Not really much to blog about since I got back. Basically it's been trying to catch up and get ahead at the same time.

I'm trying to wait patiently to see if the regional SEM conference will or won't accept my paper to present in a little over a month. I don't wait very well, especially when I need to figure out travel, accommodations, and apply for grad school funding......and soon if it works out. I'm also in the process of trying to get everything squared away for the NFA conference, fieldwork opportunities, and Zoukfest this summer. On the fieldwork front, I found a great hostel that's less than an hour away from my fieldwork site and is basically $10-$15 a day. I'm hoping to try it out when I travel over Spring Break. On the NFA front, I've discovered that one of the other people slated to play with me on the program is having issues with his/her guitarist, so evidently I'm on deck to play backup for 15 min worth of trad tunes. Unfortunately, he/she is also having issues actually telling me which tunes to work on. So I'm trying to wait (again patiently) to hear what I need to learn on guitar. I'm hoping my Flute Co-presenter realizes that if she wants backup, I need the tunes soon so I can work out what I'm going to play.

We're having guest artists both in the Flute Studio and the World Music Ensemble this week and next, and I'm playing host/chauffeur to both of them at some point in their trip. I volunteered for both because I think that's part of a grad student's responsibilities/perks. As a grad student you owe it to your professors to help lighten the load for guest artists. That means offering to pick them up from the airport, taking them to a meal, arranging for their harpsichord/piano/accompaniment needs, and basically anything else that needs to be done. Consequently, your professors owe you extra contact time with guest artists. Generally helping and getting to know the guest artists happens at the same time.

As my Soo Bahk Do instructor said: "Your answer should always be, 'It's already done sir.'


Peace, Love, and Tunes,

Mac.

Labels: TA