Look I can finally spell Beethoven after all these years!

So... I can't believe I'm about to say this. I'm starting to enjoy classical music! What? Why? How?

Well, it all started last semester actually. I have a plan, you see. My plan is to become a student in the school of music, that is with the hope that I will be accepted after my audition. So I have started taking voice lessons again. I'm studying under one of the best voice teachers at Queen's. His name is Greg Brookes and he's awesome.

I was unhappy, however, when I found out that everything I would be learning in the school of music here had to be classical music. I thought "God dammit, its too hard and too boring and you know what? I don't wanna! I don't wanna! I don't wanna!!" I hated classical music. That was that.

Correction. I should not have said hated, for as a musician for 20 years... yup I've officially been playing piano for 20 years now, had that revelation the other day. Anyway, enough parenthetical rambling. So, despite not really liking classical music all that much, I always appreciated it. I knew that without classical composers such as Mozart and Beethoven, music would not be at all what it is today, so for this I had to be thankful.

But it was still boring, and stuffy, and no offense anyone reading this, but I always thought it was the type of music super intelligent, well versed, high class people listened to. It was called "Classical" after all. High class, classical... you see where I'm going with this?

But Greg started getting me excited about it. We started by him showing me a few pieces by a woman named Martha Duncan Hill had written some beautiful pieces. Plus, she was my piano teacher. Way to start things off with the personal connection.

We never did learn those pieces though, I started learning a piece by Schubert who's title in English translates to "Death and the Maiden". Wish I could remember the German for it so you could youtubhe it and hear all the c razy opera women sing it, but alas, I just fi9gured out how to spell Bethoven so it may take awhile.

I learned all of the words to the piece in two weeks. Greg was incredibly impressed with me. Most voice students will read the music and then sing off the sheets. They don't memorize until shortly before they have to perform or take an exam. So, while the initial learning process takes awhile, I kn ow the stuff cold once I've learned it. I am not getting any of the lyrics in Braille, because I don't know German braille.

Then, this semester, I started in a course called Music 102, introduction to the history of western music. It focuses a lot on that genre that I disliked so much... and I remember initially saying I didn't want to take this course. It sounded boring. Classical music still just wasn't for me... or was it?

I'm in the fourth week of school, which means the semester is over, and I'm listening to Beethoven's fifth symphany, and it's pretty great for what it is.

I have a professor who is teaching me to love this classical music and get excited about all of it. Don't worry,. I'm not giving up everything else, it just means my range of music that I like is expanding. I never thought it would.

Something else I realized this past weekend... I actually really enjoy a lot of folk music too. Somehow I've been phased into liking it. I think it started with the convergence of folk and rock, and now I really just like folk music too. I can't believe my likes are getting more and more. I honestly never thought it would happen.

I have my voice lesson tonight. I'm learning this fucking Italian song that I hope will go easier asd I have a bit of grasp on the language this time. Afterwards, I'm taking Mom to go see Tom Cochran for an early birthday present. From what I've heard from folks who have seen him, it should be a pretty fabulous concert. I have my first test in this music class on Monday, so I really hope it goes well. Hope everyone has a good, pain free weekend... unless you're into that sort of thing...