She's A Yo-Yo...
It's certainly been a emotional rollercoaster this week at school...
As I mentioned earlier in the week, I did not pass Music Theory/Ear Training IV and I would need to withdraw from the class in order to avoid an F (I actually can only withdraw from Theory - I will get an F in Ear Training, but it's only 1 credit, so it shouldn't be *too* significant)...
In any case, what this all means is that, according to the usual Music Dept. rules, I would not only have retake Theory/Ear Training IV in Spring of next year, but I would ALSO not be allowed to attend 20th Century Music Theory in the Fall of THIS year...And 20th Century Theory wouldn't be available again until Fall 2010...and I NEED both Theory IV and 20th Century Theory to graduate. On top of that, because of the large amount of credits I already have, I would be ineligible for any more financial aid AFTER Spring 2010...
Needless to say, I needed to figure out a way to petition and get into 20th Century Theory for next semester...I found a classmate, a composition graduate student who aced her entrance tests, who said she'd be totally willing to tutor me over the summer...And I figured out a proposal wherein I could get tutored over the summer and then I could take an entrance test (like the grad students) to show that I was qualified to enter...
On Wednesday, I found out from Prof. Matt (who is teaching 20th Century next semester) that I would need to write a letter to the Music Theory Dept., state my case, and somehow convince them to make me an exception and let me into 20th Century THIS Fall...
So I wrote the letter last night...In the letter, I accepted the responsibility for the poor grade, but also gave them my situation with financial aid...I also gave them my proposal, adding that I didn't just think of Music Theory as a class requirement to graduate; I need it as part of my craft...I finally stated that, while I understood that they didn't want to make an exception, the fact is that, as a professional musician in my 30s finishing my first Undergraduate degree, I am ALREADY an exception...
I sent the letter last night...
I got a response back this afternoon...With what Prof. Matt noted as "uncharacteristic swiftness", the Theory Dept. decided to accept my proposal and allow me into 20th Century Theory next semester, as long as I show evidence of tutoring and pass the entrance exam...And if I pass the exam, I ALSO will NOT HAVE TO RETAKE THEORY/EAR TRAINING IV...
Which means that I CAN STILL GRADUATE IN THE FALL...
To say I'm overjoyed is an understatement...I'm thrilled...
Now, in the next couple weeks, I just have to write a 10 page Free Jazz paper, perform Beethoven's 9th, finish my MaxMSP project for Computer Music...and then write an 18-page paper on Trance Music and the Neo-Shamanism/Urban Tribe movement...
And I'm done...At least until tutoring starts in late May...
*whew*
As I mentioned earlier in the week, I did not pass Music Theory/Ear Training IV and I would need to withdraw from the class in order to avoid an F (I actually can only withdraw from Theory - I will get an F in Ear Training, but it's only 1 credit, so it shouldn't be *too* significant)...
In any case, what this all means is that, according to the usual Music Dept. rules, I would not only have retake Theory/Ear Training IV in Spring of next year, but I would ALSO not be allowed to attend 20th Century Music Theory in the Fall of THIS year...And 20th Century Theory wouldn't be available again until Fall 2010...and I NEED both Theory IV and 20th Century Theory to graduate. On top of that, because of the large amount of credits I already have, I would be ineligible for any more financial aid AFTER Spring 2010...
Needless to say, I needed to figure out a way to petition and get into 20th Century Theory for next semester...I found a classmate, a composition graduate student who aced her entrance tests, who said she'd be totally willing to tutor me over the summer...And I figured out a proposal wherein I could get tutored over the summer and then I could take an entrance test (like the grad students) to show that I was qualified to enter...
On Wednesday, I found out from Prof. Matt (who is teaching 20th Century next semester) that I would need to write a letter to the Music Theory Dept., state my case, and somehow convince them to make me an exception and let me into 20th Century THIS Fall...
So I wrote the letter last night...In the letter, I accepted the responsibility for the poor grade, but also gave them my situation with financial aid...I also gave them my proposal, adding that I didn't just think of Music Theory as a class requirement to graduate; I need it as part of my craft...I finally stated that, while I understood that they didn't want to make an exception, the fact is that, as a professional musician in my 30s finishing my first Undergraduate degree, I am ALREADY an exception...
I sent the letter last night...
I got a response back this afternoon...With what Prof. Matt noted as "uncharacteristic swiftness", the Theory Dept. decided to accept my proposal and allow me into 20th Century Theory next semester, as long as I show evidence of tutoring and pass the entrance exam...And if I pass the exam, I ALSO will NOT HAVE TO RETAKE THEORY/EAR TRAINING IV...
Which means that I CAN STILL GRADUATE IN THE FALL...
To say I'm overjoyed is an understatement...I'm thrilled...
Now, in the next couple weeks, I just have to write a 10 page Free Jazz paper, perform Beethoven's 9th, finish my MaxMSP project for Computer Music...and then write an 18-page paper on Trance Music and the Neo-Shamanism/Urban Tribe movement...
And I'm done...At least until tutoring starts in late May...
*whew*