Compsivesary (11)!

If I were a sentimental person, I would have made a big deal about the decade anniversary of the completion of my comps (as marked by the annual Georgia-Florida football game in Jacksonville). But I am not, and I did not. Also, pandemic. (I did post for year nine.)

And here we are at year 11, two weekends after I got to enjoy the UK-UGA game in Sanford Stadium (Athens, GA) with some of my most favorite humans ever. I would have been happy had the ‘Cats pulled off that win, but I was really pulling for the ‘Dawgs (and despite my general encouragement of low expectations, I legit have high expectations for Georgia this year).

We had seats very close to the hedges. Can you spot my UK-blue-wearing nephew standing down there?

The past three years at Belmont/in Nashville have been unpredictable. But really, much of it has been exactly as I expected (obviously not a global pandemic) and what I wanted aka the reason I chose to up-end my life to move a couple hundred miles north.

What I have always enjoyed about teaching is getting to know students and seeing their growth and development. This is evident in weekly piano lessons (and was extremely satisfying generally speaking), but I never really saw this in my college students due to the fact that I was teaching mostly gen. ed. courses as an adjunct. At Belmont, I have repeat students (one student, BLESS HIS HEART, has had me for four different classes), but also due to the residential nature of our campus, I see my students ALL THE TIME, in addition to having them in class(es). I am also working with a former student who is now a current grad student, and have (virtually) run into a former student at SEM this week.¹

All of this to say, that lo, this decade-plus since I submitted my comps (questions regarding the American symphonic tradition and the history of country music), I am basically in a version of my dream job, doing stuff that I truly enjoy, contingency notwithstanding.²

But you know what? Jobs are jobs, and there’s actually more to life than work. I enjoy my life in Nashville though I’ve done a lot less Nashville stuff in the past couple of years (thanks, COVID, but also old age). I have friends and continue to work on developing relationships (not to mention being geographically closer to my family and BFFs)… but I seriously doubt that my social life in Nashville will ever compare to what I had in Athens, GA. This mostly has to do with season of life and life experience, of course, but also credit to the amazing folks in the best college town in the world.

Of course, I am not immune to the effects of nostalgia and memory. The good ol’ days are good, in part, because we simply remember or emphasize only the good parts. Nevertheless, as I reminisce, you will never ever convince me that the guacamole that Rachael and I had at Cantina Laredo that one time in Jacksonville wasn’t literally the absolute best version of that thing ever.

1. I have also had several conversations with students about ethno/musicology grad school. The short version of this conversation is basically “proceed with caution.” ↩
2. Just to clarify, it still took me nearly four more years after comps to actually graduate with a PhD, but completing comps was an important hurdle to clear. ↩

Alma Maters & Wrapping Up Year 3 at Belmont

Belmont University Bell Tower and Carillon

In January 2020, looking ahead to Year 3 (AY ‘20-‘21), I had high hopes that it would be the year I got comfortable at Belmont/my job and got a bit more settled in Nashville with my social networks (aka friends) and church. Believe it or not, the year did not turn out quite like I had planned!

Alas, it was not the year anyone planned, but I’m so proud of myself, my colleagues, and my students for making it happen. It’s gonna take a minute to process this past year, the pandemic, and all that’s taken place, not to mention rest and recovery. But in any event, I’ve practiced piano and carillon a bit more than I would have otherwise, given the circumstances.

So in light of the numerous graduation celebrations & end-of-year events, here’s a not super awesome version of the Belmont Alma Mater on the practice carillon.

Belmont University Alma Mater performed on the practice carillon

Some alma mater thoughts:

• They all sound pretty much the same (more secondary dominants!). There’s certainly a research question here though I’m choosing to ignore it right now.
  • I know the first verse (maybe the second?) of “Hail Transylvania” from singing in choir. I know the University of Georgia Alma Mater because of football games.
• I always think “Alma Mahler” and no, I cannot help the way I am.
• UGA’s Alma Mater is the same as Kellerman’s anthem in “Dirty Dancing”
  • “Join hands and hearts and voices, voices, hearts and hands! At Kellerman’s….”
  • I have inadvertently started inserting “Kellerman’s” into the lyrics of the Belmont Alma Mater (and other Alma Mater lyrics) in my head whenever I play it, primarily because I don’t really know the lyrics of the Belmont Alma Mater yet and what’s wrong with a little Alma Mahler Mash-up?!? #hailhail #hailtransylvania #georgiahailtothee #belmonthail

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas!

