Judson College :: Choir, FAITH, Ensemble

“Hm, there’s that V7 to I chord progression with the Perfect Authentic Cadence at the end . . . and listen to that Suspension!  Wait . . . WHAT??”

This was one of my most recent thoughts during a song I heard this week.

It is such a strange feeling developing this “Music Mind” of mine.

The first sentence of this blog contains concepts I would have never understood on the first day of my Music Theory class last year, but thanks to Dr. Ransom and the amazing music faculty we have here, thoughts like these have become reality.  I believe one thing that has helped me grasp these concepts is the constant reinforcement I receive.  It is not uncommon to hear Dr. Ransom call out in choir,

“Theory People!

This is what we have been learning about in measure 51!  Look at…”

…and on she goes with a musical tidbit relating to a recent lesson.  While I must admit that I initially felt like I could not get away from theory, I have since realized how incredibly helpful those little tidbits alone have been to me!  Things like this and analyzing music in piano and voice lessons have allowed me to make theory something real and understandable, not just jumbled confusion between the covers of a textbook.

Angelika Jenkins, a senior here at Judson, has also had some experience with this learning approach.  As part of her requirements for the conducting class she is taking this semester, she has been responsible for conducting a song or two in a few of our choir practices.

For us, it’s fun and seems like a game, but for her, it is valuable experience she might not receive in a typical classroom setting.

Yesterday in Choir, Angelika had a true experience directing one of Vivaldi’s pieces “Gloria.”  Dr. Ransom recruited a few professors and church leaders at Siloam for this piece as well as another Latin piece by Vivaldi, “Et in terra pax hominibus” (I promise, it is not as scary as it sounds) so we would have Tenor and Bass parts for these works.  I’m sure directing pieces like these is no piece of cake, but she did a great job with it.  Even in the few times she has led us, I can already see improvement in her conducting skills.  I am looking forward to watching her progress in choir this year, and can hardly wait until it is time for me to take the conducting class!

Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands. Serve the Lord with gladness; come before his presence with singing.

Psalm 100:1-2

Music is all around us; all you have to do is listen. - August Rush

302 dozen donuts,

3 girls,

2 backpacks,

and

1 purse.

That’s what will fit into my PontiacGrand Prix.

          As a Jr/Soph fundraiser for Pageant,our class decided to sell Krispy Kreme donuts to our school, the Marion community,family, friends, and Judson big sisters. We ordered 300 glazed donuts, plus 2 dozen “special” boxes for twoof our professors at school with special requests.  To sum my feelings up at that point asTreasurer of our Jr/Soph class, I can honestly say I learned how hectic itcould be to organize a fundraiser!  Afterchoir on Thursday, my roommate Heather, a freshman and new buddy of mine,Jessca, and I all loaded up in my car and headed to Tuscaloosa.  Of course, being the studious collegestudents we are, we had to make this time count, so Jess worked on homework forher Music Theory class, and Heather and I went over Spanish vocabulary beforeour test the next day (. . . okay, we talked and played music too).  Once we made it to Krispy Kreme,they sent us around to the back, where we found . . . drum roll please . . .

TWO AND A HALFPALLETS OF DONUTS.

          Let me just say, after we saw exactlywhat 300 dozen glazed donuts looked like and observed the size of my car, we couldn’thelp but laugh at our newest challenge.  Idon’t believe I have ever had so much fun loading up my car.  We laughed the whole time and wondered howthey would ever fit!  Once we were almostloaded, we had to put Jess in the car and pack the remaining boxes around her tofinish out the pallet.  We had some funnylooks from cars going through the drive-thru, and of course, made some picturesbefore heading back to Judson.

          Well, it is now Sunday, and afterselling leftover boxes at MMI and the local grocery store (Food-Valu),I am thankful to say that all of those donuts have all been delivered and sold (thanksto some great friends and Jr/Sophs) and we are well on our way to yet anothergreat pageant for our big sister class.

          I’m sure our class will have many morefundraisers, both for pageant and for future reasons, but I’m pretty sureloading up my car with 2 good friends and smelling donuts on the trip back will be a memory Iwill not soon forget.

Lesson of the week: If you participate in donut fundraising, take a large vehicle. =)

Quick Facts for dieters and weight watchers:

Each Krispy Kreme original glazed donut contains approximately 200 calories.

One dozen Krispy Kreme donuts would contain about 2,400 calories.

Multiply that times 300, and that brings us to 72,000 calories.

Divide that by the approximate number of calories in a pound (3,500), and consuming all these donuts would result in a weight gain of about 205 pounds.

