Well, classes have ended, finals are over, and Muncie feels deserted. I myself just left the campus yesterday and couldn't believe how in less than a week, BSU went from a thriving university scene to a ghost town. But alas, summer is here and I'm sure we're all thankful for a break. I am currently in Toledo, Ohio starting my summer job. Now, for the past three summers, I have worked in a factory that made parts for Toyota. I had planned on working there again this summer as well, but they are currently on strike, so that plan went down the drain. So, my backup job has come through; I am installing facility basketball goals. Exciting, right? Not really...but it's a job, so I can't complain. It also pays more than my factory job, so I guess that's a major perk! I'm spending the next week and a half training on the job sites, then resuming (possibly as a crew leader!) when I get back from Germany. Speaking of...

On May 15, I will be boarding a plane with fellow BSU-ers to spend 10 days in Germany and the Czech Republic. I see this trip as a huge birthday present since I will be celebrating my 22nd b-day on May 12. Now that I've passed my 21st birthday, I just feel like I'm getting old...no birthday to really look forward to anymore! Oh well, c'est la vie. Back to Germany...the group will be spending a few days in Berlin, then traveling south to spend some time in Weimar, then closing up the trip by spending a few days in Prague. With no itinerary yet, I'm not sure exactly what all I will be seeing, but I definitely have some ideas on what I want to see. If you've been there and you're reading this, do give me some ideas!

After I return from Germany, the rest of the summer is going to be spent working and saving money for my much-anticipated Australia trip! It's definitely begun to hit me that I'm about to spend 3 months "down under," and I just can't wait! And what's more exciting about the trip? Rumor has it I may actually get to continue blogging while I'm there...

Anyway, in closing out this year, I hope you've enjoyed my blog and that it's been helpful. My final piece of media for the year is going to be from the University Singers show Spectacular. The video is of the group singing an a cappella arrangement of Billy Joel's "And So It Goes." I chose this one because it will give you a chance to experience my singing! That and it has definitely been one of my favorite ballads in my 3 years with the group. So, with that, enjoy the video and have a great summer everyone!

And So It Goes - Ball State University Singers

 

 

Well it's Tuesday morning and as always, I'm sitting here at work in Pruis Hall with nothing to do. As a quick update, I figured I would let you in on how my trip to Branson went last week. Several of the University Singers cast and even the director have posted about our experiences, so do please check out the University Singers blog here to see what went down!

Well, I've been MIA for almost 2 weeks, and I'm sure you've all been wondering if I had fallen off the face of the earth. Well, have no fear! I have returned and have quite the stories to share with you! Between Cardinal 5, University Singers, and Spring being here, I have lots of pictures and even some video to share! So, sit back, buckle up, and away we go!

As the year draws to a close, so does my time with University Singers. This past weekend was my final performance in our annual Spectacular, and let's just say it was nothing short of being such! The show was definitely the best it had been in years in all aspects of sound, lights, and show concept. This was a big weekend for us because not only are we losing our amazing senior class, but we're also losing our director, Dr. Carter, who is moving on to St. Louis to become the Director of the School of Music at Webster College. On Wednesday, University Singers is leaving for Branson, Missouri, where we will be the hosting choir as well as the headlining performance for the national Fame competition. Once I return from that, my time with University Singers is pretty much over, and I think I'll end it here because I don't like thinking about that...enjoy some pics from the show!

Here's Tara and myself backstage during our tech rehearsal.  And Sarah, Nate, and Ellen chillin' backstage as well. 

Our guitarist, Adam, during the band feature "Bohemian Rhapsody."  Ending pose of "Boondocks."  

Our Act I finale, "Orphans of God." 

Cardinal 5...what a ride it has been this year with this newly-developed group. From traveling the state with President Gora, to personnel changes, to being "Cardinal 5 minus 1" at some performances, to changing keys several times in one song so our soprano was shrieking the entire time...it's been fun! Since I'm going to Australia in the fall, my part in this group is also coming to a close, which means it's time to find a replacement bass and a new manager. Again, I hate thinking about the end. I have a video of us from a performance below, so do enjoy!

 

Finally, the topic of choice, SPRING! Spring has finally decided to grace us here in Muncie, and boy is it more than welcome! It's been nice the past several days, and we have a few more days of great weather to come, and I can't wait. With this warm weather, my roommate and I have held some get-togethers at our house in celebration. Last weekend, we had a bunch of University Singers people over for a cookout and good ol' backyard sports and trampoline jumping. This past weekend, our neighbors and a slew of friends joined us for a combined barbeque and again backyard sports. We had two grills goin' and had burgers, grilled chicken, and shish kabobs! It's been a great start to Spring, and I can only hope it keeps going. So, until next time, enjoy the pictures and video I've supplied!

Tara couldn't find the spatula, so she resorted to the next best thing.  And what is a cookout without the Cupid Shuffle! 

Nate, Sarah, and Eric enjoying the trampoline.    And Jeff was just showing off... 

