The first week of class was not what I was expecting.

• Missing the first class because of parking trouble — and then having brake problems on the way home. This was very much like one of my anxiety dreams. Greg’s comment was “What are you complaining about. You had your clothes on, didn’t you?”
• Needing Greg to drive me to classes because my car was in the shop
• Last minute decision to take keyboard lessons
• At that late date can’t register online — has to be in person — with paperwork. Chasing down signatures, making a stop at an office and then at what we used to call the Bursar’s office. “How do I get my schedule?” “It’s right there on the papers I gave you”.
• Keyboard class is not lecture based. Instead, there is a list of skills that we must be able to demonstrate by the end of the semester. (Greg said it’s like my son’s proficiency requirements for his black belt exam.) We have the list, and we spend class working on our own — with the presence and availability of the prof. This is why I decided to add keyboard lessons! Piano’s very different from organ.
• Ear training (so far) has not been the neat methodical progression that it is in Ear Master. It is more like a race through a wind tunnel.
• I got 2 faculty members’ names mixed up in an embarrassing way even though I tried to do my research ahead of time and study their photos.
• Voice lessons make my sinuses feel weird.
• All the handouts are posted in the ether, in this shadow-realm with many facets, and we’re expected to print them out ourselves. I’m still not sure I’ve found all the places the documents can be hidden.

Things I did expect.

• Being hungry — not figuring out what to take for lunch
• Feeling awkward talking to students
• Feeling awkward participating in class (The “Hermione Effect”)
• Enthusiasm because of enthusiastic profs
• Absolutely exhausted

More unexpected things!

• Playing scales before bed makes me sleepy, in a good way.
• I got a lovely orientation (about composition) from the prof. who designed the ear training class. This woman is a treasure. I didn’t expect her to take me seriously or to understand what I was getting at.
• Basically feeling VERY welcomed!
• Choir rehearsal started up again, had not seen my friends since 15 lbs ago. No comments except from one guy who asked me if I’d been sick (!).
• Working on scales, getting distracted by improvisation, then feeling frustrated because I can’t play what I hear in my head. Left hand pinky finger hurts.
• Trying to copy out some choir music by hand, feeling frustrated with my grade-school printing. Feeling like I’m already behind the other students and running to catch up.

I did not expect MUSIC BOOT CAMP