#Symphonic Etudes

[opera-ghosts]

OTD in Music History: Composer and pedagogue Vincent d'Indy (1851 – 1931) died in France. As a young man, D'Indy studied under composer Cesar Franck (1822 - 1890) at the Paris Conservatoire in the 1870's; for the rest of his life, he idolized Franck as his musical ideal, and ultimately wrote a celebrated biography of his cherished mentor in 1912. But in some ways, the entire decade of the 1870's was a veritable whirlwind of artistic inspiration for D'Indy -- during the summer of 1873 he visited Germany and met with met both Franz Liszt (1811 - 1886) and Johannes Brahms (1833 - 1897), and in 1875 he played a minor role – "The Prompter" – in the world premiere of Georges Bizet's (1838 - 1875) opera "Carmen." Finally, in 1876, he attended the very first production of Richard Wagner's (1813 - 1883) "Ring cycle" at Bayreuth; this made a great impression on him, and he quickly became a fervent Wagnerian. D'Indy's influence as a teacher was considerable: In 1894, he co-founded the "Schola Cantorum de Paris" (an important private music school), and he also taught at the Paris Conservatoire. His students included Erik Satie (1866 - 1925), Albert Roussel (1869 - 1937), (1866 - 1925), Arthur Honegger (1892 - 1955), Darius Milhaud (1892 - 1974), and -- of all people -- American Broadway composer Cole Porter (1891 - 1964). As a composer, unfortunately, d'Indy has languished. Few of d'Indy's works are performed regularly in concert halls today, and the Grove Dictionary of Music observes that his famed veneration for Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 - 1827) and Franck "has unfortunately obscured the individual character of his own compositions, particularly his fine orchestral pieces descriptive of southern France." Among his best-known pieces are the "Symphony on a French Mountain Air" for piano and orchestra (1886) and "Istar" (1896), a symphonic poem in the form of a set of variations in which the theme appears only at the end... PICTURED: A 1910 autograph letter written out and signed by d'Indy on his Scholar Cantorum letterhead, addressed to an unnamed friend and regarding various musical matters.

[kaibacorpintern]

So true about Kaiba being a moody dramatic Rachmaninoff piano concerto hoe lmao. Would he give Chopin a pass for ballade in g/winter winds you think, or is anyone who writes frilly little etudes automatically disqualified from the playlists on principle?

Oh god so here's my opinion as someone who played classical piano for eight years and interned at a classical music organization for a while: as the adopted son of a rich man who was (according to DM) invested in cultivating some kind of philanthropic/cultured image, Kaiba was probably dragged along to many, many classical music events as a young lad, and sat there in his penguin suit under strict orders not to fall asleep, fold the program into paper airplanes, fidget too much, or let Mokuba fidget too much. What he truly knows about classical music might fill a bucket (the four major eras, the big name composers, some basic music theory) but not a swimming pool.

Like I don't love seeing "rich people" cliches stuck on Kaiba, because his life story is far more complex than that, but I do think this one--"ultrawealthy donor attends a night at the symphony because it's a good look for them, not because they understand the intricacies of Mahler"--might apply here. He IS going to see Yuja Wang play Prokofiev, but he does not know why/how Prokofiev is important, and unless he took a dedicated interest in music (leading to your exquisite insights) he might just slap KAIBA SYMPHONIC HALL atop the arts center, mail over a check for $20mil, and be done with it Gozaburo style.

That being said, this is my answer to your question: I think he pays attention during a performance of Chopin's Tristesse (or, Ravel's Pavane por une infante défunte?) feels one too many feelings, and wants to go crawl into a dirt hole about them afterwards, like a dying animal. But he has to schmooze at the donor's club, so he can't. He is wearing a cummerbund and a bowtie, and now he is twice as miserable.

When he locks himself in his lab later, to burn the midnight oil, he listens to the Chopin again, in private, and discovers new feelings--which are actually just the old feelings, newly remembered.

Also his favorite symphony is Mahler 5. Look me in the eyes and tell me he wouldn't go ballistic for the trumpet solo.

