Day 6 - 9 -- Back to School

Snow greeted the morning. I walked to the office as much snow was forecast to be followed by rain. I had no desire to drive in a mess like that. I had a great research meeting that covered several projects. Lots of good direction for work over the next week or so. My afternoon appointment off campus canceled due to weather, so I chose to stay on campus rather than head home to eat and return for class. Yes --- class! Today was my first day as a student on this campus. I am taking a 100-level course in Music, called History of Popular Music. It will be a weekly 3-hour night class. It is a large class, but the auditorium should allow reasonable discussions. This week we covered the roots of rock and roll -- jazz, blues, gospel -- and several of the key artists of those pre-rock and roll days. From looking around the class and at the professor, I am likely the only one that will have lived through the majority of the course content. I look forward to the listening lists that the professor uses to describe the various artists and genres.

I can't begin to explain how excited I was to be a student in this class. Anyone who reads hear will know my love of music. I look forward to learning how the social changes led to alterations in music. We only touched the surface of that in the first lecture. I have completed MOOC courses on topics of interest n the past few years, but sitting in a classroom feels different. A set class time differs from 'at your own pace' type of course. Seeing the other class members in person may improve discussion more than online conversations. Though I did note that sitting in a larger classroom that the constant chatter from some corners of the room was just irritating. I hated it when I was at the front of the class and it isn't any better when in the midst of the seats <smile>. We'll see how things go -- but so far so good and still excited for next week.

When I approached the doors to the large classroom I thought I heard a familiar song -- just the opening riffs. Well, it is a class on popular music <grin>. As I opened the door, I smiled -- a big smile -- as I had recognized the song. The title was fitting for the first class. There were four songs played, of which I knew three by title and artist and enough to sing along. Gee -- will I become one of THOSE students <giggle>. The song shared here tonight is the first one I heard. Love this video, too. Enjoy!

Come Together -- The Beatles