[Trombone-l] you know you're a music major...

Thu Apr 26 15:34:10 CDT 2007

How about this one, for guys:

. . . you own, rather than rent, a tuxedo.

On 4/26/07, Thomas Ervin <ervint at u.arizona.edu> wrote:
>
> You know you're a music major if:
>
>
> ... you try to talk to your non-music major friends about your
> classes but you give up because they just don't understand.
>
>    you had to convince your parents that your life would be OK if you
> majored in music instead of business.
>
>    you're pretty sure you're probably going to be kind of broke for
> the rest of your life because you majored in something   you actually
> liked.
>
>    you've ever had to sing to yourself in class to understand the
> point the teacher was trying to make.
>
>   ... someone's cell phone goes off in class and people try to name
> the interval, including the professor.
>
>   ... you took more semesters of keyboarding than you can count, and
> you STILL can't play the piano.
>
>   ... you're pretty sure it's going to take you more than four years
> to graduate college.
>
>   ... everybody in your department knows everyone else, if not by
> name then at least by face and instrument.
>
>   ... two people in  your department start dating, and it's all
> anyone can talk about for the next week.
>
>   ... you've ever turned down a good time because  you had to practice
>
>   ... you actually know what "juries" mean, and no, it has nothing to
> do with the law.
>
>   ... recital attendance credit will be the death of  you.
>
>   .. you actually have some classical music and show tunes on your iPod.
>
>   ... you know the difference in between baroque, classical, and
> romantic music, and that Beethoven did not write all three.
>
>   ... you know the beauty of manuscript of paper, one packet can last
> you for years.
>
> ... your reputation has become defined by your instrument or voice part.
>
>   ... you understand there is a silent war between the vocalists and
> the instrumentalists.
>
>   ... you've wondered if God created more than one semester of music
> theory simply to torture you.
>
>   ... your classes are randomly interrupted by the sound of someone
> loudly practicing down the hallway.
> ... someone says the words "sight-singing and ear training" and you
> feel a sudden urge to cry.
>
>   ... even if you try to stay under the radar, most of the professors
> in  your department actually know who you are.
>
>   ... you decided to skip one of your classes for the day, so you had
> to skip them all.  They were all in the music building and you would
> get caught by the professor who's class you were originally skipping.
>
>   ... you have more than one class with the same professor on the
> same day.
>
>   ... you've ever turned a pop song into an opera or classical piece.
>
>   ... you get excited when key modulations occur.
>
> ... you know what a key modulation is.
>
>   ... you've ever had to write a paper that was more than five pages
> long on a freakin' piece of music.
>
>   ... you feel like less of a musician just because you'll be getting
> a B.A. in Music instead of a B.M. in whatever.
>
> ... you understood what that just meant.
>
>   ... you're brave enough to eat lunch in the music building when
> you're skipping a music class to eat your lunch.   You don't know
> where else to go.
>
>   ... you've pretty much been in classes with all the same people
> since  your freshman year.
>
>   ... you would count your private instructor as one of the people
> who know you best in this world.
>
> ... you've been in music history for a few semesters now and you
> still haven't bought those NAWM cds.
>   ... you know what NAWM means.
>
> ... sometimes you pretty much hate making music, but it's such a part
> of you that   you know you're not changing  your major.
>
> ... you could consider the music building as one of your residencies
>
> ... when you tell people  you're a music major they give you a
> skeptical look and ask, "What do   you plan on doing with that…
> teaching?"  If you say no, they look kind of sad for you.
>
>   ... you keep catching  yourself randomly conducting music, even if
> it's
> "Money Maker" or "Bye, Bye, Bye".
>
>   ... you've ever laughed at a really corny joke that used a musical
> term.
>
>   ... you've ever MADE a really corny joke that used a musical term,
> then actually laughed at  your own stupid joke.
>
>   ... meter changes in pop music make you cheer.
>
>   ... you even realize a pop song just had a meter change.
>
>   ... you associate Beethoven Symphonies with certain moods during
> your day.
>
>   ... you laugh when TV ads come on that have instruments in them and
> you know that the person is holding it wrong.
>
>   ... you know that the person on TV playing the music but rather,
> Joshua Bell, or Yo-Yo Ma dubbed over the person.
>
> ... you've ever spent more than an hour in the music reference/
> musical scores section of the library.
>
>   ... you know where the music reference/musical scores section is.
>
>   ... you and your library's local copy machine are very, very good
> friends.
>
>   ...There's all kinds of randomly assorted furniture around  your
> department's building.
>   ... you own some type of clothing or accessory that clearly
> indicates that you are a musician: anything with a musical note or
> symbol all over it; anything that says, "Rock on;" a guitar T-shirt,
> and you're a freakin' singer!
>
>   ... if you're in class and hear a muffled but insistent ticking
> coming from somewhere.  Eventually everyone starts noticing and
> looking around, and diving for cover screaming, "Bomb!" and you are
> so used to the noise that it takes long awkward moments for you to
> finally realize... "Oh yeah, um, sorry guys.   That's my metronome in
> my book bag.   It must have been bumped accidentally...."
>
>    you take some empty bottles and make seventh chords out of them.
>
>    you see a sheet music mural and think it is just about the coolest
> thing ever, but mostly you just sit there trying to figure out
> composer/piece.
>
> ... the only things you can spell are chords.
>
>    you would rather practice piano than go to dinner and eat crappy
> cafeteria food.
>
>   ... you get to the music building at the crack of dawn.  DEDICATION!
>
>   ... you and everybody else spends quality time in the lounge
> between classes, practice, and rehearsals.
>
>   ...when listening to music as you walk, you automatically fall into
> step
>
>   ... your professors are like a second set of parents.
>
>   ... you cringe every time somebody says their favorite movie is
> Drumline.
>
>   ... you whistle in style brisé.
>
>   ... you've tried to hum and whistle at the same time.
>
>   ...at lunch, you and a bunch of other music students grabbed
> glasses of water, straws, and actually practiced circular breathing.
>
>   ... you can answer the phone with a real or tonal answer.
>
>   ... you have had to be forced to stop labeling motives.
>
>   ... you enjoy the tang of a tri-tone whenever  you can.
>
>   ... you wish you had twelve fingers.
> ++++++++++++++
> Tom Ervin, Professor of  Music
> University of Arizona (Music 133)        (alt: with street address)
> PO Box 210004                    MUSIC, Univ Arizona
> Tucson AZ 85721                    1017 North Olive Road
>                                  Tucson AZ 85719-0506
> 520/621-7021
> <ervint at u.arizona.edu>
> <http://tom-ervin.com>   (website)
> <http://cdbaby.com/cd/tomervin>
>
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