 

 The fire was dying, so I decided to give it a little "boost" with lighter fluid. :)

Finally, here's the Cardinal 5 video of "Faith" by George Michael! 

Format: mov
Duration: 1:44

Well, Ball State is back from Spring Break and the campus is once again full of life. It was awfully lonely here during Spring Break...I swear I was one of the only Muncie-ites in the city of Muncie that whole week. Nonetheless, everyone is back, all is well, and things are gearing up for the end of the semester (and what a busy one it's going to be!).

Yesterday evening I partook in a master class that featured guest artist Nova Thomas. She was here for two days; one day focusing on classical techniques and one day focusing on musical theatre techniques. I had University Singers rehearsal during the classical techniques class, but I participated in the musical theatre class; I was one of 6 or 7 that sang. My piece was "Marry Me a Little" from the musical Company by Stephen Sondheim.  It was most intimidating from the start for 2 reasons: 1) I was singing in front of a majority of the musical theatre department who do this stuff for a living, and 2) Mrs. Thomas said during my introduction that this was one of her favorite songs, so that put a new sense of pressure on me to do well!  Throughout her time with me, she gave me a lot of good information when it comes to performing pieces, the main thing being that if a song is not in context, you may have to do something completely different with it than what you would do during the show because in a show, you have the whole story line behind you; in the solo piece, the audience won't have the rest of that plot, so it may not come across like you want it to.  So, she gave me tips here and there, and by the end of it, I had a whole new intake of the song and the closing performance was quite different than the first.  I can only hope that I can get yet another experience like this before I leave good ol' BSU.  If you'd like to see a performance of the song by Raul Esparza (the lead role from the 2006 revival), click here.

Another thing really pushing the end of the semester is University Singers' Spectacular which is coming up in 15 days.  The cast is hard at work putting our final finishing touches on the show before we take it to LaPorte, Indiana next Tuesday and then move to Emens Auditorium the following week for the 44th annual Spectacular.  Knowing I only have just over two weeks left as a cast member before becoming an alum is...well...I don't even want to think about that yet.  I really am going to miss the group and all that goes with it.  I live to perform and, well, this will be it for me.  I'm going to have so much time on my hands after this that I won't know what to do!  Below is a flier for our end-of-year show; feel free to come watch!

 

No, not to haul out the X-mas tree or carve some pumpkins, but to bring out the ol' bathing suit and prepare for a week of fun in the sun known as Spring Break!  We're at the point in the semester where EVERYONE is ready for a break from classes, so come Friday at 3pm, a little taste of freedom will be more than welcome.  Now, while everyone is talking about how they are going to California, Florida, or Cancun, I talk about how I'm spending my week....

 HERE.  That's right, my Spring Break will be spent on campus, and most of that at work in Pruis Hall.  The Heartland Regional Student Conference, a conference where students showcase their fine arts skills (music, acting, puppeteering, etc) and do a little worshippng in between, is using Pruis as their headquarters all week, so I figured since I'd be around town, why not pick up a lot of hours at work, right?  Right.  So why all my friends are oot 'n aboot in the sun and having a blast, I'll be locked in this cold, dreary building, making money.  Don't I always just make the best choices!

While this may sound awful, believe it or not, this is how I spent my Spring Break last year as well.  Now, before you think, "This kid is crazy!  Use your Spring Break to get AWAY from Muncie," know that my first two Spring Breaks at BSU were spent in Cleveland with the Ball State Basketball teams and the Pep Band.  We usually have at least one team make it to the MAC tournament, and where the team goes, the Pep Band goes as well.  So see?  I have been away during some Spring Breaks; next time I need to focus on doing something NOT school related... 

So, I've had quite the change in schooling plans within the past few days.  There was a small "dispute" in one of my classes, so instead of finishing out the semester and probably failing, I dropped it.  This extended my stay here at BSU another semester...yee haw.  But, on Wednesday, I got the idea that I should take one of my remaining semesters to travel overseas, so I started right away to look into it.  And guess what, this coming fall, I will be spending my semester in Australia!!  After meeting with someone in the Study Abroad office and talking it over with my parents, I've made the decision to go. 

 As for now, I don't know ALL the details, but I know I'll be in Lennox Head, South New Wales.  I'll live in a cabin with other students that is 100 meters from the beach and ocean.  I'll take classes that are taught by true Australian professors.  I'll even get to partake in community service projects that get me hands-on experience with the people of Lennox Head and with their culture.  It's slowly beginning to hit me, realizing that I'll be spending 3 months out of the states, and I simply can't wait. 

Here's some information about studying abroad in case you are curious.  There are several possibilities that Ball State offers, so feel free to find one that fits you!
 

Well kids, I have a treat for you today; I'm going to have a short(er) post!  I know, I know...highly improbable, but I think I can do it.  Even though my life seems to get busier and busier, I'm going to leave out all that other junk that you've already heard a million times and just focus on one topic today, and that is the University Singers' formal.

