SOM Country

I have come to the realization that the building I spend the most time in, Hugh Hodgson school of music, resembles some what of a country, such as America, just on a smaller scale. There are many different groups of people and common stereotypes to go along with each one of those groups. There is also a form of government in the building and a leader to control and oversee all that happens.

The students that are part of the different studios based upon instrument, are the separate social groups, and the larger groups such as orchestra, band, and chorus are the different ethnic groups. Each group, whether on the larger or smaller scale, has its own stereotype. Even the building as a whole has its own stereotype that is judged by outsiders which are part of other countries, or buildings, around campus.

Here is a break down of the stereotypes:

Band: Normally laid back, but competitive people

-flutes: “chatty Kathys” and overly confident

-oboe: organized, punctual, and also overly confident

-clarinet: usually hardworking and quiet

-bassoon: jolly, quirky, and sometimes uptight

-trumpet: very egotistical, generally annoying, and loud

-french horn: charming, lighthearted, competitive

-trombone: friendly, awkward, overpopulated

-tuba: “the big guys”, humble, confident

Orchestra: Generally uptight, competitive, and quiet

-violin: obnoxious, competitive, and controlling

-viola: intelligent and usually relaxed

-cello: humble, hardworking, and gentle

-double bass: cool, collected, egotistical

-harp: sweet and shy

Chorus: Loud, obnoxious, and occasionally nice

-soprano: uptight, airheads, and loud

-alto: obnoxious, try to overpower

-tenor: loud, sometimes dumb

-baritones: shy and barely noticeable

-bass: immature, loud, overconfident

As you can see, there are many stereotypes in one single building. The most annoying part about this though, is that almost all of the stereotypes are true. I still haven't figured whether or not people are just born that way and fate leads them into the group which they belong, or if they adapt to that certain group once they have become part of it. It seems as though the groups thrive off of each other just to feel better about themselves, receive attention, or try and feel accepted by their group. Being a french horn player, my social group isn't much to worry about, but the main characteristic I dislike most about the school of music culture is how rude, egotistical and competitive every single group is within itself and other groups within the building.

There is even a government in the building. The professors that give lessons to musicians are like senators or governors, but they control all of the people within their group and their characteristics go straight back to the stereotypes of the group they are a part of. The president of the building is usually unseen or unheard of, but somehow the groups stay in order for the most part. The worst part about the groups though, is that they resemble groups in America. Almost every single person feels the need to be better than everyone else around them so they become overly competitive, gossip for no reason, and spread rumors to tear down their opponents. So I have come to the conclusion that musicians that are part of the school of music, including me, are in their own little bubble away from the outside world and everyone in the building believes as though they are entering their competitive country when they walk through the doors.

A Strange Dream

Dreams are very strange and are said to be your unconsciousness speaking through mini movies in your head while you sleep. The most frustrating part about dreams though is that most of the time, people have a hard time remembering all that happened in their dreams once they wake up. Many people may recall abnormal dreams every now and then, but last night I had one of the strangest dreams ever. Not one part of the entire story made sense at all.

Just like in the movie inception, I felt as though I just started my dream in the middle of the story instead of at the very beginning. I know this because the first thing that I remember about my dream, is that I was in the middle of a random ocean with two people I did not know, and we all had scuba diving gear on. At first, the three of us were just floating around having a conversation which seemed to be in another language I have never heard before even though I was speaking it. The conversation didn't seem too important though judging by the looks on our faces.

After floating around for a while though, we all started to randomly panic and swim around in circles. All three of us did this for about ten minutes or so. I then noticed a small, blue platform beside me with a red button on it. Some how, looking at myself in third person, I knew what to do with the button to try and save all three of us from what ever we were panicking about in the water. I then realized though that the other two people had the same button but all of them were broken. We then started to breathe into the buttons for oxygen and tried to get them to work by doing that. I'm not sure how that would fix anything though and even though we were all breathing through the buttons for oxygen, it didn't seem like we were running out of air.

We then started to sink deeper and deeper into the ocean and I started to sing the tune from Finding Nemo, “just keep swimming, just keep swimming...” But then all of a sudden, something very strange happened. We spun around faster than the speed of light and then all three of us were jolted into what looked like a fun house with many strange mirrors and weird contraptions. I also noticed that all three of us somehow changed out of our scuba wear and into normal, everyday clothes. I'm not sure how or why that happened, but it was definitely a lot more comfortable.

After a while of walking around the fun house with the other two people, I noticed a hallway with black and white checkered walls. The floor and ceiling were also checkered, so it was very confusing to tell where where the floor and the walls met each other. All three of us started walking down the hallway and were completely silent; even our foot steps made no noise. We must have walked down the hallway for hours on end because I remember wondering if the hallway would ever end and where it might lead to. After walking farther and farther, all three of us slowly started to change into clothes with a checkered print on them and then our skin turned into the same pattern. We then slowly camouflaged into the hallway and disappeared. I then woke up from my dream and wondered what it could have meant.      

I am Writing This

My name is Billy

I am so Silly

I want to live in Philly

My favorite flower is a Lily

My name is also Will

My dad calls me Bill

Sometimes I like to Kill

I have a hole to Fill

My name is also Theo

I like to play in a Trio

I can drink a whole Kilo

...It's hard to rhyme now...

My name is William Theodore Hentenaar.