It seems like my blogs this year are going to have a bit of a trend: reminiscing. I have learned SO MUCH during my time here, and want to pass as much “wisdom” on as possible to those on their journey! So… let me tell you some of my absolute favorite courses from the past few years!
WRCM 103: Re-envisioning Writing with Professor McMillin
I took this course my 2nd semester at Oberlin. It was my first class in the college instead of the conservatory, and I loved every minute of it. The conservatory classes are very artistically stimulating and academically difficult at times, but this was me scratching an itch for academia. I was always a student who thrived at the 5 paragraph essay, but this class truly challenged me to go beyond those traditional expectations. Professor McMillin took us all outside of our comfort zones and encouraged us to find different writing styles that are most authentic to who we were as people, not to what a rubric says. She wouldn’t give us traditional grades either, because that would mean we had to impress whatever “her idea” of “correct” was. I highly recommend this class to anyone who is looking to challenge their “traditional student brain.”
MUTH262PT: Questioning Genius with Professor Miyake
I took this course my 3rd semester at Oberlin. I am by no means a “genius” when it comes to Music Theory, so I was very intimidated going into this class (as I was for every music theory class I took). Professor Miyake created such a welcoming environment where there were no “stupid” questions, and if we needed to review something from Music Theory I or II, it was no big deal. She allowed us to build the class how we wanted, so we were able to choose which artists we wanted to study (including non-classical musicians). The unit that stood out to me the most was when we studied Kendrick Lamar, and determined what in his music either made him a “genius” or didn’t. I didn’t really listen to rap until I took this class! I recommend this class to anyone who wants to explore what it is that makes certain musicians so great.
FREN101: Français élémentaire with Professor Roland
I took this course my 5th semester at Oberlin. I had already taken some French in high school, but honestly completely forgot it by the time college rolled around. I was dreading this class a bit because it was every single day, but it actually ended up being the best way to start a day! This is mostly due to Professor Roland. If you get a chance to take a class with him, literally even if it’s watching paint dry, do it. Not only did he make class fun though, I seriously learned a good base for the French language. I’ve taken many language classes, and never have any of them stayed with me long term - except for this! I highly recommend this class to anyone who wants to have fun learning a new language.
PROF200: Profession Development for Musicians with Professor Jessen
I also took this course during my 5th semester at Oberlin. I have always had the passion to be a musician, but never really had any idea what a real life in it would be like logistically. This class taught me so much about writing resumes, bios, grant proposals, creating budgets, etc. All things that aren’t really thought about until we are pushed into the “real world.” Yet, Professor Jessen presented it in a way that didn’t make us want to run and hide. I highly recommend this class to anyone serious about pursuing a career in music.
Stay tuned for the next part to this series, where I will be recommending Opera-specific courses!