Each year, the University Singers has a formal at the Elks Lodge here in Muncie.  It's hosted each year by Jan Richard, an original cast member from back in 1964.  She's like the group's eccentric aunt; we love her dearly!  This year the theme was "Color: And Lots of It!"  My role this year was that I was the DJ, which you can see below.  My date was a great friend from back home, Angela.  Dinner at Johnny Carino's started the evening for a lot of us, which wasn't the best experience by far.  Even in calling ahead, we weren't able to be seated until 7:45, giving us 45 minutes to order and eat.  Well, by the time we finally got to order, it took them over 45 minutes to get our food!  Not to mention they messed up one of the orders, so they had to start all over with him.  Nonetheless, we all finally got our food (the Chicken Parmesan panini was just delicious!) and get to the Elks almost an hour late. 

When we arrive, the student coordinator, Chelsea (one of the Cardinal 5) had organized a coloring contest to go with the theme.  All across the room were pictures and crayons.  Each person was encouraged to partake and show off their skills.  In the end, with Jan judging, the winner ended up being not a cast member, but a cast member's date!  I didn't get to see it, but I saw others that were quite good, so I can only imagine what coloring skills she has!  Shortly after that announcement, our formal King and Queen were named.  The lucky couple was Joe Young and Chelsea Schafer.  Joe is one of our guitar players.  His date, Christina, won the coloring contest.  In the end, fun was had by all and another formal can go down in the books as a great success.  As usual, I will conclude this post with several photos from the event.  I hope you enjoy!

 

The seniors: Tara, Myself, and Meghan!                       Derek and his date, Ashley, participate in the coloring contest.

 

Our Queen and King, Chelsea and Joe.                           Me playing the DJ and my sidekick Jake.

 

All the lovely ladies that attended formal.                                    And who can forget about the gentlemen?

 

And finally, Elle and myself.  I snuck away from my date to steal a dance with her! 

Well, this is coming much later than expected, but once again, my life has been on the go.  At the moment, I'm sitting in Pruis' backstage area "working" a speech class.  I'm more than exhausted as I went to bed around 2am this morning after waking up at 4:30am yesterday to go just south of Chicago for a performance with University Singers, so I'm all ready for a nap!  Anyway, the University Singers performance with be on my next post as I still have many other things to discuss.  Just like I learned in my Communications 210 class (a.k.a. Speech), here's my preview statement; today I hope to share with you a few exciting things that have happened in my life here recently, including going to see a musical, seeing a few movies, and making a few purchases.  So sit back and buckle up because here we go!

 Bare: the musical.  Not a well known musical by any means, and that's a shame.  Just like Spring Awakening (the show I saw in New York...refer back to an earlier post), this musical is a pop opera.  I found this musical after seeing Spring Awakening because of the lead male role.  I thought I was seeing the original Jonathan Groff, but instead I saw this guy with whom I was unfamiliar, Matt Doyle.  So I did some research and found he had recently done the cast recording for Bare, so I checked it out because I loved his voice.  Well, I fell in love with the music, so I bought the soundtrack.  After finding out it was playing in Chicago, I booked a trip!  I went with a few friends, Adam and Matt (both of whom I've talked about before...Adam from marching band and Matt from Cardinal 5).  Adam lives about halfway between Muncie and Chicago, so we stayed at his house to save money on a hotel and food (thanks Mrs. Pearish!!).  The musical was at the Bailiwick Theatre, a small community-type theatre.  Honestly, walking in I was scared because it seemed rather dilapidated.  However, once they started singing, I lost all doubt.  The ensemble sound was one of the best I've heard.  No truly outstanding solo voice (though all parts were delivered very well), but it was definitely a great show and one I plan on seeing again when it comes to Indianapolis this summer.  I'm going to see Sweeney Todd in Cincinnati next weekend, so I'm really excited for that...expect a post on that one too!

Along with live theatre, I've visited the movie theatre a few times here recently to see Juno and The Bucket List.  Now, not being the kind of movie I usually watch, I had my reservations about the movie, but I couldn't be happier that I saw it (not to mention I got to see it for free!).  I just recently became a "5 Buck Club" member, so I got to use my card for the first time with Juno.  Well, after buying tickets for myself and my friend Mandy, we took our seats.  A few minutes later, the cashier finds us in the theatre and asks for the ticket stubs because my card didn't go through correctly, so they weren't charging me for the tickets!  Of course we gladly handed over our stubs and enjoyed a free movie on Kerasotes.  Overall, the movie was worthwhile.  The lead girl was brilliant, the story line well written, and comedy in all the right places.  Separated by just a few days, I also saw the Bucket List (this wasn't on the 5 Buck Club list, so I actually paid for this one).  I knew from the start that I would like this movie because Morgan Freeman is, hands down, the best actor of our time.  Never been a fan of Jack Nicholson, but his role was great.  Touching, funny, heart-breaking...so many emotions in this movie.  Mandy now wants to start a bucket list, but that just makes me feel like I plan on dying soon, so I'm holding off for now.  I'd definitely recommend this movie to anyone; definitely worth the viewing.