[classicalpianovibes]

Sibelius: pieces to listen to

In honor of Jean Sibelius' birthday (and Finland's independence day 6th Dec) I made this list of his works to listen to:

Symphony, op. 39 no. 1

Violin concerto op. 47

Tapiola, op. 112 (A symphonic poem)

Romance for violin and piano, op. 78 no. 2

The Spruce (from "The Trees") op. 75 no. 5

Etude, op. 76 no. 2

Waltz, op. 81 no. 3

Valse triste, op. 44

Finlandia, op. 26 (A symphonic poem)

Karelia suite, op. 11

Sydämeni laulu, op. 18 no. 6

[maaarine]

Etudes symphoniques (Symphonic Etudes) , Op. 13, Adagio and Allegro brillante: Variation 11 (arr. P.I. Tchaikovsky for orchestra) · Seattle Symphony · Gerard Schwarz

[lboogie1906]

Dr. Daniel Bernard Roumain (born May 3, 1971) opera composer, violinist, pedagogic, and activist was born in Skokie, Illinois. He was reared in Margate, Florida, He has one son.

He began playing the violin at the age of five. By the age of 11, he played electric guitar and synthesizer in his band, performing rock and hip-hop. He graduated from Vanderbilt University and received a BSM with a concentration in Composition and Theory. He earned an MM at the University of Michigan.

He began freelancing as an accompanist and as a rehearsal pianist for dance at the Julliard School, Joffrey Ballet, Dance Theatre of Harlem, Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance, and The Ailey School. He earned a DM in Composition from the University of Michigan. He made his Carnegie Hall debut with “Harlem Essay for Orchestra,” and he’s composed pieces for the Boston Pops Orchestra, Dogs of Desire Ensemble, Carnegie Hall, the Library of Congress, and the Stuttgart Symphony. He released compositions for the theater and concert hall for his label, DBR Music. His Hip-Hop Essay for Orchestra was performed by the Dallas Symphony and Memphis Symphony Orchestras. He premiered a solo classical, rock, blues, jazz, and hip-hop show on electric violin, I, Composer in Phoenix, as well as conducted the Buffalo Philharmonic and Seattle Philharmonic Orchestras.

He published 24 Bits: Hip-Hop Studies and Etudes, Book 1 & 2. He received the Sports Emmy Award for Outstanding Musical Composition. His “Dancers, Dreamers, and Presidents” won the Sphinx commissioning prize and was performed by the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra.

His operatic aria, “They Still Want to Kill Us,” reflecting on the Tulsa Massacre, was opposed by Tulsa Opera over the libretto’s climax line” “They want to kill us/They still want to kill us/God Bless America/God Damn America”. He scored the film Ailey that premiered at Sundance Film Festival and composed “Symphonic Band, Falling Black into The Sky” for Washington State University. He became the Resident Artistic Catalyst for the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra. #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence

[burlveneer]

Mark Gowing's typography for Longform Editions

Mark Gowing operates as the organisation’s creative director, creating and managing all visual art and communications. Gowing has over 30 years experience in publishing and design and is also the founder of Formist. His Longform Editions cover art is created using a series of generative typographic systems that utilise the artist name and work title as raw materials for abstracted outcomes.

Christina Vantzou - Observations, edits, a cure for restlessness

Valentina Magaletti - Different Rooms

Lia Kohl - Untitled Radio (futile, fertile)

Gavilán Rayna Russom - Trans Feminist Symphonic Music

Melanie Velarde - Deep Circles

Angel Bat Dawid - Harkening Etudes

N Chambers - Itinerant Pattern

@markgowing

@formist_foundry

@formisteditions

@longformeditions

[rolflovesclassicalmusic]

Concert review, ★★★★½, Prix Serdang 2023 for Ariel Lanyi. Award ceremony and recital @ Villa Serdang, Feldbrunnen SO, 2023-06-25 — Hugo Wolf: Italienisches Liederbuch (Italian Songbook), HWW 159 (selection, arranged for piano by Ariel Lanyi); Robert Schumann: Symphonic Etudes in C♯ minor, op.13 (including the 5 extra variations, op.posth.)

