lowquality.net

I started classes at ECPI this week and so far it has been good, but now that I have started a non-music education, my interest in music seems to have peaked again. As a result, I am practicing pretty regularly again, which is good. If anything good comes from my attending the school at this point, it’s that I am getting into a regular schedule. I am getting up way earlier than I have in years, which means I go to bed a lot earlier so I am not staying up late and eating and watching TV and doing nothing. ECPI is proving to be a major factor in the JAFAP. Since school is only from 8AM to 1PM, I have plenty time for practicing, as well as teaching, which is something I need to pick up the pace on.

(I made some flyers for bass lessons, anyone have any ideas where I should put them?)

I think learned something about learning today. For a long time, I had resolved myself to being “right brained” without really understanding what it means. If you read anything about the human thought process, being “right” or “left” brained has nothing to do with apptitude to different subjects, but just how you approach those subjects. Music is regarded as a creative or “right-brained” activity by many but I know of quite a few “left” brained musicians who see and revel in the analytical aspects of music. I was totally dreading taking math courses again (I haven’t cracked a math book since high school) but today I had my first class with Mr. Hamza at ECPI, and he’s pretty incredible. My first impression of him is that he is a “right brained” person who works with numbers. One thing he said that struck home was his focus on the process of the equation, not obsessing over the correct answer. Since it’s what I do, I attempted to relate this philosophy to music and the creative process. The result really doesn’t matter in music, you know how a song will end, the fun part is getting to that point and what you do in between. I’m seeing the possibility that numbers can be approached in a creative way that is every bit as effective as simply seeking the right answer. I can’t really go into the detail. I am just seeing the tip of the iceberg.

However, I was pleasantly surprised that my strong music theory background was helpful in wrapping my head around some of these basic algebraic concepts that had forgotten (or so I thought I did). Mr. Hamza made a statement at the beginning of class that many people who hate math turn out to be good “math thinkers” and it’s just a matter of getting the tools. I won’t say that I had no role in my ability to learn this stuff before, but no teacher I had in high school (or middle school) ever made these concepts seem functional, usable, or even relevant to me. I have a feeling, just based on my first experience with him, today, that Mr. Hamza is about to change my whole perspective on math.