I have a true weakness for weird instruments, but especially weird keyboard instruments (except for organ, I suppose, which I studied for one year & have no love for because I truly suck at it). Harmochord, accordion, melodica, toy piano… bring it on! My most recent pursuit in this category has been the carillon.

Way back in 2014, one of our regional musicology conferences (AMS-SC) was held in Nashville & one of the activity options was touring the Belmont Bell Tower & Carillon with Dr. Shadinger. I have video and pictures from this event, and I remember being in awe of this crazy instrument. [1]

Little did I know that a few years later, I’d be in that same tower, taking carillon lessons (loosely defined) with Dr. Shadinger and attempting to learn how to play this weird, somewhat obscure instrument! Bless that man for his patience & willingness to work with me. I’ve been a mediocre student, at best. Student-ing, as we know, especially in learning a new instrument student-ing, relies on practicing. And I haven’t practiced much these days #covidsemesters

I have ALWAYS loved the line in “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” that says “Until then, we’ll have to muddle through somehow.” I’ve though it appropriate (and funny) at so many times in life in general, but never so apt as now. [2] Here’s that part of the song on the practice carillon (not the Big Bells), but I think it’s a nice Christmas-y option. I’ll post at least one other version on another weird instrument in the coming days.

1. It was also fun to break out video during piano lessons, as the Level 2A Alfred Premier Piano Performance Book has a song about the carillon. Remember when I was a piano teacher?

2. Apparently there are different versions of this song that are more and less bleak/optimistic vs. just different verses, as I assumed.

Happy birthday to me!

I’ve heard it takes about three years to really feel at home in a new place.

But today, I gave an exam, caught up on some grading, ate to excess with colleagues at the caf, answered many emails, practiced carillon, and had dinner with a friend. Is that not winning??¹  

Re: the three year thing… To be honest, I was sort of expecting longer than that when I left Georgia in August 2018 (but also being an optimist, I figured it’d be WAY less than that for me… right?). Having spent the bulk of my adult life to date in Athens, I didn’t know what *I* looked like in a different (new) place/space. But here I am, 18 months into the phase of my life dubbed “Nashville Nancy,” and as I celebrate my *insert middle-aged birthday number here* birthday, I am slowly but surely assimilating into this new-ish life. Today’s stellar activities notwithstanding, I can reflect a bit.

Just this week, I have made steps to join a local church and acquired a TN license plate. Both of these should have reasonably taken place a year ago, but the fact that I’m just getting around to them speaks volumes. You can’t replace a church like Watkinsville (and ALL that implies, but really, I’m talking about all those people), so finding a new church has been quite the journey. Plus, the physical act of associating with the state of TN (and releasing the state of GA), well, that’s also quite significant.²

Less obvious, but perhaps equally important is the fact that I am… making friends in Nashville. Yes, I know I can be mesmerizing quite charming, but if you haven’t tried to make brand new meaningful relationships as an old person, let me just tell you, it’s not exactly easy. Nevertheless, I am developing something akin to a social life here in Nashville that goes beyond friends visiting from out of state.³

Finally, I’m sucking less at my job! This semester I’m teaching all repeat classes, and I am slowly getting them to look the way I’d like them look. I acknowledge that they are not quite there yet, but I think I am mostly doing right by my students. Also, I’m realizing how nice it is to walk across campus and regularly run into current and past students. Slightly related, while I wouldn’t say I completely understand my workplace and colleagues, I will say that I am learning.⁴  

I’d be remiss to not mention the three-week break I had over Christmas. There are many aspects of higher ed that are broken and unfair, and as a contingent faculty member, I am aware of the inequalities that exist in my field and my place of employment. But I also find it to be a pretty great job.⁵ 

So… everything’s awesome? Eh, no. For all of those things that are awesome, as life is wont to be, there’s so much that is lame and mundane, and I could easily recount a variety of flat-out failures. As for specific goals I feel like sharing here, I want to establish a piano studio and mend my finances from the move (moving sucks; for lots of reasons). Looking ahead though, I think I’m on a pretty good trajectory, and I’m excited to see what year *redacted* has in store for me.