Blog post #648

[literaturemini]

Musicians in the romantic period

From the 1800s to about 1910, Western classical music was defined by its soaring melodies and ever-expanding orchestrations, originality and self-expression. Here are the composers who made all this possible: There are many musicians in the romantic period.

Romance time. In the wonderful words of composer and classical FM host John Branning, "They named him twice. So good."

The 'early' Romantic era began around 1800 with the great classical music of the time Ludwig van his Beethoven. His symphonic revolution ushered in a new era in music history. Fast forward to the turn of the century and music looked very different from the classical era (1730-1820). Late-romantic composers like Rachmaninoff and Mahler expanded the orchestra to an unprecedented scale, adding more colors and instruments, transforming the music into a range of human emotions, from sorrow to joy, passion to sorrow. I changed it to a way to express the whole range.

Here we explore some of the biggest contributors to romance.

01. Frederic Chopin (1810-1849)

Frédéric Chopin was a virtuoso pianist who wrote almost exclusively for his instrument. The piano underwent major changes in his nineteenth century, with composers becoming more ambitious in range, color and dynamics. It became a symbol of Romanticism and was expanded to meet the needs of musicians like Chopin. Of his repertoire, preludes were favorites of Polish Romanticism, and his nocturnes, waltzes, etudes, mazurkas, sonatas and concertos are still some of the pianist's most popular repertoires today.

02. Franz Liszt (1811-1886)

Another composer, Franz Liszt, called "the world's first rock star", took the virtuoso piano art to new heights. The great Hungarian composer, known for his astonishingly demonic La Campanella repertoire, was a showman who revolutionized the performing arts. At his recital, Liszt's fans stripped him of his clothes and shouted his name. This is the phenomenon that the German poet Heinrich Heine called "listomania".In today's recital, we often hear Liszt's timeless and beautiful song No. 3 in A-flat major.

03. Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901)

The undisputed king of Italian opera, Verdi is known not only for his monumental Requiem, but above all for his great stage productions: La Traviata, Rigoletto, Nabucco, Aida. Fate of Destiny" and "Il Trovatore". Written primarily around the time of Italian unification, Verdi's operas have become an integral part of Italy's national identity, and his chorus has been adopted as the hymn of Italian freedom fighters. In nineteenth-century Italy, Verdi was the king of music. His death in 1901 brought grief to a nation deeply connected to his passion for opera.

04. Richard Wagner (1813-1883)

Richard's list of Wagnerian innovations in 19th-century music goes on, including new instruments, bespoke venues, and extraordinarily long works A rather controversial figure largely due to his ties to Nazism – see his gallery of facts here for more – Wagner was a musical visionary best known for opera . His most enduring works include The Flying Dutchman, Tannhäuser, Tristan, Isolde and of course his monumental Ring Cycle, his four opera productions lasting 15 hours. . He gave the opera a "leitmotif". It is a musical feature that is widely used today and intended to represent characters and themes. Remember the music of Darth Vader from Star Wars.

05. Fanny Mendelssohn (1805-1847)

Fanny Mendelssohn was a truly great composer, but getting her work published in the 19th century was an almost overwhelming ordeal. Her brother Felix Mendelssohn wrote that the Violin Concerto in E Minor and Hebrides was a regular feature in her 21st Century Concerts program, and Fanny felt she should not publish music as a woman. was He decided that many of her works, including her rather wonderful song Italia, should be published under his name. In all, Fanny wrote 460 pieces of music, including many without words, a genre of piano music made famous by her brother Felix Mendelssohn. Musicologists now believe Fanny to be the pioneer of this form.

06. Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893)

Tchaikovsky is one of the most successful Russian composers. He is a prolific composer of symphonies, concertos, operas, ballets, and chamber music, whose ballets The Nutcracker, Swan Lake, and Sleeping Beauty are guaranteed to sell out worldwide, and whose symphonies and The concerto is a mainstay on the international concert stage today. Tchaikovsky was also a deeply troubled man, and his work was shaped by the emotional aftermath of a disastrous marriage, multiple love affairs, and homosexuality, which was illegal in Russia at the time.

07. Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)

Have you heard the German Requiem? Brahms is one of the most respected and beloved composers of the Romantic era. His symphonies, piano and violin concertos, delightful academic overtures for his festivals, and the moving German Requiem, written after the death of his mother, are among his most performed works. . Discovering Brahms' music also means exploring the fascinating blend of classical tradition with folk and gypsy influences that are the inspiration for his 21 dynamic and varied Hungarian dances. .

08. Giacomo Puccini (1858-1924)

You say sobbing Aria, we say Puccini. This great Italian composer is one of the most performed operas of our time, including La Bohème, Tosca, Madame Butterfly, and Turandot, and the core of every song is absolutely heartbreaking music. In fact, his last opera, Turandot, contains the great tenor's aria "Nessundorma", making him one of the few 20th-century operas to gain a foothold in opera houses around the world. It's one. While working on his final work, Puccini said:

"God Almighty touched me with his pinky finger and said, 'Write for the play, remember only for the play.' "And I obeyed his highest orders."

09. Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873-1943)

Rachmaninoff is now moving into the late-romantic period, the ideal turn-of-the-century type of grandiose melodies and virtuoso pianism, whose masterpiece was certainly his 1901 Piano Concerto 2. Its subsequent use in the movie Brief Encounter made it one of the most popular to date. A famous gentleman with big hands, Rachmaninoff could have spanned his 12 piano keys from little finger to thumb. His Piano Concerto No. 3 has long been a favorite in his concert halls and challenges the soloist (literally) to the limits of his abilities.

10. Gustav Mahler (1860-1911)

For many, Mahler represents the culmination of the astonishing transformation that Western classical music has undergone over his century. As a symphonic master, Mahler thought: it must encompass all. There's more to Mahler's symphonies: frenzied violence, deep sentimentality, existential boredom. With Symphony No. 2, the phrase 'size matters' has never been more appropriate, but Mahler wanted to emphasize life and death in all its terrifying glory. Its emotional range and melodic tension make him one of those classic repertoire pieces that not only audiences want to hear, but orchestras and conductors alike want to play. .

Of course, romantic music doesn't end with these ten composers of his. The 19th century produced a melting pot of musical expression, with composers such as Richard Strauss, Felix Mendelssohn, Sibelius, Berlioz, Schumann, Grieg, Dvořák and Debussy contributing productively. Click on the name to learn more about the composer and their music. 

[mikrokosmos]

Caplet - Le masque de la mort rouge, for harp and orchestra

13 Pieces for Halloween, no.3. André Caplet isn’t a common name nowadays. He was a turn of the century French composer who was most well known for his orchestrations of Debussy’s piano music. At the time, there were two new competing harp designs: the pedal harp [which is the standard today] and the chromatic harp [where every pitch gets its own string]. Caplet wrote this “symphonic etude” for the chromatic harp, and it also works as a tone poem based off of the Edgar Allan Poe tale The Masque of the Red Death. One of my favorite stories since I discovered it in high school. The Masque of the Red Death is about a country that is hit by a terrible plague. The Red Death causes fevers and makes the victim bleed from all pores and orifices. An aristocrat, Prince Prospero, plans to avoid the plague and invites other gentry and high society members to lock themselves away in his fabulous castle, letting the country die around them. They wait off the plague by gorging on feasts and having extravagant parties. There are several rooms, each one decorated with glass windows to give off colored lights. The gimmick is nice for all rooms except the last, where the red stained glass gives off blood light over black furniture. The party goes well, except one person has come to the masquerade dressed as a victim of the Red Death. The prince is enraged, and rushes to find out who would do something so grotesque to mock everyone. He chases the person through all of the rooms, and at the last room, the blood room, the mask falls and it’s revealed that it isn’t a person at all. The Red Death itself has entered the party, and it takes everyone’s lives. The music of Caplet’s poem recreates the darkness and drama of the story, starting with eerie harmonies and sounds, melting into a few dances for the party, that grow and develop into something frantic and disturbing. It also follows the plot’s chase scene at the end, and we come back to the beginning, as mysterious and bleak as can be.