To close out this post, I'm going to talk about a few exciting purchases I've made here recently.  While I was staying at Adam's house during the Chicago trip, I found out he played cello for like a year.  Well, now it just sat there, so they jokingly asked if I wanted to buy it...and I was like, "uhhh...YEAH."  So, after a quick test play and an overview of the shape it was in, the exchange was made.  One of my goals in life is to own as many instruments as I could, and I can tell you now, I'm chugging right along on that.  I've never actually played the cello, but now that I have one, I might as well start learning!   Another purchase I made that weekend was the new Family Guy movie, Stars Wars: Blue Harvest.  I've always been a huge Family Guy fan, and this movie didn't disappoint.  It has the same random hilarity that you can expect from the show mixed right along with the Star Wars story.  Don't be too mad, but believe it or not, I've never seen the actual Star Wars movies.  Now, before you go off on a tangent and want to rip my head off, let me explain.  Being named Luke, what do you think I've heard my entire life??  That's right...*deep breath* *deep breath* "Luke, I am your father."  Because of this, I honestly think that I have been psychologically scarred, therefore forever inhibiting me to see those movies.  So there, a logical, believable reason...get over it.  

Anyway, that's what has been happening in my life.  Hopefully it won't take as long to get my next post up.  What to look forward to?  Some University Singers performances, a new choreographer, some field observing for one of my music education classes, and any other random thing that may pop up!  Until then, have a Happy Valentine's Day (or, for people like me, Happy Single's Awareness Day!), and see you next time! 

Well, my blog has been rather quiet here lately, but that just means I have quite a lot to tell you about (and I know you can't wait to hear about it, right??)! To spare you readers from spending an hour on here, I'll be nice and break these past few weeks into 2 posts; one today and the next one in a few days. So sit back, buckle up (it's the law!), and prepare yourself for a ride!

The first week of classes this semester had to be one of the busiest of my college career. Between work, University Singers, Cardinal 5, and classes, I don't think I've ever been on the move so much. Let's begin with classes. This semester is going to be a lot of work even though I'm taking fewer classes than last. My classes consist of a Band Literature class where we study and play a lot of pieces just so we can be familiar with what's out there, Psychology 100 (the good ol' basic core class of 200 people sitting through a pretty boring lecture 3 days a week), a jogging class which fulfills my physical education requirement (I love to run, so why not get a grade doing something I love to do?), Band Methods where, when paired with Band Literature, go hand-in-hand about teaching about the band classroom, and Woodwind Technique II where I learn to play the bassoon and oboe. All of these classes (minus WW Tech II) are heavy reading classes, so whether it's articles from magazines or chapters from a textbook, I've constantly got reading on my to-do list. It's also been the most expensive semester when it comes to books and supplies. For my Band Literature class, I'm required to purchase several music scores, each at an average price of $20, which will really add up. After this semester, I have only 5 classes left to take before I can graduate...how bitter sweet realizing how close to the end I am.

Moving on. University Singers has taken off to a HUGE start. The first week back, since it had been SIX WEEKS since our last show, we ran the whole show just to see what we remembered, and I must say, it looked pretty darn good. Of course we all had our mess ups, but for not doing it for six weeks, it was rather impressive. We spent the next few weeks reviewing what we knew, and this past weekend, we had a guest choreographer come in to teach us some new moves. Jarad Voss, a big name in the high school show choir world, came to Muncie, Indiana to work with the University Singers. He taught us choreography to Oklahoma-Texas Line (the Rascal Flatts song) and to Long Train Runnin' (a Doobie Brothers hit). His focus is on the hip-hop style, a style we don't often do, so needless to say, it took us a while to catch on. Nonetheless, after a few hours, we started to keep up and move at our regular pace. The choreography is a blast and it was great to have a chance to work with someone University Singers hasn't worked with before. Following the 9 hours of dancing, a few of us took Jarad out for dinner at Scotty's then we had a night on the town, which ended up being great fun! Now we are preparing for our University Singers Day performance tomorrow at Pruis Hall. At 8 pm, the group is celebrating our day (yes, we actually have our own day thanks to Senator Evan Bayh). It's going to be an hour performance with some group numbers, several solo acts, and some prize give-aways! Not to mention it's a free concert, so come if you're available!

My final topic for this post will be about Cardinal 5. I don't think I've really talked about this group much, so here I go. This year, Dr. Carter (at the request of the Alumni Center) put together a small a cappella group that could be used for small get-togethers where the entire University Singers group would just be too overwhelming. Well, from this request, Cardinal 5 was born. The members include our soprano, Chelsea, the alto, Ellen, Joe singing baritone, and I am way down there singing bass. Now, I know you're not dumb, so you're thinking, "Wait! Cardinal 5? You've only named 4!" Well, we are currently undergoing a personnel change, so a search for our tenor is in process. Anyway, let's just say the group has become a hit! We've performed at several receptions for BSU President JoAnn Gora, alumni events, caroling at the Minnetrista Cultural Center, and a few off-campus events.

