A Reflection on J-Term

    The concept of having a J-term class is a unique experience for sure. It is an opportunity for a different kind of learning that I have really come to appreciate. But getting to study away while taking a J-term class is a different experience altogether. So when I got accepted to go on a classical music course (adventure) in Europe I was extremely excited. At first it was because we were going to cities I hadn't been to yet and as you know, I have been bitten by a pretty extreme travel bug. I was not as excited for the classical music part of the trip. Mostly I was worried I was going to be bored and fall asleep at all the concerts and performances.

Awesome new friends in Salzburg

    Well, looking back on my experiences over the past month, I can say that a lot of my expectations about that have been shattered. Of course the cities themselves and the people, buildings, rivers, and museums in them were amazing and reminded me every day why I love to travel so much. But I was surprised to find that the orchestras, philharmonics, and operas were anything but boring. Watching the immense talent of not only the musicians but also the conductor and composer being showcased before me was amazing. Seeing people getting to pursue and experience their passion for music both on stage an in the audience and to feel that much emotion from music written centuries before I was even born has been such a wonderful experience. I have a new understanding and appreciation for this kind of music now.

At the opera

A big part of that understanding also came from my daily barrage of questions posed to the music majors during intermissions. And I appreciate them for so willingly answering all my questions (even the slightly silly ones like: what kind of instrument is that? Oh, a trumpet, right I knew that!). But then I guess answering questions gives them a chance to talk about something they are passionate about.

View of Prague

At the end of this month -and yes, it really has been a month, it's still hard for me to believe -I have come away with hundreds of new pictures of amazing things and people, concert experiences that I know I would have never gotten otherwise, a lot more appreciation and knowledge about a subject I knew little about, and a whole bunch of new friends. I realize just how lucky I am. It's something I'll never forget. So thank you Dr. Powell for accepting non-music majors into this class. I'll admit I did dose off in a few of the concerts, but can we just blame that on the jet lag?

The Berliner Dom