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1. And not even through the “low expectation, high reward” lens, but that works, too.

2. Sports. This is, on the surface (and yes, on a much deeper level) about the sports. Growing up as a UK basketball fan, TN is gross. As a newer UGA fan, well, TN is gross. Yeah, I know, it represents much more than sports, but that is not a small part.

3. This is an important thing. Please keep visiting me. Please? And if you haven’t visited, I’m totally taking it personally. Yes, you. I also value being able to visit friends in KY and GA (and elsewhere). Can I crash at your place? Yes, you.

4. OK, so maybe while I had a room full of prospective students/parents, we had a long discussion re: castrati (complete with a student asking about the physical logistics, etc.), but other than that, I’m sure I’m nailing all this.

5. This might be a place where “low expectation, high reward” is appropriate, but not exclusive, cf. three-week break.

Compsiversary (9?!?)

Oh look! I still sometimes blog over here.¹  I have not annually acknowledged Compsiversary in a consistent, ritualized way, but since this is the first year away from Athens (ahem… last year was big, wild mess, officially Year Zero of Nashville Nancy, so humor me), it seems worth mentioning.

The sporting event formerly known as “World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party” & the Redcoat Band on the field (2010)

Nine (!) years ago, as is recounted elsewhere on this blog, I submitted the second of my comps essays on Thursday night/Friday morning, and on Friday morning proper, Rachael and I hit the road: next stop, Jacksonville… except for the part where I forgot my game ticket and we had to turn around and go back to my house to get it. Nevertheless, we arrived, had amazing guacamole, and I got some much needed sleep. On Saturday, we had a delightful pre-game with the Desmet-Schillers, and of course, attended the game. We opted to watch the end of the game outside of the stadium because of the drunken hoodlums college men around us, and unfortunately the Dawgs lost in OT.²

In 2016, I marveled at how much had changed since 2010. Very little can compare to 2013, but we can say with certainty that my life looks differently than it did in 2016. And as they say, the Lord moves in mysterious ways. For example, in 2012 during Georgia-Florida, I was in East Nashville to interview folks for my dissertation (Kelly Kessler at Barista Parlor and Eric Babcock at Ugly Mugs). And now I live in East Nashville, five minutes from either of those places?

Mysterious ways, indeed.

Meanwhile, there’s another Georgia-Florida game to be played. Go Dawgs.

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1. OK, like twice a year.

2. This was the third loss in a row, but starting in 2011, the Dawgs won three in a row.

I see Year Two in the (near) future

A year or so ago, I was in the frenzy of preparing to move to Nashville. I walked into the Curb Event Center for the Fall Faculty Workshop in general disbelief that any of it (moving, new job) was actually happening.

And this year, I walked into the same event greeting colleagues and… dread is probably too strong, but not looking forward to the day-long events, especially when, of course, I had/have procrastinated course planning & finishing syllabi – classes start on Wednesday, August 21.

2019 Fall Faculty Workshop

But just like that, I was sitting at a table with the same guy who last year told me, “This really is a great place to work,” after the old, grumpy folks (there is NOTHING like old, grumpy academics) had used the majority of our “brainstorming time” to complain. Days ago, there I was, sitting next to someone who was brand new to Belmont. There I was, talking about how things work at my school/place of employment. And there I was, moving on to the next meeting. And the next. And so on.

I’ve jokingly referred to this past year as Year Zero because in many ways, so much of what happened this year has been a blur and a big ol’ mess.¹  Like, I still remember distinctly standing in front of my one of my fall music history classes thinking, “Well, this is a disaster….” Yet with a bit more perspective, I can also acknowledge the year was pretty good. Professionally, I am proud of surviving the year and actually doing some things quite well. I had some lovely moments in the classroom, and worked with some amazing students. I started taking carillon lessons!