During the first week of classes, President Gora invited us to travel to Evansville with her for another one of her receptions, so we packed up, got a university vehicle, and headed South. It's a good 4.5 hours away, so needless to say we jammed out to all genres of music during our ride there and back. When we got there (it was held at the Old National Bank Headquarters...very nice!), we quickly changed and went right on! We did our usual 4-number set, then were invited to stick around for the hor d'oeurves and the speeches that were to come. Afterwards, we got the chance to mingle with the alums, answer/ask questions, and even talk with the President. It was cool learning about how much has changed since some of the alums had been to the campus (and for some of them, it had been a while!). After the room cleared, we changed, packed up, and headed back to Terre Haute, which is where we were getting a hotel and staying the night. On the way there, around Vincennes, the van needed a gas up. So, I take an exit and look for the gas station the road signs had advertised. I don't notice it until I pass it because it was tucked away behind other buidlings. Therefore, I look for a place to turn around. A car wash, perfect. As I pull in, we can't help but notice how...DIFFERENT...this car wash is. At each station, there is a giant clown head, each one different than the next. Also, there is a giant pink elephant, a 13-foot Yogi bear, and a huge tiger head. We, being college students, decided to have a little photo shoot. Some of these photos are included below. It was cold and almost 11pm, so we piled back into the van, gassed up, and got to Terre Haute. We found a place called the Drury Inn (which we ended up calling the "Dreary Inn") and parked it for the night. We fell asleep around 2am (except for Ellen, who stayed up being studious and fell asleep around 5am), woke up just before 6am, and headed for Muncie so we could make our 9am classes if we had them. It was quite the experience and one we won't forget. I know I can speak for us all when I say we had a lot of fun and hope for the chance to travel again! Our next performance is tomorrow (Tuesday night) at the University Singers Day performance. Being short-handed, we're performing one number, Zombie Jamboree, definitely the group favorite. If you're around campus, come see us!

Part two will come along in a few days; what to look forward to? A trip to Chicago to see a musical, seeing two movies, and a few special purchases that I couldn't be happier about! Until then, enjoy a few pics from the above events!

 

                          

 The above pics come from our choreography session with Jarad Voss.  Jarad is the guy in the grey shirt and yellow pants.

 

 

 

 Here are pics from the Cardinal 5 trip to Evansville.  As you see, I wasn't kidding about the giant pink elephant.  The final pic is us at 6 am leaving the hotel...after 3-4 hours of sleep...we were tired!

So, a week ago today, I was in the chilly city of Toronto in Ontario, Canada. I, along with the Ball State football team, cheerleaders, marching band, and thousands of fans stormed Toronto in excitement for the International Bowl at the Rogers Centre. While there, as I did for my New York trip, blogged a little bit each day, and now I shall share with you what I wrote during my time there. Along with the entries, I'm including quite a few photos of our adventure. I'm also including a link to a youTube video done by a friend that summarizes the game fairly well. As for now, I'm sitting backstage at work listening to the CRU (Campus Crusade for Christ...the campus ministry group) rock out on stage. I hope you enjoy!

 

Well, we’ve just finished our first day in Toronto. My roommates and myself are relaxing infront of the TV after a quick trip to the 7/11 down the street. It’s been quite a long day; meeting at6am in Muncie, an 11-hour bus ride, and a rehearsal at the Rogers Centre inpreparation for the bowl game on Saturday. During the travel to and from the stadium, we were able tosee quite a bit of shops that a lot of us are very interested in exploringduring our free time tomorrow. Nota lot of time for photo shoots today, but a few shots from the bus are includedbelow. It’s going on 1:30am, soI’ll just leave this post as it is. More of an update tomorrow after another rehearsal, exploring time, andBattle of the Bands! Until then,bon soir!

Day two, it’s an early start. After staying up until around 3 watching TV with theroomies, I was up around 8:30 to get ready for our morning rehearsal. Had breakfast at a quaint little bagelplace in the basement of the hotel before loading the bus and heading back tothe Rogers Centre for a few hours of rehearsal. Around 2, we leave the stadium and head back to the hotelfor lunch and some free time before Battle of the Bands! After a painful trek through many shopsand restaurants, we ended up at McDonald’s, believe it or not. After lunch and another hour ofexploring, it was time to head back to the room and get ready for the evening’sevent, the Battle of the Marching Bands. The “Pride of Mid-America” Marching Band went up against the marchingband from Rutgers University. Wewere outside right next to an outdoor ice-skating rink, so you can imagine howchilly we were. I was veryimpressed at the crowd turn out…the Ball State fans greatly outnumbered theRutgers fans, I might add, not to mention the appearance of CharlieCardinal! Both bands playedseveral selections, there was a Battle of the Drumlines, then we closed thecompetition with a combined piece; both bands joined together in the playing of“Hey Baby.” In the end, thecompetition was declared a tie…a cheap cop-out if you ask me. Nonetheless, we all rushed back to thehotel to get back into the warmth, showered, changed, and got ready for a nightout! A majority of the band bravedthe chill and wind to go exploring for a restaurant, but some friends and Ichecked out the hotel restaurants and ended up at Steak, a rather fancy placefor the likes of college students. The setting was quiet and pleasant, the food exquisite, and the billmore than I would have wanted; I didn’t get out of there for less than 40bucks. I had a jumbo shrimpcocktail appetizer, a Caesar salad, and a delicious glass of champagne. The waiter gave us a lecture aboutusing American money in Canada, but I guess if they don’t want to deal with it,don’t accept it, right? Anyway, wesaid goodbye to Hulga, the very nice hostess and headed back to our rooms. The rest of the night has consisted ofrandom wanderings, random guests, and trips to the 7/11 for snacks. Since the big game is tomorrow, we’recalling it a night a bit early. Ademain!