 Thankfully for us, consuming that many donuts is not possible, and donuts were distributed as evenly as possible to avoid weight gain in any one person. =)

You hear about it when you visit…

You participate in Guard duty to keep seniors out as a freshman…

You prepare for it your second year as a jr/soph…

You try to break in and discover secrets about it as a senior during your third year…

Last year’s theme was “Into the Woods” …

Can you guess what I’m talking about?

That’s right…

PAGEANT IS HERE!!!

Well, it is for me anyway.  Pageant practice officially started last Wednesday.  While most things about pageant are kept secret until the opening night, I can tell you that I am having so much fun.  I am very excited about being a part of this very special tradition as a gift for our big sister class!

I remember the first time I mentioned pageant to my family.  They were a little confused by this, until I explained this was nothing like a beauty pageant.  In Judson terms, pageant is a production each jr/soph class holds as a gift to their big sister class.  The jr/soph class raises all the money needed to pay for pageant, and each class member has a job to do to make this production a success.

As a freshman last year, I could hardly wait to officially be a part of this family.  I saw dedication from jr/sophs as they practiced and worked hard not only to be the best they could be, but also to keep everything a secret from our big sisters!  I have learned how hard it is to keep this secret being suitemates with my big sister.  However, I am determined to keep her clueless!

I have to admit, my impressions of pageant consisted of words like stressful, hectic, and drama filled.  So far, this has not been the case!  After my first 2 nights of practice and seeing how well our class works together, I am very excited about the coming month of practice and the performance, as well as seeing signs and treats (like last night’s delicious homemade cupcakes) from my big sister when I walk into the lobby of Tucker!

I would love to tell you more, but I have to keep the rest a secret!

So . . . come find out for yourself on

October 2^nd at 7pm in the Alumnae Auditorium!

Something Brighter

 

Give me something brighter
Give me something I can see
Give me something vicious
Give me something I can be
Give me all the love and peace
To end these wars
Give me something sacred
Something worth fighting for

“The theme for this year’s Welcome Week was “Something Brighter” from the song by NeedToBreathe.”  When I arrived on campus for L.A.M.P. training and they told us this, I had never heard this song.  I stored this information somewhere in my brain for later use, and continued on my merry way.  I told myself: “I do not have time to look up a song right now anyway, and I’ll hear it soon.”

It’s time for a dramatic pause in the story….or at least a pause for explanation.

Welcome Week is the orientation week for freshmen.  Each year on a Sunday in August, freshmen show up from all over for the official move-in day.  Church members from Siloam Baptist Church, Judson Faculty, Alumnae, L.A.M.P., and other upperclassmen show up to help make this day go as smoothly as possible!  Starting Sunday night, the week is packed with activities to get you ready for the school year, from Judson policies, to ice cream, ironing out schedules, email, meeting professors, and many other opportunities.  On Wednesday, classes begin, and the next Welcome Week activity is called Marion Matters.

It's clear enough to me
The ugliness I see
Is evidence of who I need
Give me an answer
Give me the way out
Give me the faith
To believe in these hard times

Marion Matters is our traditional service project held the Friday of Welcome Week; freshmen, upperclassmen, and Faculty work together to make a difference in the Judson community.  It is amazing to see the difference a few hours can make when we all pull together with the purpose of Something Brighter.  Service projects range from cemetery cleanup (my group!) to painting, decorating school bulletin boards, cleaning up around a local park, and sorting school supplies to donate.  This year, we had 12 different locations we helped through Marion Matters.

Give me motivation
Give me all my heart's desires
Show me something gorgeous
Show me 'til my eyes get tired
Give me all the drums and
Show me how to play them loud

And now, back to the beginning…

I participated in Welcome Week as a freshman last year, and I had a rewarding experience this year in a new way.  Knowing that somehow, I made a difference and gave hope for “Something Brighter” was truly gratifying.  Judson offers such a blessing through Marion Matters; not only to the community, but also to every student that takes part.

When I signed up to be a student leader for the Marion Cemetery clean-up project, I experienced a mixture of excitement and nervousness.  Friday came, and it was 200 degrees outside…well, it felt like it here in the Alabama heat and humidity.  Armed with Gatorade, trash bags, and gloves, I hoped these girls would have a similar experience to the one I had after Marion Matters as a freshman.  I had a great group of girls, and together we were able to get the cemetery cleaned, dust off a few pine straw covered graves, and experience feelings of seeing infant graves, engravings on stones, and years dating back to the early 1800s.

Give me something brighter

I hope you come to find Judson as servant-hearted as I have, and I encourage you to take part in that legacy.  As one girl in my group phrased it: “There is something about volunteering time to serve and help the community because you choose to – not because you have to – that is incredibly rewarding and fulfilling.”

After all, what better way is there to start the school year than a selfless act of kindness?

'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine,

you did for me.'

–Matthew 25:40