The Beginning of My Musical Journey in Oxford

I hope you all haven't given up on me quite yet! I am still out here in Oxford, alive and doing well. This past week has been very busy, and the two days I took off from homework to just do things myself did not include blog writing. I didn't have any inspiration, I suppose you could say.
Well now I have two forms of inspiration: the recent musical events in my life, and the mounting procrastination I am feeling as my paper is due in 18 hours and 25 minutes.

When I last left you, I had added a tagline about visiting Hertford College Chapel Choir in the hopes I would enjoy it and I would join. I certainly did enjoy it and I certainly have joined. The first rehearsal I attended was scary. Most of the people were knew, but the veterans had already been working on a piece, apparently, and so I felt slightly behind. It was almost entirely sight-reading and it all moved extremely fast. I did come to rehearsal equipped with skills I had learned from Dr. Epley, but I could definitely tell I was rather rusty. I hadn't been in a choir setting for 5 months, and that rust plus my nerves nearly got the better of me. After rehearsal was over, however, I talked with a few girls and realized they were just as intimidated as I was about the experience. We all felt equally ignorant and quickly bonded over it.

The following Sunday we sang the Evensong service. It went...alright. You could tell we were all nervous and had no idea what we were doing. Poor Grace seemed like she was going to cry (and she probably went and got really drunk after Formal Hall that night).

An extra rehearsal last Thursday, and the following rehearsals on Friday and yesterday before Evensong, have already improved our choir. We are all used to the way the hymns and psalms are written, and most are getting a bit quicker at sight-reading. I know that I have certainly improved at keeping and watching the beat.

I never thought being in a choir in Oxford would be so much different, though. I figured music in the US was the same as all the other Western Music countries. Now, although that is true in the big picture, the smaller picture is much different. The terminology and the notation are the biggest differences. Hymn words are written to the side of the music, as opposed to under the music. This tripped me up for awhile, and is probably what hurt my audition for St. Michael's. The music I have sang for the few Jewell church services I have attended certainly babied and spoiled me. Also, psalms are written with the text below, and divided up by measure and by note with punctuation marks, to be matched with the bar lines of the musical score above. Soon, though, I am sure these things will become second nature. I will be able to multi-task easier, which will improve so many areas of my life.

Finally, I leave you with translations of musical terms in English and American:
Semibreve= whole note
Minim= half note
Crotchet= quarter note
Quaver= eighth note
Semiquaver= sixteenth note
Hairpins= crescendo/decrescendo markings



Things I am currently missing/craving: Taco Bell, QT breakfast sandwiches, QT doughtnuts, Xbox, nice hugs
Things that have been acquired: A musical outlet, a new TV show to pass the time/procrastinate with on occasion, a few alternative easy food dishes