"The Puzzle of Our Lives."

"The Puzzle of Our Lives."  by Douglas Yeo. http://www.yeodoug.com/articles/puzzle/puzzle.html

My initial thought to this assignment was, 'where in the world am I going to find an article about music?' and more importantly 'what type of article am I looking for?' It was difficult at first, rummaging through sites and blogs trying to find an appropriate passage that I could relate to or use. It was not until Monday afternoon after searching and searching that I found Douglas Yeo's website. Few facts about Yeo: He is a member of the Boston Symphony Orchestra; he has a wife and two children; he is devoted to God and gives his passion for music to Him. Yeo's article more seems like a biography more than anything, but it speaks in so many ways. As a musician, music is something that keeps me going, keeps me motivated, makes me happy. However, being so involved with music can sometimes be a bad thing. Yeo expresses his love for music and his devotion to playing the trombone as he grew up. His ultimate goal was to be in the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Although he was an excellent player and this was definite talent, he was not giving glory to God and he was putting himself on his on throne and pedestal. He glorified himself and had a snobby attitude towards his friends. The point being, he let his talent consume him. He strived for nothing but to be musically involved and go more and more into music (which is not necessarily a bad thing until it gets out of hand). His article was very powerful and important to me, as it reminded me that, although I love music and am musically talented, I cannot let this consume my time and being. It is not the only thing in the world that matters. It was a fresh memory that said do not put your own puzzle together alone, but seek help and guidance from God. He has the pieces and knows where they go. Yeo is a living example of how we should go about life: seeking God.

"How could I ever think that a missed note would keep me from accomplishing God's will if it is what He wanted me to do?"
-Douglas Yeo

Down with the Capitol.

Obviously with unlimited time, I'd go about my merry way learning everything about music there is to learn. I'd sing, I'd learn new instruments, I might even dance a little (and I'm white)! I could not even begin as to where I'd want to go with such an ideal. Both aptitude and attitude play a huge part in our lives, however, I feel attitude is much more important. Everyone has their own aptitude and their own unique abilities but it takes some sort of progressive and exciting attitude to pursue that talent. The attitude you put towards activities you are involved will determine the happiness it brings you. 
Our current system of grading reflects what we are, as students, required to learn. It tests us on our knowledge of what officials think we ought to know. They mainly test on how well we test. We have obviously progressed and learned that people learn in so many different ways and go about things in opposite manners. Grading should not be based on what they think we should know, but based on our potential. We should be moving towards and learning things that excite or spark today's generation. 

As Honors Mentorship has started, I am slowly learning better ways to manage my time wisely. Having this extra job added onto my schoolwork and other extracurricular activities has been tough. It sometimes becomes difficult to juggle them all; but I have learned that it is important to make sure you prioritize you commitments. This has helped me interact with a few more people and improved my verbal communication skills to an extent. HMP is the kind of class that should be widely offered and is effective in preparing young students to go into the world behind high school. 


"There are two types of people in the world: those who divide the world into two types, and those who don't."

"And Here We Go."

    a.  Berry College (Mount Berry, GA; www.berry.edu)

    b.    Liberty University (Lynchburg, VA; www.liberty.edu)

    c.    Columbus State University (Columbus, GA; www.columbusstate.edu)

Going into music and fine arts, the colleges I look at have to have an evident music/theater program. Music-wise, I want a symphony orchestra and choir. Musical theater is something I want to be involved with in college. Certain colleges don’t allow you to major in music or drama education. That is obviously something I want to achieve.

I have quite a list of colleges that I’m looking at including: Berry, Liberty, Columbus State, Augusta State, Lee University, Anderson University, Kennesaw State and Reinhardt College. 

For music, or at least to obtain a music scholarship, it requires you to audition on voice or instrument.

Location, sports, and diversity aren’t really a concern of mine. However, size-wise, I prefer the smaller, more personal college. The majority of the colleges I show interest in are either private or below 10,000 students. I like a small student to staff ratio. I’m also not necessarily concerned about the ranking. I want a college that’s going to teach me and help me learn how to be the best I can be.

Berry is ranked as the 124^th best liberal arts college in the US. Berry is associated with NASM or National Association of Schools of Music. The Winshape Program is also widely associated with Berry.

Scholarships:
1. Carpe Diem Foundation of Illinois Scholarship Program
2. Gail Ingram Scholarship
3. National Young Arts Foundation Scholarships 

"He Wasn't a Procrastinator," he says.

Well, here's my sentence. I have to remind myself daily not procrastinate and ironically enough, here I am posting a day late.