[yisanged]

stumbles into the room teary eyed and covered in sweat and blood before collapsing on the ground. I JUST PRACTICED THE BASSOON FOR OVER 4 FUCKING HOURS entirely on this one etude that's supposed to be out chair auditions. did those hours pay off at least? no my recording was shit but i honestly don't even care i've been playing bassoon for like a month they can't get mad at me. besides it's not like there's anyone else they can give first chair to. i am the entire bassoon section for symphonic band i'm getting first part whether i like it or not [<- i don't. at all]

[treasuresofpolishmusic]

🇵🇱 16 września 1800 roku w Koryciskach koło Radomia przyszedł na świat Józef Nowakowski, pianista, kompozytor i pedagog, bliski przyjaciel Fryderyka Chopina. Początkowo uczył się gry na puzonie, rogu i fortepianie w klasztorze cystersów w Wąchocku. W latach 1821-1826 był studentem Konserwatorium Warszawskiego, gdzie uczył się kompozycji u Józefa Elsnera i gry na fortepianie u Wilhelma Würfela. Tam też zaprzyjaźnił się z Chopinem. Przyjaźń tych kompozytorów trwała długie lata. W 1833 roku Nowakowski podróżował po Niemczech, Włoszech i Francji. Kilkakrotnie (1838, 1841, 1846-47) przebywał w Paryżu, gdzie z pomocą Chopina, wydał zadedykowane mu etiudy. W 1836 roku razem z Chopinem złożył wizytę Robertowi Schumannowi w Lipsku. Komponował głównie muzykę fortepianową oraz pieśni, muzykę kameralną i symfoniczną. Napisał też podręcznik do gry na fortepianie. Pod koniec życia był sparaliżowany. Zmarł w 1865 roku w Warszawie.

🇬🇧 Józef Nowakowski, pianist, composer and teacher, was born on 16 September 1800 in Koryciska, near Radom. He was Fryderyk Chopin’s close friend. As a young man, he studied trombone, horn and piano playing in the cistercian abbey in Wąchock. From 1821 to 1826, he studied in Warsaw Conservatory: composition with Józef Elsner and piano playing with Wilhelm Würfel. There he became friends with Fryderyk Chopin. In 1833, Nowakowski travelled across the Germany, Italy and France. He visited Paris for several times (1838, 1841, 1846-47). There (with Chopin’s help) he published his set of piano etudes, dedicated to Chopin. In 1836, he and Chopin visited Robert Schumann in Leipzig. He wrote mainly piano music, and also songs, chamber and symphonic music. He wrote popular book about piano playing. He suffered from paralysis at the end of his life and died in Warsaw in 1865.

[topoet]

Scriabin

 By Alexander Scriabin (1871-1915) Russian, I have stand alone double cd sets: Piano Sonatas 1 2, Symphonies 1 2; lp to 4 cds transfers of solo piano music that includes mazurkas, etudes etc. As mp3: symphonic poems: Prométhée, Le Poème du feu; Le Poème de l’extase; Piano Concerto.  The lp transfer were of a VoxBox 3 lps set. Much of this is influenced by Chopin & delights, if you like Chopin.…

[no-tritones-for-you]

(via Robert Schumann - Symphonic Etudes, Op. 13 - YouTube)

i think this is the first time i’ve ever heard his symphonic etudes all the way through [never been a huge schumann fan] and... wow. 

I especially love the last supplemental variation and the finale.

