Arrivals and Survivals

Hello everyone!

I am happy to announce that I have survived my first week of real Oxford. Yes, I have been in Oxford and writing papers for the past month and a half, but REAL Oxford did not start until this past week. I have had my first meeting with both of my tutors and have started attending lectures.

First off, there have been many changes in the city. All of the students who do not already live here have arrived. It has been exciting to see a rush of new faces around the city. This also means that the quite dorm building I have lived in has suddenly become much more noisy. The common room is no longer a place of refuge for quiet study. Fortunately, it does not seem that the number of people sharing our kitchen has grown. This has now become the place of SCIO student gatherings. The grocery store is also always crowded making it difficult to navigate your little wheeled basket behind you. The libraries are no longer quiet and peaceful places. Even the upper level of the Rad Cam, which is probably the quietest place on campus, is now full of the sounds of studying. It has definitely been a weird week watching the campus spring into life.

Tutorials are amazing. Oxford uses a very different system of teaching than most other universities. During the eight week term students do not really have classes. There are lectures that are highly recommended, but not required. No body takes attendance and you are free to attend any lectures you would like to. The tutorial itself is a one on one meeting between you and your professor. Each week you prepare an essay and either bring it to your tutor, or send it in early. The tutorial then becomes a conversation about your essay and the topic you have been assigned for that week. This past week I looked at the function and effects of various forms of musical analysis and the chronology of thirteenth century motets. While writing papers this week I learned that it is not necessary to stay up until the next morning writing papers, and then promptly disposed of that discovery as I worked on my second paper of the week. Analysis was not too bad this week, but as we progress through the term, each week will be spent analyzing and talking about different pieces. This week I am focusing on Beethoven's Tempest Sonata.  Learning about motets was like learning another language, and therefore quite difficult. I am thankful that I have another week to grapple with them before we move onto madrigals.

One perk to the suddenly congested campus is the beginning of extra-curricular activities. I am very pleased to have gotten a spot in the university's philharmonic orchestra. Our first rehearsal was last Wednesday. We are playing Sibelius No. 2, Hanson No. 2, and the Karelia Suite. The people are all very friendly and it is fun to be a part of such an advanced ensemble. This term I will also be performing in the ensemble of Pirates of Penzance with the Gilbert and Sullivan Society. This is my first G&S show, so I am excited about that as well. Additionally, all of the student groups who rehearsed last term are putting on shows this term. Last night we saw Anything Goes. It was very well done. Some of the American accents were a bit off, which made my friends and I laugh even more.

I am looking forwards to another week of studying, writing, growing, and late night ice cream runs to finish papers :)

~ Brynn