I'm almost finished with Fall Semester 2020 and would like to both look back at what I've accomplished and look forward to what lies on the horizon. I feel I've made a lot of progress intellectually and also technically but at the same time I don't feel I've accomplished as much as I would have liked, particularly with my applied lessons. With the way classes were conducted this past semester I am thankful that I didn't have to spend as much time on campus, particularly in the efforts to fulfill some of the normal requirements of the program but, at the same time, I would have liked to have benefited from the exposure I would have received if those requirements were in place. Of particular note is the concert attendance requirement which would have meant an additional four hours a week I would need to spend on campus. Fortunately that was waived. I would have liked to have sang with the Men's Glee Club but that too would have meant an additional five hours each week on campus. Still, I did get to receive some voice instruction and was able to focus more on theory and aural skills which will be very important as I start to produce more output. In a sense I don't feel I have made as much progress as I wanted with my piano as I only worked on three pieces during the semester but I can detect some slight improvements in my practicing and the process of learning new songs. Regarding my improvisation skills, I feel I've developed a much greater degree of independence between my hands rhythmically and harmonically but that is probably more a side effect of all the classes and not related to any specific thing that was 'taught' to me in any of them. This is not to say that there is not a lot of room for growth but I am reasonably satisfied with my progress in the academic realm.
The thing that I am looking forward to is polishing off two of those songs I've worked on in my applied class as well as experimenting with the material I have been exposed to so as to begin to produce some music. Peripherally related to this is the desire to move the studio to the 'next level' in terms of workflow efficiency and configuration. I have a lot of things I want to do between semesters including installing additional wiring, upgrading the recording computer, acquiring a dedicated video recording system, and getting everything working smoothly. I am starting to get more comfortable with OBS and may start streaming at some point next semester, especially if I'm am able to implement these modifications in a timely manner. I'll be reviewing all that soon. Unfortunately, I still have to study for my Spanish final this Friday and make some final recordings for my applied piano and my voice class. Once that is all done I'll turn my attention to some of the things I've mentioned plus many more, including adding some fresh content to my websites, over the break. That's all I have to say for now so enjoy your music making and have a Happy Holiday!