[burlveneer-music]

Charles Amirkhanian - Loudspeakers - a new collection of his “sound landscapes” as opposed to his “text-sound” pieces (New World Records)

Charles Amirkhanian (b. 1945) can be regarded as a central figure in American music, and on several fronts. As a composer, he's been pervasively innovative in two genres: text-sound pieces, in which he can draw engaging rhythmic processes from wacky word assemblages such as "rainbow chug bandit" and "church car rubber baby buggy bumper"; and natural-sound electronic pieces which go far beyond the usual confines of musique concrète to create long, poetic sound narratives poised between collage and sonic landscape.

Amirkhanian's text-sound pieces often begin with a quasi-minimalist basis in repetition, but their processes are playful and even humorous rather than strict. His electronic landscapes (including all the ones here) occasionally include repetitive elements, but are more poetic, intuitive in their form and often impressionistic in their effect. Several of his earlier commercial recordings have showcased the text-sound pieces; the present two-disc set is a welcome compendium of his sound landscapes. We might characterize the whole as three tone poems preceded by a set of ten etudes.

The set of ten pieces, Pianola (Pas de mains) (1997 - 2000) - the subtitle is French for "no hands") - stems from Amirkhanian's long fascination with the player piano, or pianola - the self-playing piano, and is a whimsical set of essays based on the sound and techniques of the player piano.

The remaining three works [Im Frühling (1989 - 90), Son of Metropolis San Francisco (1997), Loudspeakers (for Morton Feldman)(1988 - 90)] might be characterized as extended love poems, so affectionately do they portray their respective subjects: spring, San Francisco, and the composer Morton Feldman. These pieces were composed using the Synclavier, an electronic sampling keyboard first developed at Dartmouth in the late 1970s, for which Amirkhanian has written many of the most ambitious works.

What links all these pieces is a creative ambiguity of genre, a delight in shifting back and forth between elements whose sources can be recognized and those whose can't. The pacing, at least in the latter three works, is leisurely, and somewhere between ambient and symphonic: One can listen to them as atmosphere, yet a sense of overall dramatic shaping is not absent. Though we listen to them through loudspeakers, it seems problematic to pigeonhole Amirkhanian as an "electronic" composer. The music, restful and noisy at once, is too playful for that, and too natural - and elicits a listening mode that brings no other composer to mind.

[kubrickist]

All the while churning out rock and roll hits, Elton made instrumental opuses such as this symphonic etude like it’s nobody’s business and i'm 

[harriskm]

Some College Advice (from a college student)

Some Things I Learned to Help Be a Music Student in College (Before you go)

For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Kaila, and I graduated with the CR Class of 2019. I got my AA through Running Start and have loved band since 5th grade. At the time this is written, I am going to Pacific Lutheran University to get a Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education, with an endorsement in math.

Most Important Advice: Practice all your music and more, all the time. More on this below.

Even if you don’t think you are going to continue music in college or as a career, practice and play as if you will. Commitment alone can look much better to jobs/colleges and shows dedication.

Being better at music will also over time pay off in other things, like knowing how to keep a steady work/practice schedule and holding yourself accountable. It also is really fun even just recreationally.

For all you know, especially as a high school freshman, your life or career plans may change by the time you are applying to colleges. From middle school to junior year, I wanted to be a lawyer, then had a change of heart at the end of my junior year and wanted to be a music teacher. I didn’t focus enough on music before then because, well, I didn’t have to and I had other things to worry about. My biggest high school regret is not putting my full effort into music even when it wasn’t my future career. The moral here is to keep improving at music no matter what you want to do, because you never know where your life will take you. If nothing else, many colleges give music scholarships to non-music majors, which can make a HUGE difference for your tuition costs.

 In no particular order of importance…

·        Running Start students/those wanting to go to LCC after high school: You can take private lessons through LCC for elective credits for only $500 each ten-week quarter. You may also be able to get lessons from LCC instructors just as a high school student, but it may cost more, and may depend on the instructor. It never hurts to ask.