This is Dr. Shadinger (not me) playing the carillon.

Socially, I can’t say how much I’ve missed Athens (and all that entails, which is honestly too overwhelming to even begin to list); yet being so close to Kentucky has been the bestest, most wonderful part of this whole thing. I’ve made a few Nashville friends, and have taken advantage of a small part of what the city has to offer.

Weirdest thing? Going back to my condo… MMYYYYY condo… now that it’s basically a hotel for people to complain about and trash. OK, MOST folks don’t do that, really, they don’t, but you know how it’s easy to focus on the negative? Yeah. That. Overall, my condo has been booked via AirBnb pretty much every week or weekend, and financially, I am basically getting close to breaking even. Now I just need to decide if dealing with all that hassle is worth it.

Looking ahead, this fall I’ll be teaching three classes I taught last year, and one class that is new.²  I’m trying very hard to keep my expectations low, but honestly, it HAS to be better than last year. If nothing else, this year I am not relocating and moving my entire life (and all THAT entails). I’m excited to get a second chance to fix those things that didn’t work last year, and I also have a much better sense of my working environment and how Belmont works. I don’t expect that I’ll have much more free time, but I AM hoping to start somehow teaching (pre-college) piano lessons this year.³

Korean Veterans Bridge over the Cumberland River – I drive over this bridge every day going to and from work.

I realize how unusual it is to have one’s “dream” job, but I think I’m am close. Yes, I am still contingent (and a few folks have totally reminded me or let me know, not to mention signing the “you are contingent” contract), but for the most part, I feel like a part of the team and that I have some amount of agency and as much job security as I could have. I greatly appreciate how beautiful the campus is, and I believe in the mission and vision of the university and college. And for now, that’s enough.

Finally, if you haven’t come to visit me yet (you, yes you), I’m a little offended.

 

 

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1. Or dumpster fire. I realize I have not updated the blog since last September. I survived the fall semester and went to GA and KY over the break. In the spring, I went to Austin for SXSW and New Orleans for a conference. I taught Commercial Music History, two sections of Intro to Music History (linked with Understanding the Bible), and World Music. I taught a summer section of Music History.

2. This is four different “preps.” Most semesters, I should have four classes/three preps. The new class is “First Year Seminar” – a course to introduce first-year students to a liberal arts education. At Transy, we called this class “Foundations of Liberal Arts,” colloquial known as FLA (sometime “Flaw” or “F-L-A”).

3. I actually and really miss it. Dealing with pre-college kids would be a nice diversion from dealing with the college kids. Also, the money wouldn’t hurt.

One Month (Give or Take a Day or Two)

Approximately one month ago, classes began at Belmont University, and thus began the chapter of my life we’re calling “Nashville Nancy.”¹  A little over a month ago, my friends and I threw a few last items into a U-Haul, left Athens, GA, and drove to Nashville, TN. We  arrived around 10 p.m. unloaded the U-Haul, and almost died moving my piano in – the issue was primarily a couple of bad angles (coming down the U-Haul ramp & turning into my front door). After much sweat, anxiety (on my part), and thanks to Jonathan’s piano moving experience, all of us (including piano) survived relatively unscathed!

All of this made a bit of a negative impression on my new neighbor, who objected to our endeavors generally. Now that I’m moved in, I never see him, so I’m assuming our relationship is now fine. My amazing friends stuck around for a couple of days; we did some shopping for exciting things likes brooms and cleaning products; we unpacked some and poked around my new neighborhood. Then they loaded up and headed back to the best little college town in the world – the place that has been my home for the past 18 years. And I was left in my new quadplex (er, quadroplex?), alone with a bunch of boxes. The past month has flown by, and has for the most part been a bit like a whirlwind.

Belmont University is beautiful. Every day that I walk onto campus, I’m amazed at just how lovely everything is.²   I also love that I walk past the Bell Tower (and Carillon) every day (think the Arch at UGA), and not infrequently someone is playing the carillon!