It’s Saturday…the day of the big game! It’s quite early, and there is muchnoise coming from up and down the hall as the band is packing up and checkingout of our rooms. We’re allwalking around in this fancy hotel in our uniforms…good thing there’s almost200 of us or I’d feel pretty ridiculous! As soon as we load the bus, we’re heading to the stadium for a pre-gamerally and then to get ready for the game! I can’t believe in just 8 hours, we’re done in this city! More of an update after the game.

Well, it's after the game...and everyone looks dead to the world. I'm sitting here on the bus after having changed out of the uniform and feel like I could pass out at any moment. The game was kind of disappointing; Ball State lost 52-30, but, if I may boast, the Ball State band was outstanding!! Fellow saxophonist and great friend Adam Pearish and I were, at times, the life of the band because of our rocking out and dancing to the music...what can I say, it helps pass the time and keeps people entertained when the game fails to do so! Oh yeah, and there was an announcer there that could have been Michelle Pfeiffer's twin...no joke. I just couldn't get over it. Other than that, one other highlight was that I ran into fellow blogger Betsy Mills (after seeing her on the jumbo-tron during the game!) after the game and we exchanged hellos. Now that we're on the bus, I couldn't be more ready to get outta here and get back to Muncie. Only 12 or so hours left...

Well, that's about all I have to say about my trip. It's been quite a long post, so I'll try to wrap it up. Overall, I just wish we could have had more time to explore the city. There's so much to do and there was no time to do it! Anyway, to close out this entry, here are several pictures and a link to help summarize the experience...enjoy!

 

In this first pic, two of my best friends, Mandy Mills and Adam Pearish join me in a pre-leaving Muncie pic at 4am before heading to IHOP.  This second pic is what greeted us in Toronto...how fitting since Ball State's slogan is Education: Redefined...don't ya think?

Mandy was my seat buddy for the entire trip...I'd like to say we had a lot of fun, but we both were pretty much asleep anytime we were on the bus.  Also, here is my 15-dollar shrimp cocktail; had I seen this before I ordered, I would have picked something else that would have been worth the money! Looks cool, but I'm not paying for looks...

 

 It's finally bowl game time!  The jumbo-tron was HUGE!  (Hence the name? who knows...).  Also before the game, Adam and I snuck up on the field and got a picture with President Gora!  Of course, only after a story about what happened to our old uniforms; you know they made pillows out of them??  I kinda want one for myself...

Here, Charlie Cardinal hopped up onto the drum major podium and started doin' the Heisman!  Again, here is myself, Mandy, and Adam right before going on for our last halftime performance of the year!

Finally, here is my section!  It took us all year, but we finally got a picture of us all.  We had such a great time this year!  And of course, what is Toronto without the CN Tower?  But if you look to its left, see the strange blue light?  I never figured out what it was...a UFO? 

And as promised, here's the link for a youTube video done by our very own (Mighty) Joe Young that highlights the game!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CpExD4v6D1Q

Well, as I sit here and type, I revel in the fact that I am down to my final two days of classes. I can't believe it's already December, yet as I look back at the beginning of the semester, it seems so long ago. The Christmas season is definitely here, as Ball State got it's first real snow of the season a few nights ago. I've included a picture of Sursa Hall under a few inches of snow below. Another indicator of the season is the music. Everywhere you go, holiday music is playing, and I couldn't be happier. This is definitely my favorite season despite the cold. Whenever that first snow gets here, I'm in the best of moods. Along with the holiday music, holiday performances really pick up. I've already performed at two holiday gigs with the Cardinal 5, the a cappella group in which I sing, with 5 more on the schedule in the next week and a half. A few nights ago we sang in the Alumni Center atrium for a student affairs gathering, then last night the group was in downtown Muncie at White River Landing Restaurant to sing for a gathering of the Optimist Club. I had never been to (let alone heard of) the restaurant, and all I can say is that I was very impressed. The food was great as was the atmosphere. Today is a busy day for us as well, as we are singing for a chili dinner downtown, then have a recording session with the University Singers, and directly following that another performance downtown at the Horizon Center. I'm excited for this performance because they are putting us in olden-time caroler costumes, so I can't wait to see what we turn out to be! Tomorrow is a performance for a President's dinner at the Alumni Center once again, which is similar to the gig we had in Carmel a while ago.