·        Any high school student that takes any private lessons for their instrument can audition to play in the LCC symphonic band (and I would assume for their choir). This can be with private lessons from an LCC instructor or a third party private teacher. For more information, contact the LCC music department and/or visit the LCC music page https://lowercolumbia.edu/music/index.php

·        College music is much more difficult than music that tends to be played at Castle Rock’s level. This is nothing against the music program, other than instrument limitations, but because of a tendency of students’ lack of effort. Even if you find a piece to be incredibly easy for you, practice it! You can work on your tone more and musicality once you have mastered fingerings and rhythms! In addition to concert music, invest in some technique books, or etude books, or look online for cheap/free sheet music! Keep challenging yourself, as there will always be more you can do. Work towards college-level pieces while you are in high school so that you are not behind other students your age. More work now will mean less work later.

·        If the college you want to go to is like PLU and has music scholarship auditions with no specific repertoire (suggested music to play) listed, look at their ensemble placement audition repertoire, as they might be more specific. Look for this months before the audition dates so that you can adequately prepare.

·        PLU and perhaps other universities may allow you to get a free private lesson on your instrument, at little to no extra cost, if you are considering them as a school. This is a great way to not only improve your skill, but meet some of your potential music faculty even before an entrance audition. You may be more likely to get a scholarship or into a higher level ensemble if the professors know you and your skill level better personally.

·        If you are doing running start before going to a 4 year (or going to community college after high school) try to get a music-specific degree if you may want to have a career in music. PLU and likely other colleges allow you to test out of the basic classes, like Music Theory, Keyboarding, and Ear Training, which means a lot less time paying tuition at the 4 year. Keep in mind though that if you skip many fundamental classes, you may be with mostly college upperclassmen in the next few class sequences.

General Pre-College Tips:

·        IF THERE ARE ANY SPECIFIC COLLEGES YOU ARE INTERESTED IN NOW, LOOK AT THEIR PROGRAMS AND COMPARE THEM TO EACH OTHER. Look at the standard financial aid/scholarship packages given from each school. Look at all the scholarships you are eligible for and compare how much you might get.

·        YOU CAN GET SAT, ACT, AND MANY COLLEGE APPLICATION FEES WAIVED. IF YOU QUALIFY FOR FREE/REDUCED LUNCHES, ARE IN A TRIO PROGRAM, OR FIT INTO SEVERAL OTHER CRITERIA, talk to Mrs. Wilson or another counselor to see if you are eligible. LCC students, it is very easy to join Trio, and they help you with other things like college essays too. Their office is in the Admissions building on LCC campus.

·        If you need to study for the SAT, Khan Academy has a very helpful service where they personalize study material to give you. I raised my SAT score by 100 points using their website alone. Their service is completely free of charge.

·        Use the Common Application when you can. This is a college application service where you can fill in personal information only ONCE when applying for different colleges rather than every single time you apply to a new one. This service is completely free and can reduce a lot of application time.

·        Do not be afraid to ask any teachers for help with your application. Many will likely be happy to help, especially with personal statements and scholarship essays. They can provide many different helpful perspectives to give you a better chance.

·        Many colleges have different scholarships for freshman vs. transfer students. Look at all of these when comparing financial aid to figure out if it is more cost effective to go to a community college and transfer first. Also, if you go to a community college first, look at the university’s general ed requirements so that you can make good use of your community college credits.

·        LCC students: if you are eligible with a high enough GPA, join Phi Theta Kappa (PTK). There is a fee to join but it may be possible to waive it, and many colleges might give you an extra scholarship just for being a member. PLU gives an extra $1000 a year to PTK members.

·        Look at and apply to many colleges early on. Even if it seems a ways away, it is closer than you think, so it’s never too early to start looking. The earlier you apply, the more likely you will get more scholarship offers from the schools, because they will have more money to give out. If you do apply for many, and get accepted to many, DECLINE the financial aid and admission to the schools you aren’t going to BEFORE Decision Day on May 1. This will allow the other colleges to re-disperse any scholarships you got so other students can have more money. After May 1, the unaccepted scholarships will be unavailable to anybody forever.

·        Visit the campuses before you enroll to any school. Sometimes you might go onto a campus and just have a gut feeling about where or not the school is for you. A campus may be bigger or smaller than you think, and on tours you will likely learn more about the college than you can by emails and fliers. This also provides an easy opportunity to talk to students going to your potential schools and see how it really is.

