etc.  The fraternity that I am a part of, Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, go to a corn maze every year and it is always a blast.  We also always sing for the people working at the front desk, attempting to get a reduced admission price.  Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t.

Aside from those activites everyone is talking about Halloween.  It seems every organization and business is offering something for students to do this weekend.  WMU even puts on it’s own “Haunted Hall” every year.  This year the Haunted Hall is in Eldridge-Fox, and for $5, or two canned goods (going towards the Kalamazoo Gospel Mission and Big Brothers Big Sisters), students can go through the Hall.

As for my Halloween activities, I am hanging out with the family.  My family is having a party for my grandpa, who just turned 80. So I decided to go back to Lansing to be with them.  My grandpa is a pretty amazing person.  This week I called him to wish him a happy birthday and he gave me an inspirational speech about how I should never give up in my musical studies.  It is always good to hear that.

Alright, everyone. Have a nice, safe Halloween! By the time I post my next entry it will already be November…I can not believe how quickly this year has gone by!

Zechariah

Homecoming week is always exciting around campus.  There are so many events to attend, speakers to hear, and alumni around campus to chat with.

Starting on Monday we had Qdoba Mexican Grill on campus handing out free food (I love Qdoba, so this was amazing).  Throughout the week we had other events like a special Miller Movie showing of “Ferris Bueler’s Day Off”, a Soapbox Derby, and of course voting for our Homecoming King and Queen.  We actually have two students in the Ambassador Office that are on Homecoming Court:  Amanda and Eric.  If you are a current WMU student who reads this blog, vote for them now!  Voting ends tomorrow at noon!  www.wmich.edu/homecoming

For those of you who are not YET Broncos, you can visit that site and check out what else is going on with Homecoing.  The King and Queen will be announced during halftime this Saturday at our football game verses Buffalo.

To jump subjects a little bit, I learned a really cool Alumni fact about WMU.  The individual who founded The Food Network, Jack Clifford, is a Western alum!  I am a huge Alton Brown fan so that was an amazing fact to me.  People sometimes laugh when I tell them how much I adore the Food Network because I am a vegan…And not too many of the programs feature vegan-friendly recipes, but I still find them entertaining.  Plus I just love cooking.

That is all for now.  I can not wait for the football game on Saturday, and the hopeful crowing of my friends Amanda and Eric for Homecoming King and Queen!

Zechariah

The concert on Sunday went incredibly well.  The combination of the WMU Symphonic Band, Collegiate Singers, and the University Chorale created an amazing musical event.  We were lucky to have a large audience at Miller Auditorium.  The lower main seating level holds about 1,300 people total, and it was close to full.  I personally feel that the a capella (meaning “without accompaniment” or “from the choir”) selections performed by Chorale went incredibly well.  We performed “A Hymn to the Virgin” by Benjamin Britten, and “Hymn to the Mother of God” and “Song for Athene”, both by John Tavener.  The two Tavener pieces were performed without a pause in between, creating a very unique musical experience.

The next big project is the Holiday concert.  WMU Choirs normally do our own holiday performance with a small brass ensemble, but this year is special.  We are joining forces with the University Symphony Orchestra to put on a show called “Messiah and More!”  It will feature the orchestra, a large chorus, student soloists, and faculty artists.  I will post more about this concert when we get closer to the date.  The reason I mention it now is because we in the University Chorale started working on the music for it on Monday.  Our concert was Sunday.  No rest for us!

This shows me that not only are we an amazing School of Music that puts on many performances for the university and community, but also that we as students are dedicated to our artistry.  Most of us will be going off in a few years to work as professional musicians, and this type of atmosphere gets you in the mindset of a professional.  I should mention that we did take about a half hour on Monday to discuss, as a group, our feelings about the concert.  That type of reflection is key to performing.

Other than the musical world of WMU, things are going great here on campus.  I love autumn weather and we are right in the thick of it now.  This weekend is also the big WMU vs. Central Michigan University football game.  This game usually comes close to selling out, and I can not wait to be in the stands.  I love getting together with friends and marching to the stadium with the Bronco Marching Band.  It really unites us all as WMU students in support of our university.

