Final Project (Apple Peels)

Here's the link to the recording of my song. :] 

http://exchange.converse.edu/exchange/Elsie.Maechtle/Inbox/Apple%20Peels.EML/Apple%20Peels%202.m4a/C58EA28C-18C0-4a97-9AF2-036E93DDAFB3/Apple%20Peels%202.m4a?attach=1

Woke up on the wrong side of the bed,
Had a pounding ache in my head.
I was confused; I didn't know what to do.
Then I had a breakthrough.
When I came here I was way too shy.
My family was the one who made my life,
Now I know I have more than enough.

I don't know where to start, but I know how to follow my heart.
I'm gonna be the star that shines bright in the night.
Look in the mirror and see; I'm exactly where I need to be.
I'll follow the road that leads me to home, I'll be free.

Since being here I've learned how to open up.
I've learned that I'm not alone, and everyone can get stuck.
I've changed my mind about settling for less.
I'm just gonna go out there and face the world,
And one day at a time, I will follow my dreams,
I'll open my cage and sing on a stage.

I don't know where to start, but I know how to follow my heart.
I'm gonna be the star that shines bright, in the night.
Look in the mirror and see; I'm exactly where I need to be.
I'll follow the road that leads me to home, I'll be free.

And I washed away all of my fears.
And I cast away all of my tears.

Now I know where to start, and I'll always follow my heart.
I'll forever be the star that shines bright.
Look in the mirror and see; I'm exactly where I need to be.
I'll follow the road that leads me to home, I'll be free.
To be me.

Haha! Then is our rap. "Split Banana Face Face"

Who was I before College?
I was a beginning musician and I felt alone and scared and confused. When I first came to Converse I was sheepish and afraid to meet new people. My family and friends helped shape my social and people skills. My teacher and choir friends helped shape my music skills.

How have I changed?
I have learned to be open, brave, sociable, and to generally feel free. My value is to trust myself and reach for the thing I want more than anything no matter how impractical it may seem. I had to decide early in the semester between majoring in music and choosing to minor in music while getting a degree in something more secure. I realized that if I settle for less than what I want I'm just selling myself short. I'll never reach my goals with an attitude of "that's never going to happen." I now believe in myself and that I can accomplish anything I desire. My behavior has changed so now I talk to more people. If you want to be able to sing on Broadway you need to make some connections. I am here because I want to sing and be the best singer I can possibly be. By becoming more involved with other people I am enforcing my values and beliefs through working hard to become a better person and improving my weaknesses.

Where am I going?
My goals are to be a performer and sing on Broadway in New York. I'm going to practice as much as I can, I'm going to meet many new people, and I'm going to learn as much about music as I can. After college and grad school I plan on going to New York and playing and singing and auditioning every chance I get. After I leave school I want to be able to say that I am the very best I can be.

Why I chose song formation.
I decided to impart my information to the class through a song. Half-way because it was easiest for me and half-way because singing is deep in my heart. What better way to express my hopes and dreams and life then through the thing I love the most. Lyrics have never been my thing, I much rather writing catchy melodies and bass lines. I also think that portraying my life in a song opens the door to figurative language that everyone can relate to. So it can be more enjoyable to audience and they can understand the meaning behind the words if they can connect to the emotions. 

Halloween Traditions

The tradition I would start is a Trick-or-Treat for the students on campus.  This way people who are too old to Trick-or-Treat can still dress up and get candy. There could be rules like there is a designated hour for each class to go around and get candy. That way everyone could get the chance to get candy and to give candy. For people who do not want to participate they can leave their doors closed and the people who want to participate can keep their doors open as long as they want.

Possible problems with this tradition could be people not going returning to their dorms when their time to go door to door is over. This would ruin the experience for the other students that have been giving out candy. Another problem would be the guests rule. Anyone could just walk through the school in a costume and no one knows who that person is, or even if that person was invited or is a criminal in the making. Even if that wasn't a problem students probably wouldn't want to sign their guests in all the different dorms. So I would suggest making it a Converse student only event.