·        Once you get in to a school, check your schedule and see if there’s anything to change. You will hate yourself in the mornings if you have an 8 AM class, so try not to have one that early if you don’t have to. Talk to an advisor early on about finding another time to take that class. Also, look up professors on something like ratemyprofessor.com. You can find out before the semester begins what methods they use and if they are a right fit for you as a student. Look early and you may be able to switch classes if you need to.

·        If you email any college faculty, it is most professional to address them as Dr. or Professor, and then their last name. Do not refer to them as Mr. or Mrs., or by their first name unless they ask you to call them differently.

·        Compare prices of things you buy for your dorm before purchasing them. Go to different stores if you can and see what has the best sale or deal. Your parents or wallet will thank you later.

When You Start Your Freshman Year at a 4-Year:

·        Your dorm room is much smaller than you hoped. Move in day will be very long and stressful. Arrive as early as possible to get all your stuff packed in, pack your things as tightly as you can before arriving, and don’t bring anything you don’t need.

·        If you have a roommate, become friends with them as soon as you can. You will be living with them for at least the semester, sharing the space. It will be very helpful if you can get along.

·        Music Majors/Minors: You will likely have to practice everything a heck of a lot more than you ever did in high school, unless you practiced every day. Generally music students are supposed to practice AT LEAST an hour a day and that is for basic improvement on your instrument.

·        College tests and assignments will be different than their high school counterparts. College tasks will be centered more around applied knowledge, whereas high school work tends to focus more on memorization. You will want to study all aspects of how different learning points interact with each other in order to do the best on homework and tests, and study everything multiple times.

·        Boxes and easy storage will be your best friend within your dorm. The space will be very small. Particularly for girls more than boys, you will likely have more things you brought than there is space for all of it. Boxes and bins are a great way to keep everything organized. Similarly, the Dollar Tree and other places have drawer organizers that will make your life a lot easier to grab things quickly. Invest in these if you can. The Dollar Tree actually has

·        Make sure to have plenty of cold and flu medicine before you leave home. Going to a pharmacy to get meds when you are sick is not a trek you want to have to make.

·        Your college will likely have many resources available to help you succeed. This may include but is not limited to: Faculty office hours, a health center, a counseling center, a library that has way more than just books. USE THEM. You are paying for all of those with your tuition. They are there for your success. Don’t be afraid to ask for help.

·        Unless you regularly wear all of them now, you will not need your whole wardrobe of shoes. Me personally, I barely wear anything more than volleyball shoes for games, tennis shoes for walking, and converse for comfort. Shoes are clunky and take up valuable space. Evaluate how many you really need, or find an out of the way space in your dorm to keep the ones you don’t wear often.

·        Power naps will save you when you are feeling too overwhelmed in your head. It’s like restarting your system, giving you time to physically debrief and take a mental break. About 20 minutes is the best amount of time for a power nap, but make sure not to oversleep.

·        Some professors don’t always take attendance, but it is still crucial to go to class anyways. Missing class makes it so much easier to miss information, important dates, announcements, and if nothing else, a lecture.

·        Socialize within your first few weeks. Make friends in your dorm or within your area of study. Try to do this sooner, before everybody else has already found a pack to hang with.

·        It is okay to say no to commitments. It is okay to say no to your friends, that you don’t have time to go hang with them. It is okay to say no to your peers or professors, that you can’t handle more on your plate right now. Do not overwhelm yourself. Do not give yourself so much work that you cannot sleep or take proper care of yourself.

·        College students do not drink and party as much as the movies makes it seem. It is completely normal to turn down a drink, and most if not all other students will understand and not push you to participate. If they do push you to drink, you need to get different friends. College is for education, and you don’t want to watch your grades slip just because of any mistakes. If you do drink in college, do so responsibly. Drinking until around your junior year (when you are 21) is illegal anyways, as is in the dorms, so there will be many bad repercussions if you get caught.