I’m teaching four classes this semester: two sections of music history (a version of the class I taught at UGA in the spring) on Tuesday/Thursday, and music appreciation (with a different text book) and world music on Monday/Wednesday/Friday. Technically, world music is the only new class for me – although I was planning to teach a version of this class at UGA this fall, so the prep isn’t from completely from scratch, but is basically completely from scratch because procrastination. Classes have been going mostly well, and my students have exceeded my expectations. I have a student who already met with me because she is interested in ethnomusicology, and several students have visited me during office hours just to say hi. I’m starting to get to know my colleagues in the School of Music. I just signed up for a Teaching and Learning reading group, and I will be connected to a mentoring group soon.

I’ve visited four different churches, and they have all been very, very different. There is certainly no shortage of churches in Nashville, TN! While this endeavor has been fun & fascinating, it does make me appreciate & miss Watkinsville a ton. I have one or two more mega-churches on my list to visit just for fun (research?) and then at least three churches that are in my neighborhood that I’m hoping one of which will end up being my Nashville church home.

I haven’t done much socially because I’ve either been unpacking or scouring thrift stores for furniture, etc. or trying to keep up with my classes. Also, AmericanaFest was a week or so ago, and I am just now catching up from that fun & seeing my Bloodshot pals! This coming week and next, I hope to start reaching out to Nashville friends & doing things like visiting the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum.

I’ve already had several visitors from Georgia AND Kentucky, and after this weekend, I’ll actually have a (twin) bed in my spare bedroom. If you find yourself in the area, stop by and say hi!

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1. I believe it was Wade who first used #NashvilleNancy.

2. And in the interest of transparency, every day I also wish that I could park closer to the School of Music.

Moving updates

 

The Fall Faculty Workshop for all full-time faculty members

Several folks have asked about my moving plans, so I thought I’d procrastinate packing update the blog & let y’all know what’s going on!

I spent the past few days in Nashville for faculty meetings, workshops, and trainings. I’ll admit that walking into the Curb Event Center on Monday morning for the Fall Faculty Workshop was intimidating. Imposter syndrome is real, y’all. We were assigned tables, and I was with folks from marketing, pharmacy, occupational therapy, and sports science. Everyone was nice, although one of the older guys was stereotypically & entertainingly jaded and cynical (so much so that one of the other guys at the table pulled me aside and said, “This really is a great place to work.” I wanted to tell them all, “You people have no idea what it’s really like out there!”), but I digress. Once things got going, it was as exciting as you might (or might not) imagine. It also helped that I quickly saw one of my sorority sisters who has been on the faculty at Belmont for over a decade!

Day two was the College of Visual and Performing Arts “Fall Retreat,” which was a much smaller group. This event was held in the room where the International Country Music Conference is often held, and felt much more comfortable. I met several School of Music faculty, and the high point was that we sang the Doxology for the blessing for lunch. The low (but necessary, I suppose) point was the active shooter training.

The Belmont Bell Tower and Carillon – yes, there is a musical instrument housed in this structure!

This morning was the School of Music faculty meeting. I got to meet more of my colleagues and see more of the facilities where I’ll be spending my time. There are lots of changes afoot at Belmont and specifically within the School of Music, and everyone seems (mostly) excited about all that’s going on. Also, I’m encouraged by how nice the folks are, and how competent the administrators seem. If you’ve been in any educational setting, you know how important that is.

I am in the process of signing a lease, and am excited about living in East Nashville. I definitely felt judgment from non-East Nashville folk (Belmont & Vandy are on the other side of town), but I feel good about the decision. I’ll be in very close walking distance of a couple of restaurants, and practical walking distance from Five Points.

The plan is to finish packing and tie up loose ends in the next couple of days, load up the U-Haul on Friday, get my place ready to AirBnb, and then after church on Sunday, head to Nashville with a few close friends who are helping out! If you need me in the next couple of days, I’ll be sitting on the floor in one of the rooms of my house freaking out and maybe packing.