                Another idea would be if the school had an event for kids, where parents know it’s a safe environment for kids to be in. Students could fill out a form to “adopt” a little monster or princess for the night and take them around campus to Trick-or-Treat. I do think a lot of the students would think this is adorable and would want to participate. This would be helpful for kids who don’t live in a neighborhood, or if their parents have to work late and can’t take them out to go have fun. All the candy would be safe to eat and the parents wouldn't have to worry about their kids getting lost or abducted.

                If the little kids Trick-or-Treating could work it could be possible that a Big-sis Little-sis tradition could happen. For kids whose parents can’t afford costumes or kids who live in group homes or foster homes or even sick kids in a hospital could be “adopted” by a student and they could buy or make a costume for the child. Then afterwards they could be brought to campus and go around the dorms. If some of the students want to participate but aren't that great with kids or didn't have enough time or money to help they could always dress up as someone kids like and be greeters around campus. They could dress like Disney, Marvel, DC, or any other character (kind of like Disney world).These people would help with making sure the kids are safe, and helping them if they are lost and just helping out where needed.

                For the kids who might be sick and in the hospital probably wouldn't be able to leave the hospital so a solution to that could be a group of students going to these places and doing a skit, or playing music, or games, or reading to them. Mostly just letting the kids have a fun Halloween. If they are not allowed even leave their rooms students could go room to room and give them candy, so it would be the reverse of Trick-or-Treating. Finally if they kids couldn't have candy there could be a goody bag with cards or cars and small thing form the dollar store. I do think this would be a really nice thing to do for the kiddies. 

My Rainbow Connection :}

My dream career is performing music onstage; in any city, but my first choice would be New York. I would want to be wealthy, not oozing hundred dollar bills but have a little more than enough money to get by. I don’t like to socialize a lot so I would prefer to have a tight knit group of friends that I would do everything with, anywhere from having coffee to crying over break-ups. I would like to sing and perform with my partner. I would want to perform with her because being able to share something you both love is special. I also think that if two people can share something as beautiful as music their relationship can untimely be stronger.

Some of the disadvantages I probably have to face would be lots of work related activities and rehearsals. If my career was well off and I had a family I would be afraid I would not have a lot of time for them. That would also ruin my performance career for me. If I performed with my partner it might start to stress the relationship. Someone might earn more money or only one person catches a lucky break and the other the left alone. That might be stopped if both people worked as a team and refused to leave the other behind. If I was not able to get a good career out of performing I would probably have to pick up a few extra jobs to get by. And probably wouldn't have a family, I don’t feel right having one unless there is some sort of financial security.

Right now I’m studying in the Petrie School of Music as a Vocal Performance Major, but that is all that I am doing right now. I should probably start putting together a portfolio of pieces I can sing/play for auditions. I should also try to start making connections with people, and save money for the trip up there and rent in case I can’t find a job right away. I should also be searching for back up plans in case this whole dream is a waste of time. I might not have enough talent or enough strength to be truly competitive. I should also look for other ways to make a living, a more reliable living with a family and maybe do music on the side.

Finding My Flock

Dear Little Pink Panthers :]

        When I arrived at the school a few things surprised me. One thing was how "outside" the school was compared to all the other schools I have been to. I like being able to walk across the quad right before class instead of waiting in a smelly gym. I was also surprised at the amount of freedom we received. At first I didn't know what to do with the time I had until I made a schedule. The school day also seemed much shorter and time also seemed to go by much faster.

        The biggest challenges I faced were time management and people skills. I created a skeleton plan for each week and finalized the details each day. I would weed out the unimportant things and doing that made more time for school work and practice. I also was a shy person and I had trouble meeting new people. I would strongly encourage you to try to meet as many new people as you can. And make as many friends as you can. Maybe sit with someone new at lunch or walk to class with someone you haven't talked to yet but you kind of know who they are.

