Gloomy Day At A Cafe ✨

Do you have any ideas on how to improve the accessibility of classical music? Playing the instruments, watching performances, etc.

that’s kind of a broad topic. there’s the issue of classical music not being as accessible to people who have a lower income, younger people, historically excluded ethnic groups, people who want to go see a symphony perform and not get dirty glances for wearing jeans to attend the concert, people who want to clap between movements without getting dirty glances and feeling “uncultured,” and so on. 

I could make a post in detail about all of these particular aspects, and people can feel free to add their opinion on the subject to this post, but I’ll say this:

we gotta stop pushing the idea that mozart was like the best classical composer ever. he was obviously talented and made some good music, but non-musicians think that mozart’s music is what all classical music sounds like and so they don’t feel the need to listen to composers who wrote drastically different musical works but can still be heard in the concert halls. classical music is a broad genre written by thousands and thousands of people over hundreds of years, and today, and we have a more diverse group of composers than ever who are currently writing music. I think that everyone can find at least one piece of classical music that appeals to them, but so many people don’t know this.

we gotta stop intellectualizing classical music. write program notes that make sense and help audiences relate to the composer. tell us that berlioz’s dad wanted him to have a practical job so berlioz got his medical degree and turned around to become a composer, and maybe save the music theory terminology that makes very little sense to the average audience member for your doctoral dissertation. help audiences relate to the music and they’ll be able to understand it better. classical music hasn’t been for the educated aristocracy in years but people keep acting like it is. 

we gotta let people know that anyone can learn classical music. my mom recently told me that she doesn’t have the right hands to play piano and that she thinks reading sheet music would be too hard. you can play piano with small hands and it’s simple to learn to read sheet music, it just takes practice for it to become automatic. you can pick up an instrument at any point in your life. if you have the desire, do it, and don’t listen to some idiots who say you’re “too old” or aren’t fit for it.

we gotta let students learning classical have fun with it rather than kill their creativity and yell at them for their mistakes. I nearly quit piano because of something like this and today I absolutely love any chance I can get to play an instrument. that is a huge shift in perspective, and it’s because I can make mistakes and learn from them without getting shamed, and I have had super encouraging teachers, parents, and peers. 

we gotta show students performances that feature people that we can kind of relate to. a lot of old orchestral performances have orchestras that are just white guys and no one else. show a newer video of the same piece that has at least some diversity. is there a young girl interested in playing bass in orchestra? show her a video of a woman absolutely shredding on double bass to get her interested and show her that women exist in the profession. representation matters. 

we gotta drop the draconian concert hall etiquette. I think going to see an orchestra concert should have similar etiquette to going to the movie theaters. don’t talk during the performance, laugh if something funny happens (some classical music is genuinely supposed to be funny), clap when appropriate (it’s so disappointing when the first movement of a symphony ends with a flourish and everybody is still. it is legitimately uncomfortable!), and wear what you would wear to a movie theater. it’s going to take years for this to happen, unfortunately, but as someone who plays in orchestra, I don’t feel disrespected when audience members clap between movements or wear hoodies. I’m just happy they’re there and that they’re enjoying their time. 

everyone feel free to add your thoughts and experiences. this is a broad issue and it’s something we need to address. 

academia things that genuinely make me happy

large textbooks filled with extra papers which hold the answers to the problems you thought were too brilliant to be thrown away, or the simple short summary of a part you were struggling to understand before

having your textbook absolutely ruined by highlighters and sticky notes all over it, those little tips and ideas you picked up from the lesson. anyone who opens that book immediately knows that you’ve studied the crap out of it and know the concept by heart. “this is the most annotated book i’ve ever seen” is literally the highest form of compliment for me.

solving math or chemistry problems to a soundtrack album or ambient sounds, extra points if it’s in afternoon lol

when you’re so focused and keen on getting to the final answer that your hand physically can’t keep up with your eagerness so you end up with the most incoherent solution. but you’ve finally got the answer right!

being self-taught in a subject or a few chapters of the textbook, and still smashing the quizzes and the exams

coming up with a new solution to the problem, or seeing the problem from a new perspective, and finally being able to solve it because of just that.

confidently walking out of the exam room. 0 doubt in your mind that you crushed it!

actually feeling how you’ve grown academically, and how much more knowledgeable you are compared to the beginning of the semester

casually and confidently having conversations with a professor about your studies, exchanging ideas and discussing the existing theories, methods, on-going research and all

all of this is everything i want in life- god 

call for change: studyblrs

I have had this blog for about a year now, and I’ve come to realise the unattainable perfection of studyblrs. I created this account to motivate and educate myself and I feel as though these ‘perfect study notes’ hold unrealistic expectations. This is why I have decided to post things that are more realistic, educational and have a positive impact on the community. Please reblog this to spread the message: You do not need perfect notes, every stationary item, a macbook, top grades or an aesthetic study space to be a studyblr. All you need to do is do the best you can.

08.06.20

i made a whiteboard out of a poly pocket and it is, quite frankly, saving my ass with all the derivations i’m learning atm.

no one should be killed for it but i hate this homework

hi i’m lauren :) here’s a little introduction to me/this studyblr :

about me

— i am 17 and in my final year of secondary school

— i live in scotland

— i use she/her pronouns and i’m a lesbian

academic

— i’m studying advanced higher (roughly a-level) chemistry, physics, maths, and music performance

— i want to study physics at uni

— my dream job is research astrophysicist

hobbies

— i play violin (abrsm grade 8) and piano (very recreationally lol) but i also pick up baritone ukulele and recorder from time to time

— i love reading! my favourite genres are ya (particularly those with lgbtq rep), sci-fi, and fantasy

— i speak very basic french and am starting to learn some russian so привет!

— i watch a lot of tv, mostly sitcoms. to name a few, i love schitt’s creek, odaat, the good place, queer eye, doctor who, rpdr, killing eve, love victor, and parks and rec

i post mostly studyblr with some bullet journaling and have had this blog since jan 2019. i would love to talk to more people on here so dm me anytime :D 🌈🦕

29.06.20

today was the first day of my six week summer holiday and i’m already feeling very listless, so here is my plan for getting a big step up in russian. i’ve been loosely learning for a year so i know basic phrases and the alphabet but i want to use this time to really get to grips with it. so i’m posting this here because accountability is important! i’m hoping to fill up these sheets with vocab by the end too.

13/08/20

first day back at school!! so so lovely to be back, i missed it so much. despite the confusing one-way system i loved being back and seeing my friends & teachers & wonderful school. plus my timetable has loads of free periods this year which i’m super happy about.

summer (even though it’s not my summer holiday anymore lol) studying challenge: what is your favourite ice cream flavour?

raspberry ripple!

wakes up on time, showers, gets dressed, eats breakfast, and drinks coffee, then calmly lays back down in bed and goes back to sleep

25/08/20

adulting is difficult, folks. but also kind of exciting sometimes?