MOTET OF THE DAY

Organisation and the PhD

2010-06-05T22:20:00.002-04:00

I think doing a PhD is mostly about being well-organised. I mean, it takes a certain above-average intelligence (does not demand as much great intelligence as in the past, what with grade inflation), but even the most intelligent person cannot write a good book if she is not organised. I'm not saying that I am any expert; in fact, I would say that I'm basically a failure and that I need to

Come listen to Sammee speak musicological things...

2010-03-06T01:04:00.002-05:00

List of conference I'll present papers at this semester:March: Cambridge University, the Plainsong and Medieval Music conferenceMay: University of Calgary, Confounding Expectations, Inspiring Minds Graduate conferenceJuly: Royal Holloway University, the Medieval and Renaissance Music conferenceJuly: the North American British Music Studies Association conference

SHOUT OUT TO RECENT PHD GRADS...

2009-12-21T10:08:00.003-05:00

... although I'm not sure who might read this post. How did you go about completing the Literature Review? What did you do when you read all the recommended books by your supervisors and still had a pathetic list of sources because your topic has not been written about since 1901? I know the most obvious thing is to bug my supervisors about this again, but I'd rather be more independent than that

Oh the odds and ends...

2009-11-28T15:25:00.002-05:00

... of a PhD dissertation/thesis (if I were in the UK, it would be thesis, but readers in the US will be more familiar with dissertation, very confusing and I often don't know what to call it). Right now, I'm overwhelmed by the UK PhD skills audit, which is a requirement for UK postgraduate students. We are supposed to graduate without merely just the knowledge of our PhD topic and subject area,

Preliminary research on Ruth Crawford

2009-11-17T23:09:00.001-05:00

http://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=ruth+crawford+intestinal+cancer&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8http://members.ozemail.com.au/~ozartsreview/Features/disabled.htmlhttp://depthome.brooklyn.cuny.edu/isam/rcstraus.htmlhttp://www.amoeba.com/blog/2009/03/eric-s-blog/ruth-crawford-seeger-modernist-cum-folkie.htmlhttp://www.iawm.org/articles_html/mirchandani_Judith_Tick.html

Disability Studies and the PhD dissertation

2009-11-17T22:39:00.003-05:00

The conference paper I gave on scholars with invisible illnesses has been published in the journal Music Theory Online, issue 15/3, August 2009. If anyone would like further details about the study I did, or would like the details to be published in blog form, please let me know. The article will also be published in an Israeli disability activist newsletter. I am still interested in disability

What's all this about fairness?

2008-12-18T17:01:00.005-05:00

I'm not really sure what I'm doing with blogging, as I often don't have the time or health or readers to encourage me to pursue it. I see all my friends writing these lovely, thought-provoking blogs, and I want to do the same. However, I also don't like the idea of putting it all out there on the Internets for everyone to read. What I'm going to pursue for this blog will be a collection of

Shame, Shame, Shame

2008-06-19T10:14:00.003-04:00

As I've discussed earlier on this blog, I am conducting a study on music scholars and students with invisible, chronic illnesses. Please do not badger me with comments as to why I have not updated my blog. I am a very busy and/or infirm person and blogging is not, at the moment, high on my agenda. When I am not facing the challenges of my auto-immune diseases, I am functioning as a graduate

RIP Leonard B. Meyer

2008-01-01T10:12:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, I read on the AMS listserv that Leonard B. Meyer, prolific and influential music cognition, theorist, aesthetician and philosopher had passed away. I read Emotion and Meaning in Music during my first term as a master's student at Oxford, and have subsequently read Style and Music: Theory, History and Ideology, The Rhythmic Structure of Music, Explaining Music: Essays and Explorations,

Musicophilia Samantha 2007

2008-01-01T03:06:00.000-05:00

As much as 2006 saw me returning to my punk love with a vengeance, my 2007 musical passions were a discovery of metal and “indie,” and a continuance of my punk fetish. In “classical” music, I became even more fond of William Byrd and his cronies, and rejuvenated my love for Janacek, Puccini, Verdi, Bellini, Rossini, Mendelssohn, Vaughn Williams, Elgar, Amy Beach, Mahler, Louise Farrenc