That is all for now.  I hope things are going well for you all!

Go Broncos!
Zechariah

This semester I am beginning my Music Education Methods courses to complete my degree in Vocal Music Education.  I have the opportunity this semester to spend one hour a week with a 7th grade choir from a local middle school.  This week will be my third week working with them and I am really excited because that means I get to start taking on more responsibility inside the classroom.

The first few sessions of Practicum involve getting to know the teacher you are studying under, the students, and the overall schedule of the class that the instructor has created.  Once you become comfortable with those things the teacher begins delegating different tasks in order to get you more acquainted with teaching.  This week for me involves leading vocal warm-ups and running a small portion of the rehearsal time.  I am paired up with another Vocal Music Education student for this so we will be co-leading these rehearsals.

This week is also big in terms of performances.  We are in a concert week so things in the Choral Rehearsal room are getting exciting.  This is a unique concert because the University Chorale and the Collegiate Singers are performing with the University Symphonic Band.  The combined music for this performance is Mack Wilberg’s “Tres Cantus Laudendi” or “Three Songs of Praise”.  The University Chorale will also be performing a few pieces on their own.  The concert is this Sunday, October 11th at 3:00PM in Miller Auditorium.  Another amazing thing about this performance is that admission is FREE!  We have our first combined rehearsal with the Symphonic Band tomorrow evening.  I am very excited to finally work on this music with the instrumentalists!

So the rest of my week is going to consist of getting ready for Practicum and preparing for the concert on Sunday.  If you can make it out, please do.  We are all working very hard on this concert!

Zechariah

Hello Everyone,

It is the third week of classes for this Fall semester and a few things are expected of a music student, and WMU students in general, by the third week…

For the voice majors, most of us are required to have the majority of our music for the semester memorized at this point.  Memorization is key to mastering a piece of music.  It also gives us students a chance to perform this music sooner in either a Studio or Area Recital.  An Area Recital is when a handful of musicians from a specific studio get the chance to perform for their peers.  That means there is an Area for each instrument group; woodwinds, brass, voice, jazz, etc.  The voice area had it’s first Area Recital yesterday in the Dalton Recital Hall.  A Studio Recital is when a specific professor’s private studio has a recital with students only from that studio.  Studio sizes vary by professor and instrument.

As far as life here in general at WMU, things are in full swing;  Greek Life is going through their recruitment, the 300+ Registered Student Organizations have begun their meetings, and study groups for classes have been created.  Campus gets pretty busy during this time.  You can always tell when a large class gets out because the sidewalks are PACKED with students on their way to their next class.  You can also set your watch by the flood of School of Music students into the Sprau Tower Plaza Cafe for a quick lunch before their noon classes or rehearsals.

Temperatures are a little low here this week.  The peak temperature is only supposed to be about 62 degrees.  We will see what the next few weeks bring us here in Kalamazoo.

Zechariah

My name is Zechariah and I am a senior Vocal Music Education major here at WMU, inside the School of Music.

I am a transfer student so my educational pathway is a little different than most of our students here.  I graduated from high school in 2005 and attended Lansing Community College for two years before transferring to Western.  I came here to study with the amazing faculty inside the choral and voice program.

So far the Fall 2009 semester is looking pretty good for me.  I am taking 18 credits, more than I ever have at WMU.  I am also working two jobs; one here at the Ambassador Office, and one as a Choral Scholar for a church in Portage.  Being this busy really teaches me discipline and time management…What with all of my classes, voice lessons, rehearsals, meetings for work, and trying to maintain a social life I have really learned how to be involved without being overloaded.   Not to mention I am also the Fraternal Choral Director for WMU’s chapter of the men’s music fraternity Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia.

I will be updating this blog weekly, keeping you informed with what is going on here at Western, the musical events around WMU and Kalamazoo, and also the trials and tribulations of being an upperclassman Music Major!

Zechariah