Hot damn! That was a ton of fun. Group interview. A few hiccups: had to fill out my past 7 years worth of addresses. I’ve changed addresses every 8 months since I moved to Chicago. Tedium.

Took my first drug test. Everything was in working order.

Celebrated by going to Jamba Juice and sitting outside, marinating in my disbelief of how humid it was. Good day. Back in SSV (SSV!) now in the glory of 55 degree air-conditioning and fumbling my way through the process of rooting my new myTouch (myTouch!!!)

Summer returns!

Patrick Volker

Pieces of technique are starting to come together. I enjoyed the past week of conducting each different ensemble’s piece. It is good to get insight from each different ensemble director on what works specifically more effectively in each ensemble. Further, it is even better to see what works across every ensemble.

On that point, I have been personalizing something over this past month as I ruminate on my time in Advanced Conducting/Methods II: We’re working as artists in the same field. Be it band, choir, or orchestra, music is music is music. Time is time, rhythms are rhythms, tone is tone, etc. Some things will be universal, and some will be more specific, but at this point in my nymph-stage of development in these musical cosmos, it is my belief that we as conductors are simply artists with different palettes.

This is something I would like to keep in the back of my head as we are inundated with a sea of repertoire. For me, I am going to begin with the end in mind, as this has always been the technique that works the best for my own personal endeavors. Obviously, my techniques will be refined and constantly adjusted to fit the needs of the ensemble. Like the shape-memory carbon nanotubes of Batman’s cape, I will be at once flexible and unbreakable; ever closer to my ultimate goal of unstumpability.

Training wheels, birthday cake, the first car. All rites of passage. My rite, in this class, is to find the perfect baton. My current baton is one notch above a stick found in a forest preserve. The kind of stick someone picks up, swears at for several hours, removes the bark with single-ply toilet paper, and then charged 6 dollars for its usage.

I pity the poor bastard who fell for that terrible, jagged, unbalanced “baton.”

I need something people will respect when they look at me on the podium. Something that fits in my hand, balances at the proper point, and says, “Follow me, I am a leader.”

Until then, it’ll be hard for me to think about much else in my class. Then, I can blow out the candles. Only then will there be delicious musical cake for everyone.

I don’t care what they tell you.

Hey everyone. It’s all going to be fine.

Fall break was awesome. Tour, while not sleep, was pretty fun. Nothing like a few good bus rides to help bring people together. The schools were interesting. I’m not sure we’ll have any of them come to visit, but I still enjoyed the singing.

Thursday I observed a very awesome choir program. If every school is like this, I will have no problem teaching.

Saturday was great.

Sunday was pretty cool.

See you later.

I think this will be the year of sourpuss, social nausea, anxiety, and notoriously short fuses. I apologize. The more I type, the stupider I will sound. Carry on, I’ll bounce back.

I’m pretty much settled into my room in Guns now. That’s what us pros call the place. Guns. I did my first rounds here last night. For comparison, normal rounds in MSV took me an hour. In Gunsaulus, it took me 12 minutes. I love this place so much.

Here are some pictures:

This is the left wall.

The fridge has been relieved of it's TV Stand duties and is grateful.

The Great Wave took some time to assemble

I gotta be honest with you, folks. I have a lot going on this year, and I got no time to be writing blogs. I notice I still get around 10 hits a day and it confuses the hell out of me.  “Comeback of the Year” will be the first thing to go from my busy schedule to, sure enough, secure that I have a comeback. You can still follow me on twitter @patrickvolker

Alright. Time for school.

Truly, a stand-up gentleman. Today I am proud to say I live in his namesake hall, in a studio apartment all by my lonesome.  For the first time in 20 years, I have a(n above-ground) toilet all to myself. It’s a dream come true. I have my own stove and oven, sink, and full-size fridge. I have 4 bookcases, 2 desks, a loveseat, 2 chairs, 2 dressers, and 2 beds.

I don’t know what the hell to do with any of it. But I’ve made some pretty good progress and the space is livable now. By livable, I mean I’ve hooked up my Sega Genesis and maneuvered the air-conditioner to point towards the couch.

In another few days, RA training will be upon us and I will stumble back up to the 5th floor of Gunsaulus Hall, bruised and beaten, to pass out on the loveseat and heal for the night. After that, there will be only school.

The Lyric Opera, folks, has asked me to not leave. More on what that all means later.

Oh me? I’m doing just fine. I got to sleep again! The 3 weeks of 4am-to-8ams are over. No more delirious stumbling in and out of 7-Eleven on insufficient sleep. It feels liberating to wake up refreshed. If I weren’t a filthy hippy, I’d say “I’m back in control of my body.”

Life has been pretty swell. While you were out, I lived to be twenty years old. The celebration of this achievement was, I say with zero exaggeration, the greatest and best party I have ever been to. It was everything a party is supposed to be, and I don’t remember how many times I heard “atta-way, Birthday Boy” from girls I had never met before. This, reader, is a good party for a 20-year-old.

Lyric has been great. Another splendid side-effect of the birthday was going out to breakfast with the boss, only to work 4 more hours before she unveiled the cupcakes. What a woman. I only have three weeks-ish left there, before I have to leave for RA training and another round with VanderCook, but…I don’t know if teaching is the front-and-center goal of my future anymore. Something that smells like arts administration is pretty attractive right now. Clearly, much more research needs to be done, but I think I could get used to this.

The gig with IIT has been one of growth, learning, and personal development. I have made a lot of good friends and I’m glad that they pay me for writing this blog. I mean sitting at this desk. I mean writing blogs.

…when the sun is up

…when the Chicago Sun-Times is delivered

…when the sprinkler system shuts off and retracts

…when it’s safe to walk down any lane of State Street without being hit

…when all of Bronzeville’s junkies have found holes to crawl in for the night

…when his coffee-maker starts before the crack of dawn

…for the changing of the guard

…when no employer will be by to check if he’s breaking the desk’s fascist “no Youtube” rule

Here’s the plan, folks, and stick with me here: Hedgehogs.

I assure you, the lack of adequate updating is not something I have contributed to on purpose. Rather, it is a cornucopia of different opportunities wasted and time squandered.

My bad.

This place is awesome

I’ve been spending a lot of time playing piano up here. This little gem of a room is perfect. Piano in the morning, piano to relax after work. It’s nothing special, I’m still not any good at this, but it makes me feel better.

Does this make it better?

The King! I found him on the CTA and carry him everywhere I go. You know, for protection.