Going to school for writing seems like a ridiculous proposition to most folks. It is. Either a writer has it or not. Of course, those in academia will say something to the effect of, ‘Any craft can be worked on.’ That may well be true, but there’re probably more journalists working today that have no proper training as those that have expensive degrees.

Very shortly, I’ll be of that latter segment. So, we’ll see if I learned anything worthwhile along the way. But beyond writing, school is largely comprised of sitting around and listening to people smarter than me talk. For the most part, it’s entertaining, but that’s dependent upon how each professor structures a class section. What follows is a short run down of the educators that have wrangled my time this semester – my concentration is music, as you might well have guessed. It’s probably gone better than what’s intimated below, but either way, it’s interesting to think about how to use three hours time to relate something important to students.

Jazz:

Taking any class that’s meant to be a survey presents itself as a troublesome situation. Genuinely enjoying jazz, though, makes sitting through a few hours of lecturing palatable. Of course, the fact that the class is supposed to be three hours long and usually clocks in at about two hours and fifteen minutes is a bonus. Its duration doesn’t hint at what’s relayed during class time unfortunately. And seeing as there’s a wealth of information that’s only glossed over, it’s a bit trying to hear an intelligent, but unfocused professor relate ideas that might make a bit more sense if there was semblance of organization to the whole thing.

Interviewing:

Breaking up any class into disparate sections or exercises serves the students as well as the professor involved. That being said, taking into consideration the temperament of the folks sitting in front of you is just as important. And unfortunately, some of the people that happen to be in this section of the course don’t find doing the work all that necessary. No, there’s not been any sort of backlash, although, some of those discussions are boring seeing as not too many people are contributing. The professor makes up for all of this by relating a whole buncha personal experience – that’s both good and bad. Isa betta rite gud after this class.

Experimental Sound:

One of the most theoretically dense classes I’ve ever sat in, one might, from a cursory glance, perceive the entire thing to be a listening session. But the professor’s ability to create a series of student led discussions has served to engage everyone – that means even the folks that don’t count English as their first language. If nothing else, the first day of class we heard an elephant play a harmonica.

Art History:

Long lectures make people fall asleep – even those that adamantly care about visual art. My eyelids grow heavy on a weekly basis, but I’ve somehow conquered that problem. Success at staying awake, though, enables me to watch others sleep in that darkened room as slides fly by.