Next week, a few performances here and there will close out our semester, and Christmas break will be here. Other than these performances, finals week isn't looking too shabby. A final on Monday, a speech on Wednesday, and two finals Friday morning. My difficult one (music history, of course) is on Friday, so I couldn't be happier that I have all week to study for it. Outside of finals, I'm hoping the week will run smoothly. As for Christmas break, some family time, a possible trip to Chicago, and just some R&R are (haha, say that a few times fast) in store.

In closing, as promised, here is a picture of Ball State's first snow. Hope you enjoy the season as much as I do!

After a four-year lull from Bundy Auditorium in New Castle, Indiana, I finally returned to my high school alma mater to perform for a great audience last night with University Singers.  The last time I was on that stage was in April of 2004 as Frank Butler in "Annie Get Your Gun"...quite the memories there.  The whole day I couldn't contain my excitement up to departure time, and as we pulled into Bundy's parking lot, I became even more giddy.  The fact that I got to come home my senior year is just so cool.  I didn't know if I could actually make it happen, but after a quick email to the director this summer, she and Dr. Carter started talking logistics, and before I knew it, it was happening!  

Being back home, I realized just how old I'm getting because of the number of faces I knew...or should I say, DIDN'T know.  All the kids I went to high school with are now in college and the juniors and seniors this year were all in middle school...so I hardly knew any of them.  But I did get to visit with a few teachers and parents that I remembered (and some that I didn't), but it didn't matter to them because all they had to say was "that was wonderful!" and "so glad to have you back!"...and who doesn't like hearing that?  

Overall, the show went really well and it was over before I knew it.  I couldn't have asked for a better experience back hoome; the clinic went swimmingly, the food was AMAZING, and the show was a hit.  For pictures from the event, feel free to visit the University Singers blog at www.castblog.wordpress.com where Dr. Carter has done some posting!   

It's been a week, but I finally got Fetch (the publishing program) up and running!  So now, by popular demand, I present to you a quick overview of my time in the Big Apple!

Here is my first view of New York...it was rather cloudy, so this is all I got.  On the right is my first view of Times Square.

I visited Carnegie Hall.  I wasn't able to go in because a concert was in progress, so this sign was the backup.  The picture on the right is of the Rockafeller Center through a reflection of a building across the street. 

On the left, a karaoke bar I visited on my first night after Spring Awakening.  And on the right, on top of the Rockafeller Center...and yes, that's the Empire State Building behind me...I was that high up. Yikes... 

Walmartopia: the satirical off-Broadway musical about Wal~Mart taking over the world...it was worth it.  And finally, here I am with Matt Doyle.  He played the lead (Melchior) in Spring Awakening; the guy was phenomenal!  Look for him on a new cast album of Bare the musical.  I've seen some clips of it and the soundtrack is amazing. 

 

So here we are. I am sitting backstage at work after getting home this morning after 2am. This weekend was spent in New York, which was my first time being there. To save myself blogging time, I just typed each day about the events that occurred that day, so below are my entries. If you've been to NYC, please feel free to share some experiences!

It’s Friday at noon and we’ve just touched down at O’Hare in Chicago. We’ve got just about half an hour layover before boarding for the flight to New York. I dozed off the half hour we were in the air for the flight here, and I’m sure I’ll snooze a bit during the 2-1/2 hour flight to LaGuardia. Not a huge fan of flying, so I have to find ways to distract myself while in flight; what better way than to sleep, right? Since there isn’t much to do nor a lot of time before the next flight, I guess I’ll call it a post and wait for the plane…

It’s now Friday around 4:30. We’ve just checked into our hotel after our second flight. We were delayed on the take-off for an hour, then when we got to the hotel, they said our room was unavailable, so they were going to give us an upgrade. Come to find out, the room was ready, so after a good 20-25 minutes at the check-in desk, we were ready to find our room. We are quickly settling in then heading out! The plans for tonight are to eat dinner at a burger pub called Old Town Bar & Grill, browse the Broadway streets, see Spring Awakening, and then spend some time at a piano/karaoke lounge called Don’t Tell Mama.  This being my first time in New York, I can’t even begin to express my excitement! Ok, time to peace out…

It’s Saturday morning at 1:45 and I’m up doing this post so I don’t forget anything. First off, all I can say right now is WOW. I don’t think I could have asked for a better show to start my Broadway excursion. Spring Awakening was everything I could have asked for plus some. I have known the soundtrack for quite some time, but seeing it in its context gave a whole new meaning to several of the songs. 90 percent of the cast was from the original cast, so that was yet another plus. The lead character, Melchior (usually played by Jonathan Groff), was played by the understudy, Matt Doyle. When I saw this, I was not happy, but as the show went on, I completely forgot. The guy was phenomenal. I got a picture with him after the show and I’ve added it below.

