I have a meeting next week with an adviser from NYU to talk about the M.A. with certification program.
I was thinking of popping down to NYU today to check it out and get a feel for the neighborhood. However, my throat is a little scratchy. I don't feel sick, but would rather not go all around making it worse. I can keep a cold from coming on if I just hang out and take it easy today. There are all kinds of people sick right now so I am going to do my best to make sure I don't get sick and the scratchiness doesn't turn into a cold.
We had our first orchestra concert last night and let me just say that it was very empty.
However, I did love the conductor. He is the cutest old man. His conducting was very clear and he was very encouraging. I found myself being more amused than anything else at my 17 year old stand partner, yet another reason I know I am in the wrong field of music. She was extremely overactive, but only in the really easy sections. She rushed, played out of tune, and bobbed and weaved all over the place when the music was easy enough for her to actually play all of the notes. She was what I call a "freak-out." I almost laughed out loud at one point because it just reminded me of how competitive I was and how cool I thought I was to be a freshman and playing in orchestra with older people. The look on her face was priceless when she asked what year I was. As I told her that I was a first year masters student a look of competition and unwarranted ego spread across her face. She will learn. Boy will she learn. I only recognized the face because I remember being her age and learning that my stand partner was older and thinking that I was better than he/she was. Oh kids. This girl has a rude...RUDE awakening coming to her when she realizes that it doesn't matter and that we are all in the same boat. She's green, as Kevin would say. Oh my. I guess some things never change.
Sometimes I muse over my change in priorities and my change in my view of reality.
I wonder sometimes how many grad students said the same thing of me. I know there had to be some that thought, "oh Nina...you will learn. You will learn." But, as an older student it isn't my place to put this girl in her place. Experience is the only teacher.
What amazes me is that there are still people, graduate students, that have this same girl's mindset. The other day, I met a recent MSM violin grad. He just got his masters and is now working a part time job filing papers and has a few students here and there. He has a masters degree and is a paper filer with close to $100,000 of debt.
Wow. Now that is living the dream isn't it? The sad thing is...this kid thinks he is waiting for his big break. I wanted to look at him and say, "Look Buster, you're how old? 25? 26? If your big break in violin hasn't happened yet, it isn't going to." Sad but true. Oh well. At least he did what he wanted to right?
Hmm. Honestly...I'd rather have health insurance and a steady paycheck and play chamber music on the side than file papers and wait around for orchestra positions to open up.
I am really proud of my decision to leave MSM.
I am also really proud of myself for coming here and figuring this out on my own. Now, I just have to get NYU to fall in love with me. If not NYU there are other schools, there are other programs. The search has begun.