Question: What do you do when you have two problem sets, two quizzes, Aristotle readings on virtue, and a SURF information session to attend? So many choices....
Answer: Music.
Let me backtrack a little bit. Before my junior year of high school, I knew I would be completely stressed out by an upcoming full schedule of APs, SAT/ACTs, varsity athletics, and speech and debate. I was taking violin and classical vocal classes outside of school, but I always considered them a hobby and my own little bubble. When I was deciding on a seventh class for my junior year, my violin teacher recommended me to try out for the school's advanced orchestra, something I had never done before. I made it, and throughout the 200+ days of mental and physical stress, orchestra kept me completely sane and relaxed. Even through my senior year of high school, with the added stress of college apps, I found consolation in the routine practice and integration of my little bubble with my peers in school.
From then I knew that no matter which college I attended, I would keep pursuing music in some form for my sanity and enjoyment.
Thankfully, at Caltech, I have two main music outlets: the Caltech-Occidental Symphony Orchestra and the Caltech chamber music groups.
When I first came in September, I did not bring my violin with me, and I was completely worried that the promise to myself would be broken. Fortunately, my roommate during rotation also played the violin, and she was very kind to let me borrow it for practice. With that instrument, I would practice in my room, and the music house was really kind to let me borrow a violin (though I had to share it with another student) for the tryouts. With a little bit of hard work, I am now part of a chamber group and the Caltech-Occidental Symphony.
The latter group may sound a bit strange. Because of Caltech’s size and locality to other institutions in the Los Angeles County, we join with Occidental College for a full symphony (which sounds amazing). Not only are there Caltech and Occidental undergrads but also Caltech professors (for example, my humanities professor from fall quarter, who plays the French horn), graduate students, JPL people, and members of the community. To play with a wide array of musicians motivates me a lot, and the three hours of practice every Tuesday evening give me a time to just focus on enjoying music. It is also a challenge for me because the music we perform is notches above many pieces I have played, and I am not the best at sight-reading, either. We had our first concert the weekend before Thanksgiving, and our next concert is on March 3 and 4, 2012, at Occidental and Caltech, respectively, featuring a Beethoven symphony, pieces by Dvorak and Sibelius, and a flute concerto featuring the winners from the annual concerto competition.
Aside from the symphony, I really like my chamber group. Chamber music provides a really intimate setting for the performing arts, and it provides new opportunities. Our group is doing a quintet Baroque piece, a trio for two Mozart pieces, and a quartet for an arrangement of the Spirited Away score. I play the violin for the quintet and trio, but for the quartet I am playing the viola. Thankfully playing the viola is just like playing the violin, but I have to adjust the alto clef for the music (and stretching out my fingers for the larger instrument). Tonight we have a practice for the chamber concert in Dabney Lounge on January 29. Note that this is not Dabney Hovse but another building on campus with amazing acoustics (and, if you have visited, it is in front of Ramo Auditorium and has a private garden).
Music has been a great way for me to make friends and get involved on campus. From my classical vocal training (and listening to music from Bollywood classics), I got myself involved with OASIS, the campus organization for South Asian students. I performed during the Diwali festival on campus. I also have made one of my best friends at Caltech through our love for classical music and old Bollywood movies (which are known not for their dancing or plots but for their music).
Here is one of my favorite quotations about music, from Karl Paulnack, a music director at Boston Conservatory. “...music was seen as the study of relationships between invisible, internal, hidden objects.”
Quote of the day: Because of the SOPA protests, Wikipedia and many other sites have blacked out. From a Facebook post, my roommate and I got Wikipedia not to black out on Wednesday night. In honor of the brilliance of Wikipedia (hey, even Caltech professors love it), “Yay! I can do my bio homework now!”