After the show, we headed to Don’t Tell Mama.  As I said earlier, it’s a piano/karaoke bar just a short walk from Broadway. When we arrived, there was a small wait because the place was packed. When we finally got in, I saw why there was a line; the place wasn’t that big. Nevertheless, the aura was great and the spirits high. Several audience members got up and shared a song or two along with some of the bartenders. There were even a few sing-alongs! After about 1-1/2 hours of this, we called it quits and headed for the hotel. Now we’re tucked in and ready to get some shut-eye for tomorrow. Spamalot and La Traviata (with none other than the Diva Renée!) are our plans for the day. As for the rest of the day, we’ll just have to see what happens!

Saturday morning, 8:30am. We’ve just discovered that the stagehands on Broadway are going on strike today, closing all but 8 shows. This fateful event wasn’t supposed to happen until next weekend, but the union decided to take action. Therefore, Spamalot is out of the picture this trip, which is very disheartening. With what few choices we have left, we’re going to check on Young Frankenstein and a few off-Broadway shows. Other than that, we still have La Traviata tonight at the Metropolitan Theatre, which should be quite the production. Oh well, it’s breakfast time; I’ll be back with the rest of the day’s events tonight!

What a day today was! Breakfast was at Murray Hill Diner, a quaint place down the street from the hotel. We then proceeded to find the South Street Seaport and the TKTS booth. At the TKTS booth, you can purchase day-of tickets for a fraction of the price; however, since the strike happened, only off-Broadway shows were being sold, and since Forbidden Broadway wasn’t available, a new plan was devised. We looked up tickets to Young Frankenstein, but to no avail; it was completely sold out. Then we happened across a show called Walmartopia. The idea looked semi-amusing, so we got tickets; the show was worth it. It was all about how Walmart was taking over the world: musical style. Overall, it was brilliant and the cast was wonderful. Before the show, we had a few hours to spare, so we became tourists; we ventured towards Ground Zero to see where the World Trade Centers once stood, visited a few cathedrals, and saw the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. Then came the show. Afterwards, we made our way back to the hotel for just a few minutes to recharge. Dinner was at the Brazil Grill, my first experience with Brazilian cuisine, and it was delectable. It was just a constant bombardment of food until you told them to stop bringing it. Following dinner, we trekked to the Metropolitan Opera House where we saw the one and only Diva Renée Fleming in Verdi’s La Traviata. Even though we had standing-room only tickets up on the 5th balcony, the show was magnificent. How a person can fill a place such as the Met, even over an orchestra, without a microphone, is beyond me. I can’t even begin to describe the set and costumes. 3 ½ hours after it started, we head towards Times Square for some photo opts since it was rainy last night. On the way home, we had to dodge a New York City subway scuffle between two guys while their friends stood around them and laughed. Now we’re back in the hotel, loving the fact we can sleep in just a bit tomorrow. The plan for tomorrow? Pack and check out of the hotel, lunch with several alumni, then finish with a few hours of tourist stuff; possibly the Empire State Building? Who knows, so for now, good night!

Sunday evening, 6:26pm. I’m sitting in LaGuardia’s food court. A pizza has been ordered as we wait for boarding time. As fast as it arrived, my time in New York has come to an end. I’ve been dreading this because it means back to the grinding stone for schoolwork, meaning a 15-page music history paper, a persuasive speech, a speech analysis, a lesson plan for teaching a class, and some music administration work. But instead of focusing on that, I’m going to focus on the weekend experience I just had. My final day in New York consisted of quite a load. Most of the day was spent doing “touristy” things: souvenir shopping, going atop the Rockafeller Building, walking through parts of Central Park, visiting Greenwich Village (where several University Singers alumni and friends gathered), and enjoyed the organ playing at St. Patrick’s cathedral. While I’m not a huge fan of heights, going up the Rockafeller Building was quite the sight; you can see for miles. The Empire State Building was in our plans, but the wait was too long, so we said c’est la vie and moved on. In trying to keep this already extremely long post from getting much longer, I guess I’ll spare some details and finish up. As soon as I can fix my publishing program, I wil get the pictures up (hopefully a day or two). Until then, enjoy!

and another one comin' up. I can't remember if I've ever been this constantly busy at any other time in my college career. Of course, between classes, University Singers, Marching Band, 2 jobs, and the new a capella group I'm in called Cardinal 5, I have plenty on my plate. A few nights this week, I was up until 4am trying to catch up on work, only to be up around 7 am for an 8am class. This week has been especially crazy because I have had a performance with Cardinal 5 on Sunday, I had to prepare an informative speech for my Comm 210 class, I had a big Music History test on Thursday (which luckily went much better than the first one!), University Singers sang the National Anthem at a Ball State Volleyball games Thursday evening, and the marching band is preparing to go to Indiana University for the IU vs. BSU game on Saturday. As if this weren't enough, it doesn't end there. Once Monday starts back up, the marching band has to finish preparing for our next show (the music is from the hit group Queen), I have to give the speech I prepared this week, Chanticleer is coming on Tuesday, I have to start working on a 15-page paper that's due in 2 weeks for Music History, and then next weekend...