Reading Challenge

2008-01-01T01:31:00.000-05:00

I've decided to follow Rebecca's example and try to read 50 pleasurable, non-musicological books this year. Below is the BBC's Top 200 books. I've italicized the books I've already read and put stars beside those I would like to read for 2008.Here's the list of what I'll read this year:Finish: His Dark Materials (Pullman), I Am America and So Can You (Colbert), The House of Leaves, One

OZMA

2007-12-27T23:37:00.000-05:00

Wow, I am just full of posts today. Perhaps it is because I've been sick and laying around thinking all day; or else it is because I am *still stuck in Pennsylvania*. Oy. I would like to take advantage of my sole ownership of this forum and introduce anyone reading to the GREATEST BAND OF ALL TIME: OZMA. I know, this is a lofty title to bestow upon any one group, but I think they are one of

Happy Holidays

2007-12-27T15:31:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, Merry Yuletide, Happy Winter Solstice, etc., whatever you celebrate. I am stuck in rural Pennsylvania with a head cold, sore throat and flu from my crazy family, and am playing around with geeky gadgets on the Internet to amuse myself. I think this video by Linkin Park is inspirational. I am subjecting anyone who reads this blog to it and the lyrics.Linkin Park, "

Where have all the geek girls gone?

2007-12-04T07:30:00.000-05:00

I have been known to read a shitty magazine or two, now and again. I can't help it; I enjoy reading things like Allure and Glamour and Fitness and Self sometimes. So sue me. I do have my standards, though. I do NOT read Cosmo, Redbook, Good Housekeeping, tabloids, US Weekly, or (usually) People. However, recently I was waiting to see my therapist and picked up a People magazine. It was the

Music and Influence

2007-12-02T00:52:00.000-05:00

I consider myself to be a very opinionated person, but not in a bad way. Just that I have very defined opinions that I like to share, but I expect others to lend their opinions and engage in an interesting dialogue with me. I tell my students that I hope they will disagree with me and engage in debate. I share my opinions with my students, which I expect them to take with a grain of salt. I

Request for Interview Sheet Feedback for Disability Studies

2007-11-27T23:58:00.000-05:00

If any of you musicologists lurking out there are actually reading my blog, would you mind proofreading the interview sheet I've put together for my scholars with disabilities study? Comment with your contact info and I'll send it over to you.

A Foray into a New Academic Field

2007-11-26T14:32:00.000-05:00

Posted to both the AMS and SMT Listservs:"Dear List,I am conducting a study of scholars and graduate students with disabilities, and am focusing particularly on scholars with auto-immune diseases and what are commonly called "invisible illnesses" (this includes mental health illnesses). I hope to interview scholars and graduate students and discuss how they have been successful in academia and

Musicological Blogging and the Obligatory Post

2007-11-23T20:12:00.000-05:00

I've just been alerted to the new blog "Musicology / Matters" by my friend Rebecca from Musically Miscellaneous Mayhem. It turns out that these bloggers knew about my blog already, probably because the instigators of "Musicology / Matters" have their own musicological blogs that I've heretofore perused. The title of my blog illustrates my desire for this blog to be not necessarily academic, but

Spiritual Journey and Coming Out as a Liberal Christian

2007-07-17T01:11:00.000-04:00

Today I made my first initial steps towards becoming confirmed in the Anglican (Episcopalian) community. I met with the rector of the local Episcopal church, who talked with me about my background and gave me three chapters from two different books to read. One is called The Good Book by Peter J. Gomes (chaplain of Harvard University and minister of The Memorial Church at Harvard). Gomes is also

Music Videos

2007-06-20T23:17:00.000-04:00

Mostly, I hate music videos. I think they are hokey and uncomfortable, also usually uncreative and cliche. However, I've been watching things on YouTube lately, and here are some music videos I actually enjoy:Silversun Pickups, "Well Thought Out Twinkles"Joy Division, "She's Lost Control"

Silence on Blogger, but not in my flat

2007-06-20T21:04:00.000-04:00

I know, I've not been posting lately. Basically, that's because I've been super busy declining Latin nouns and adjectives and conjugating Latin verbs. Oh, and also reading great books and downloading amazing music! My computer is up and running properly again (after crashing three times during the spring semester), which means that I am again able to download and listen to music every day!

