Classes

Here is the long-awaited post about my classes! The reason it took so long is that I have so many words to say that even a post about the classes was a little daunting.

For the first 4 weeks of the semester, we have classes to prepare our tools and get to know some basics before actually working on instruments. We are past halfway through this mini-mester, and at the beginning of week after next, everything will change.

8am. Basic Materials. This is where the violin folks get to have a class without the guitar folks getting in the way. We learn about trees and wood and density and things like that. We just had a midterm yesterday- Half was a written portion, part of which was knowing the scientific names of different types of wood. The other half was it was: 15 blocks of wood. We had to identify the wood, the cut (transverse, radial, or tangential), and any figures on it (birds eye, bearclaw, etc). It was intimidating. But it's all very good to know.

9am-12pm. Power Tools. This is actually just half of one class officially, "Introduction to Tools", but they divided us in half - half of us does the power tool portion in the morning, the other half does hand tools. In the afternoon we switch.
The power tools class is cool - who goes to school and has an entire class on using bandsaws, table sanders, drill presses, jointers, planers, and table saws? We have little projects that let us practice using these tools, making jigs and things for future projects.

12pm-1pm. Lunch. Hooray! Every Wednesday at lunch there is a jam. And today we played rummy. I have a lovely circle of friends forming, each of them is quite cool. Stay tuned for Minnesota adventures with said friends. (should that go on this one or the floating violin? hrm! conundrum! probably floating violin)

1pm-4pm. Hand Tools. This is where we really get into the nitty gritty, literally, of sharpening our tools. For the last two weeks, we have flattened, ground, sanded, and honed our fingers to the bone. It's really not been bad, though - she gives us enough assignments at a time that we can rotate through the projects depending on what we're tired of. It's a little hard for my one track mind to multitask; I tend to want to focus on one thing til its done, and then move on. I'm a serious to-do-list-checker-off-er. But, if I spent two days straight flattening a scraper, I would go crazy. So it is good to have other projects to do in the meantime. The only deadline is the end of the mester.

We can see the end of these two classes. We have the rest of this week (which is tomorrow) plus Monday through Thursday of next week to get everything done, and it is certainly doable. Some folks will probably end early. If they do, they just get the rest of the week off. I am closer to finishing my hand tools than I am my power tool projects - but they have intentionally given us a lot of time to finish things. There are only a few tools for 60 people to use, and they don't want people rushing to finish a project on a power tool they are new at, and end up hacking off a finger in their hurry.

Friday mornings we have Violin History, and that will continue for the rest of the semester. This class is really my favorite. It is all so interesting, how the little details, and the things that are going on in the world, and the changing musical styles, and the art movements, all work together and affect each other, and grow off each other. I love to see how the f holes change from Andrea to A&H to Nicolo Amati. (I also love Nicolo's corners! So pretty!) I love to hear stories about how the unrest in the French people because of the many kingly switchovers in a short number of years helped in the first large order of string instruments by Catherine de Medici, for Charles IX, and the paintings of his motto, Pietate et Justicia still on the backs of those instruments. Also I'm excited for a field trip in the spring to go see those particular instruments because they are right next door in South Dakota! I wish it were more than once a week. I look forward to Fridays, because all we have is history class, from 8-10 in the morning, and then we're done, and it is the weekend.

In a couple weeks, we start Bow Rehair and Bow Repair classes, as well as a class on Varnish. History will continue, and I will keep you up to date all the way along!

Other interesting things to note:
-Out of 60 people in the violin and guitar program combined, I am one of only 5 females. All 5 of us are in the violin program.
-There are surprisingly few actual violinists in the violin program. I look around for strings to play with, and it is harder than I expected. A handful of violists, and one cellist.
-Part of the tool classes is standing in line for our work to be inspected. People complain about the waste of time - why can't the teacher make rounds, and then the time we spend standing in line we'd be getting work done? While I agree it might be more efficient, I enjoy standing in line - it is the best way to talk to other classmates, and see how other people are doing their tools, and see what progress and joys and sorrows are happening, instead of just talking the few people on either side of your bench. I wouldn't change it.
-Something that bugs me, also, is people who grumble about the way we are being taught. There are a few people who are convinced that whatever experiences they have had before the class, learning quicker and easier ways to do things, is quite superior to the ways that Ms. Lisbeth Nelson Butler is teaching us. 22 years of teaching this stuff, I'm pretty sure she knows what she's doing! I am annoyed at the people who don't learn new things openly, and act as if they should be the ones teaching. I am not paying you, little 18-year-old-away-from-home-for-the-first-time, to tell me a better way of doing things. Do it whatever way you want on your own time!

Overall, I am very much enjoying all of this. If I could commute to the Caribbean to play the violin for money in the evenings, then life would be perfect.

P.S. This blog is attached to floating violin, but you still have to follow it separately, so please go up to the right and push follow so that I know I'm not just writing to a brick wall! :)