Words Fail.

On November 8th, we had a masterclass in studio class and a famous actor/teacher came in to teach. I found that I walked out of that masterclass with a new perspective on the performing arts and a motivation to improve as an all around performer. The teacher of the masterclass stressed the importance of the performers individual interpretation of the song that they are performing. Making a personal connection with the song helps the performer generate meaning in the song and in turn helps the audience have a more enjoyable experience. He also stressed the fact that words fail. Music brings a whole new level of meaning to communication. It connects more directly to emotions and can sometimes not even be describable.

Dr. Walton's Wisdom.

I attended Dr. Walton's adult Sunday school class at Wheaton Bible Church and really enjoyed and learned from the message he gave. He was teaching on the book of Psalms. In particular he was questioning the lament psalms, the reasons that they are present in the Bible, and what they have to say about God's character. Many of the lament Psalms question God's omnipresence. They scoff at God for letting David, or whoever is writing the Psalm, suffer through extremely difficult situations. I myself don't know the reason these Psalms are in the Bible.

Giving Thanks.

Thanksgiving is such a wonderful time of reflection and relaxation. In my family, we have a tradition of writing what we're thankful for on a small note and then placing it in a large basket. We then pass the basket around and each take a note and read it aloud for everyone to hear. The love and encouragement that is shared during that time is truly remarkable, it makes me extremely thankful for the family I've been given.

Noll

Mark Noll's book, The Scandal of the Evangelical Mind, has made me seriously think and reflect on my christian education. How can one's intellectual life and spiritual life coincide successfully? Why is it that the life of the mind is not being completely nourished at Christian liberal arts colleges? Why are Christian educators not ebing taught how to teach their subject area from the viewpoint of a Christian thinker? I wonder as a musician, how music can be taught from a strictly Christian standpoint?

Everything in moderation.

Lately I've been thinking a lot about the importance of solitude. So much of our lives are full of social activity and engagement. How often do we have time for three hour blocks of complete solitude? This is especially hard when living in a dormitory on a college campus. I think solitude is so important for building character and making sure that character is individually developed, not just formed by those that surround you on a daily basis.

Pre-contemplation, planning, action, maintenance-habit.

Pre-contemplation, contemplation, planning, action, maintenance-habit. How long does it take a habit to form? I feel I often am stuck at the stage of planning. The planning rarely leads to action, which scarcely leads to the maintenance of that action and forming habit. I've always admired and had extreme respect for the people who have mastered the art of time management and are people of habit.

How does consumerism affect education?

Recently I've been writing a paper on consumerism and how consumerism effects education. It is interesting to think about how professors cater to their students by being more lenient on grading and how students in turn are affected by the consumerist culture that surrounds them. Even universities today are becoming consumerist by putting funds towards more recreational buildings rather than new academic buildings. Yet I ask myself, is consumerism completely detrimental to students learning? I think it does have negative affects but I do not know the full extent of those affects.