Eye Opener

2007-06-05T20:58:00.000-04:00

Have you ever had one of those 'ah-ha' moments when everything makes sense and the rose-coloured glasses fall off? I had one of those moments today when reading Andrew Sullivan's The Conservative Soul: How We Lost it, How to Get it Back. Here's the passage:"The founder of the country, George Washington, was particularly concerned about the impact on civil life of religious and doctrinal

Yoga Spirituality

2007-05-31T21:49:00.000-04:00

My yoga teacher read the following prayer by the Catholic St. Therese of Lisieux at the end of our session tonight, and it really spoke to me. Whether you are of a faith or no faith, perhaps it will give you serenity you as well.May today there be peace within.May you trust God that you are exactly where you are meant to be.May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith.May

Pan Blog #1: Religious Experience

2007-05-31T01:26:00.000-04:00

I am borrowing the following from thecrazydreamer and whatyoudream, who picked up this pan-blog from their friend Sweet Jane. I am blessed to have others on my blogroll who are interested in a good, clean existential fun about questions of faith and religion and the like.Describe your most formative religious experience. I am assuming that most of us are, or have been, some form of a Christian (

Latin for Mental Health and Punk Rock Clothing for Sammee's Soul

2007-05-31T01:03:00.000-04:00

I think we all have these times in graduate school when we feel pushed to our limit and like we're not sure how to cope with it all. Last week, I kind of had one of those moments. Strangely enough, I think it was brought on by the lack of requirements at the end of the semester. I worked so hard to finish everything, and after it was all turned in, I had no idea what to do with myself, which

Barack Obama: Religion and Mental Health

2007-05-27T16:15:00.000-04:00

I did a search on Technorati.com for 'political blogs', as I am using my small amount of extra summer free time to become more politically savvy and to think about Important Issues like What I Really Think about politics, religion, culture, etc., especially since already there has been a frenzy of campaign activity for the 2008 presidental election. I found a political web site called American

Cultural Sensitivist

2007-05-25T13:44:00.000-04:00

After an online conversation with another liberal friend from Oxford, I've decided that my worldview can best be described as 'culturally sensitive', or, I am a Cultural Sensitivist. I recognize the dangers of too much moral relativism and too much moral absolutism, and I maintain that being culturally and morally sensitive is the best way to navigate between the two extremes. I'll post more

Christian Philosophizing and Conservatives for Gay Marriage

2007-05-22T17:59:00.000-04:00

As I was perusing through my blogroll today, I came across the following thought-provoking post by my friend Lauren, a former evangelical and self-avowed agnostic, who also has a terrific writing style and a very interesting blog. In her most recent entry, Lauren wonders whether or not it is possible for a Christian to properly philosophize, because of her or his assurance of having all the

Addendum to my previous post

2007-05-22T15:43:00.000-04:00

You might still be wondering why I called my previous post 'musicological fiction'. Well, this is because I have always wanted to write a novel, and recently I've been thinking that the only way I'll be able to write one is if it is about one of my musicological interests. I was thinking William Byrd's life would be very fascinating as a novel -- so much political and religious intrigue!!

Musicological Fiction

2007-05-20T19:08:00.001-04:00

I have always wanted to write a novel, or at least a collection of short stories. This is because I am pretty much a HUGE reader; have always loved reading novels and pretty much anything else, as long as it was of good enough quality to keep me entertained and to captivate my intellect. I always make huge summer reading lists each May, and since beginning grad school, have never managed to

End of the Academic Year Blues

2007-05-19T10:15:00.000-04:00

I never know what to do with myself at the end of the academic year, especially since beginning graduate school. When I was an undergraduate, I would always be excited and look forward to the summer, which was spent reading novels and taking trips to visit friends and generally recovering from the stress of being an over-achieving honours student. Of course, the summers that occur in-between

Contemplating... Anti-Christian Readers?

2007-05-10T21:53:00.000-04:00

I just realised that I may eventually pick up a few readers who might perhaps be turned off by my Christian-themed posted. As it turns out, I decided to use this journal to muse about thoughts unrelated to my specific academic career, although it will probably turn up now and again and because it's impossible to get out of my head completely. As I think is common for people who study medieval

Devotional Post; To Be Digested

2007-05-04T01:08:00.000-04:00

Romans 8:28-39 (NRSV)We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn within a large family. And those whom he predestined he also called; and those whom he called he also justified; and those whom he

Appropriate Words for the End of the Semester

2007-04-30T09:32:00.000-04:00

Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. (NIV) 1 Peter 5:7 "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." (Matthew 11:28-30 NIV)