        I have learned that it is better to sometimes be selfish and just do something for you. If you can't find a working printer on a Sunday for a friend who forgot to print out their paper that was due later that day you should not stress yourself out. You need to calmly tell your friend that you could not find a printer and that she needs to find a printer. And telling her this does not mean you do not love your friend or that you don’t want to be friends anymore. You are letting yourself know that you are not going to take her problems on as your own. Helping is not a bad thing, but when it gets in the way of your well being you can’t really help anyone.

Lots of Love

~Elsie :]

Time Management...

The biggest time management challenge I have happens when I decide to put too many things on my plate. I become overwhelmed, stressed, and tired. When I went to middle school I realized that I was a very slow worker. A thirty minute assignment would normally take me an hour to complete. My speed became an issue for me to add new projects to my list. I had trouble trying to juggle school, sports, and work. I had to drop the sport even though I enjoyed playing.

          A time management tool that works for me is writing out a schedule for the week. Then in the mornings I usually decide the specifics for a particular day. If I know what I will be doing ahead of time I will be less likely to overbook. Also, I like to write out what the activities are that I would like to be a part of. Then I will cross out the ones that are less appealing to me, during class time, or when I normally do work study. Finally if two events are at the same time I will cross out the one that has fewer benefits for me. Benefits meaning convocation credit, recital credit, SSS credit, informational orientations, and clubs or organizations. Detriments would be parties, movie nights, going out late to eat on a school night, and activities that do not hold my interest.

            The advice I would give to others is to make a basic skeleton schedule. After the important and priority items are planned, start to put down the interesting and fun activities. Lastly I would advise not to overbook a schedule. If the schedule becomes overbooked because of commitment to many activities, or an activity becomes very active, I would advise to drop a commitment. Also a person could simply explain that it is not possible to complete this particular event at this time. I recommend for this reason to leave some space between activities for lateness, random weather changes, unknown emergencies, and even alien invasions. 

Why College?

           I decided to come to college because it seemed to be a doorway of opportunities for me. All my life I knew I needed to go to college, it wasn't an option. When I finally turned 18 I started having doubts about college. I wondered if it was the right decision, I already had a job and I felt as if going to college was leaving my family behind. But I was reassured by my family that going to college was the best thing I could do. Even if I could do nothing more than have a job and a home of my own so they don't have to support me.

           I specifically chose Converse College because I spoke to the Dean of the Arts (possibly another dean I can't really remember) and he told me to follow my dreams. If performing was what I wanted to do I should chase that dream. Because of him I decided to come here. After coming for my audition, I met some really cool people who I really thought genuinely cared about the school and wanted to share the "AMAZING" with other people. I remember going to other colleges (which I won't name) and when high school students came on a tour of campus the college students would "hide" or leave or make rude comments behind your back. But when I came to Converse everyone said they loved the school, I only found one person who said they didn't like it, and she said that because she didn't like the food. I love the general atmosphere around here and I hope it stays this way.

            I decided to study music in college at Converse because I do love all kinds of music especially when I sing or play the piano. When I can just be by myself and play anything that sound good to me and not feel fear or stress is the best feeling in the world. I always knew I was going to go to college for music, it runs in my family (my grandma conducted and sang and was a private piano teacher, my dad played in bands (harmonica), my sister plays violin and sings). I specifically chose converse because of the Dean (as I stated above) and the outstanding quality of the music program here.

             If I was a muppet I would be a musical muppet, I would probably be big and clunky (like Animal) and I would probably be a piano playing muppet. I would probably be crazy like Swedish Chef and no one could understand me because I spend so much time talking to myself about stuff no one else really cares about. :] Also I probably would not play the banjo, if I was talented enough to I would, but strings confuse me because I can't figure out where to put my fingers. :{

~Elsie