Let me tell you, I’m really glad I went. I loved it there. I wasn’t really sure where I wanted to go for the longest time. I knew I wanted to stay local, so it didn’t seem like there were a lot of choices. Temple was an option, but I’ve heard terrible things about the campus (very high crime area) and the music department (too big, you’re just a number there). UArts is in a GREAT location, right on the Avenue of the Arts:

We spoke to a few students in person, and there was a Q&A after the music department presentation, and ALL of the students said EXACTLY what I hoped they would: small classes, everyone knows everyone, and the teachers take a lot of interest in their students and they’re very accessible. And TONS of opportunities to perform every semester.

The only downside? It’s expensive. I’m going to have to get as many scholarships as possible and still need tons of financial aid and loans to get through it there. Sooooo, I’m going to stay at the community college I’m at now until I’m SURE I’ll be able to get in as a junior.

But I’m really excited. This makes it all seem real and gives me a lot of motivation!

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Yay! Spring is coming!!!

I can’t wait to hear the crack of baseball bats. Life will emerge from the cold winter and green will come up, benign and healthy.

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I’m not sure how interesting they are to non-musicians, but I just listened to the two Podcasts about Drumming, which were pretty interesting and will help me talk to my drummers and sound slightly less like a jackass when I’m trying to tell them what kind of beat I’m looking for.

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But it doesn’t stop there. You can tell Pandora whether you like a song it chose for you or not so that it can continue to tailor your likes and dislikes for that station. You can also flag artists or songs, get more information about them (the Backstage feature), or create a new station based on that new song Pandora chose. I think you can create as many stations as you like. There are other features I haven’t even explored yet, but I LOVE it. I’ve discovered a ton of new music with Pandora.

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So Tuesday night I’m sound asleep. My phone rings. I always worry about middle of the night phone calls, always assuming it’s bad news or an emergency. I didn’t recognize the number but answered anyway. “Yeah I’m calling about guitar lessons.” .... long pause, my brain is trying to process this ridiculous information… “At 2 in the morning you’re calling about guitar lessons” I say in my tired, you’re a freaking moron voice. He sounds annoyed with me: “uhhh, yeah”. Like, why not be calling for guitar lessons at 2am?! “Could you call back tomorrow?” He sounds even more annoyed as he responds “yeah, I guess.” Needless to say he didn’t call back the next day but I’m VERY tempted to call him very early every morning as soon as I get up to ask if he’s sure he doesn’t want guitar lessons.

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