 

New and Different

My first trip to Nashville was with Christina, Wade, and Jonathan, wayyyyy back in 2008. This is in front of the Country Music Hall of Fame & Museum.

Here’s the short version: I am moving to Nashville to be a Lecturer at Belmont University. I will be teaching musicology and ethnomusicology classes in the School of Music to music majors and non-music majors. This semester I am teaching Music History, World Music, and basically Music Appreciation. It is not a tenure-track job, but it is full-time. Classes start on August 22, and I’m planning on making the physical move the weekend before that. I am not selling my condo in Athens – I can’t deal with that right now; it wouldn’t exactly be a good financial move; and most importantly, I plan on being in Athens not infrequently. In the meantime, I’m hoping to AirBnb my place while I’m away (hello, UGA home game weekends, please cover my mortgage). I’m working on living arrangements in Nashville, and would appreciate all your prayers & positive vibes on that front.

Here’s the long version: When I moved to Athens, GA nearly two decades ago (!!), my plan was to be in the best college town ever for just two YEARS. Obviously, plans change, and I believe God put me in this town & community for His glory & my own good. When my “year off” post-Masters turned into many years off (aka not in school), I taught piano lessons, worked at an office called Digital Insight, and continued working at and attending Watkinsville First Baptist Church. I built up my piano studio, was blessed with an amazing community & network of friends and colleagues, and eventually decided that if I was staying in Athens, I might as well go back to school at UGA for a terminal degree.

You can see the Parthenon in Nashville! This was my second trip (I think) to Nashville for my very first International Country Music Conference, which is held annually at Belmont University.

As I remember it happening, I ran into David Schiller in town somewhere or the other.  And before I knew it, a few months later, I was in the School of Music office with him finishing up my application to the musicology program. I kept many of my piano students and stayed on at the church (which had become much less of a job as a part of my life), and began work on a PhD in musicology. A project on 14th & 15th century German keyboard tablature turned into research on alt.country in the 1990s, eventually becoming my dissertation, “Underground not Underexposed: Bloodshot Records, Alt.country, and the Chicago Live Music Scene” (see basically most of the earlier posts on this blog for more info about that).

Throughout my doctoral studies, I believed I would get an academic job and move to wherever said job happened to be. Cue maniacal laughter. Being “on the market,” as we say, was (and still is) anywhere from absurd to soul-crushing to often a waste of time & effort. For obvious reasons, I did not copy over all of my job letters to my new Mac, but I know that I applied to at least 150 jobs if I applied to one.¹   One of the “best” parts about this, because the academic job process is a slow moving machine, was receiving rejection letters many months after applying to a job… “OH RIGHT, I applied for that job; thanks for reminding me.” Feelings of failure are a part of being “on the market,” as it goes.

I didn’t give up on the idea of an academic job so much as I continued to live my life… my awesome, fulfilling life in Athens, GA, that included amazing friends-as-family, a wonderful church family, awesome piano students, the opportunity to teach college classes at a variety of places, and a crazy schedule with some disposable income. Meanwhile, I prayed that I would use my talents to the best of my ability in whatever situation I was in, and trusted that God had me where I was supposed to be. I had come to realize that my musicological ambition was not greater than enjoying & living my life, and as I have said many times to academic friends, it was all working out for me pretty well in Athens, GA.

One of my more recent trips to Nashville for the Americana Music Festival. This is the stage for Bloodshot’s Backyard Bash at the Groove.

I would still apply for an academic job every now and again if it seemed like a dream job or a job that was specifically describing me – even if I knew I wasn’t an incredibly viable candidate; after all, I was 0 for at least 150, and what could it hurt? Thus, in the past year, I’ve applied for maybe three full-time academic jobs. One of those jobs was a tenure-track job at Belmont University. I did not get that job, nor did I think I would/should; but again, what could it hurt? Later, I was contacted about the lecturer position at Belmont, and eventually applied. Even after the Skype interview, I was pretty sure nothing would happen there, and I made plans to teach at Georgia Gwinnett, University of Georgia, and Athens Tech again, while continuing the piano studio & church job.

