A cellphone alarm breaches the deep slumber of a college student at 7:30 on a Monday morning; the beginnings of yet another day full of classes, practice and less than two hours of rest until they can allow themselves to repose and repeat the process the next morning. Every day is an ever-changing thought process as they plan out their next steps of the day with ongoing inquisitions:
“Should I practice or do homework? Can it wait? Do I have time to eat a meal or can I snack and hold off until dinner? What is the most important thing that I absolutely need to do next?”
These are questions that Tori Rehder, Tristan Morrisman and Julian Fadullon, Music majors all over Virginia, ask themselves as they maneuver throughout their busy days. Classes alone consist of 90 percent music courses worth only a total of 16-18 credits. Apart from their 50-minute to hour-and-15-minute classes, they have practice room hours, private lessons, multiple ensemble rehearsals, concerts, practicums and departmentals.
Of course, each school has different expectations, curriculums and varied opportunities. Tristan Morrisman is a Music Performance major with his chosen instrument as the flute at Old Dominion University. He is currently taking ten classes, nine of which are music classes for a total of 18 credits. Morrisman is completely engulfed within his Music major and is only involved with activities directly related to the Music department at ODU. He has dedicated his entire life and effort to his studies in music. Morrisman says, “I love [my Music major] so much. It is absolutely amazing, it’s exactly what I want to do with my life and it’s worked so well. My favorite thing is just being able to perform and express my talents with others.” Current activities in which he is involved in include the ODU Marching Band, University Wind Ensemble, University Symphony Orchestra, an opera, a trio chamber group and flute choir.
Tori Rehder, a sophomore Instrumental Education & Cello Performance Music major from Christopher Newport University, is the student that does it all. She is a part of the odd few, few meaning three or four students total in her Music department, that is not only involved in music, but also works on-campus and off-campus and is involved in the social sorority Zeta Tau Alpha. Rehder is currently enrolled in 10/11 music courses with a total of 16 credits and decided to be a major in her junior year of high school. When asked how and why she decided to choose her major at that point, she led on with an insightful view into the process of being a Music major at CNU:
“Technically, a Music major isn’t officially declared until you pass sophomore checkpoint at the end of your fourth semester. And you don’t usually get these results until the summer or the following semester. However, to successfully complete the Music major in the typical four years that it should take, you must declare your major while still in high school so that you can audition for the department and register for all of the first semester freshman required music classes. So I guess to directly answer the question, I declared my major at the end of my junior year in high school.”
Last is the liberal arts school senior from James Madison University, Julian Fadullon, a Music Industry major with a vocalist concentration. Fadullon’s major is not as similar to the other majors because his consists of many non-music related courses such as economics, ethics, etc. Universities such as JMU offer a much broader range of study for the field of music. Fadullon decided upon his major a month into his freshman year and is currently taking eight classes worth a total of 19 credits. He dedicates most of his time to being the director of one of the many Acapella groups at JMU, his positioning including arranging, directing, teaching, choosing venues, practices and much more. He also sings in JMU’s show choir with involvement in theatre performances every now and then. “I don’t really do much besides that. It’s easy to be in theatre a bit because it’s another liberal art, they’re kind of all related here at JMU. We have a respect for one another’s art.”
It is interesting to compare the lives of Music majors around different schools. They each have various opportunities offered to them with a wide range of activities and organizations in which they can be involved. Their similarities certainly outweigh their differences, despite their very diverse universities. Every student shares a passion, commitment and utmost respect for their artwork and they deliver that through their talents. The best way to do this is through their busy schedule because their hard work will always pay off in the end.