Then I heard from my references that they had been contacted by Belmont about me & this position; and two days later I missed a call from the Dean of the School of Music at Belmont. I returned his call and was offered the position on a Friday; I accepted the position on a Monday. It was both a very hard and a very easy decision. How could I leave Athens, my friends, church, piano students, and life? How could I not accept a full-time position in a city like Nashville at a school like Belmont?²  

So here I am. I am so sad: to not be near my friends, to not teach my piano students, to not be working with Jason & our amazing worship team, to not be a regular part of Watkinsville anymore, to leave Athens… and yet, I am so excited about the new job. I know I am in denial about how hard this is going to be emotionally; and really, I’m probably in denial about how hard it will be to pack up my whole dang house & move to a completely new place. Thankfully, I’ve got quite a village around me (both near and far) and a lot of support. I’ve felt incredibly loved through this process to date, and I remain overwhelmed by how blessed I am.³   I consider leaving Athens/moving to Nashville as a “good-bye for now” because like I said, I’ll be back, and you’ll be seeing me whether you like it or not.

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1. To be fair, in my last year of graduate school in 2014, I applied to any and every job that I was even remotely qualified for. From there, I applied to fewer and fewer jobs each year. Also, I know MANY folks who have applied to so many jobs that it makes 150 look like a small number.

2. It should be noted that Nashville is much closer to Kentucky. This is significant for a few people, including me. Also, from the moment I started my PhD (and probably before that), I have wanted to teach at a small, private, liberal arts school – a place like my alma mater, Transylvania University.

3. See also my acknowledgments from my dissertation where this is spelled out in a bit more detail.

Evaluation

I just read through the course evaluations for my two classes that I taught at Large University this semester (music history 2 for music majors & popular music for non-music majors). I have seen enough course evaluations (or class climate surveys or whatever they’re called) to know that they should mostly be taken with a grain of salt; but I also believe they provide valuable information for me, especially for a new-to-me class or format, something that this article also points out.

As a first-time music history instructor, I was more concerned with that course’s feedback, and thankfully, over half of my nearly 70 students responded. Aside from the (requisite?) “music history is irrelevant and/or a waste of time for performers” comment and the student who basically wanted the answers to all of the tests, “is that so much to ask? (actually, yes, yes it is…),” the bulk of the feedback was overwhelmingly positive and helpful.¹  

I am incredibly happy/relieved/encouraged that my students had a positive experience in my class (and liked me!), but I am most pleased that more than a handful of students commented that I seemed to care for them as people & wanted more for them than *just* learning music history. And it’s true. I reminded them to take care of themselves; to make good decisions; to be good friends; and also to study, come to class, and keep up with assignments. Even though this was sometimes done in a humorous way or as a quick comment, I’m really glad that students noticed, and found it meaningful.²  

One of my mentors used to say, “Every class has its own personality.” Sometimes classes just work, and sometimes they don’t work. Thankfully, this one did. Yet while I bask in the positive here, I am not naive: I worked my tail off this semester & at times I was barely hanging on to my four jobs by a thread; not to mention the state of contingent/adjunct/part-time faculty is pretty much one big mess; plus, I still don’t exactly know how I will pay all of my bills in academic year 2018-19. Yet for now, it’s mostly working for me, and I’m grateful for the chance to talk about music while still having some sort of positive influence on a group of (mostly) talented and interesting emerging adults.

But to the one who didn’t think my jokes were funny: you’re so wrong.
And to the one who said, “Please hire her as a full-time professor!”: obviously, you are a genius.

 

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1. A portion of this positive feedback was a referendum of sorts on the students’ rather miserable and disastrous Music History I experience, as many stated in the comments; but I’d like to believe at least some of them had an objective opinion about our class. Also, to the many students who said 70 was too big for this class, I agree.

2. One student said that these sorts of gestures & comments “made me feel like there was at least one person in this building who cared about me. Thank you for that.” Yikes. Also, students did actually say they learned a great deal & the majority of respondents said that the class challenged them to think and learn.