- If you went on to get a college or vocational education, what school did you go to? What did you study? What memories do you have of those years?
After High School I went to Brigham Young University Hawaii!!! I was one of the lucky ones who got to go to school a half mile from the beach :)
When I was looking for schools to apply to, I felt like I was between a rock and a hard place. I knew I didn't want to go to BYU Provo - it was too big and I didn't want to feel lost in the crowd. Plus it is an extremely competitive school and I am the opposite of that. I also knew, though, that I didn't want to go to BYU Idaho, their track system was terrible and I wouldn't be guaranteed the Fall track. I decided I was going to go to U of I or Eastern Washington. Looking back now, neither of those would have been good schools for me, but I was determined not to go to Provo or Idaho.
Then, out of the blue, Mom asked me one day if I would be interested in going to Hawaii. Instantly I knew that was right; maybe not consciously, but I knew the idea felt good and that I would pursue it seriously. Mom called the percussion professor since that's what I wanted to study, and he said if I sent in a DVD of myself playing and he liked what he saw, he could flag admissions and get me admitted as soon as they saw my application. That's what we did! When I saw that I was accepted to BYU Hawaii I jumped up and down and freaked out and was so so so excited!!!! No one was home but me, and when I tried to call mom six or seven times she didn't answer. Finally she got home and we hugged and celebrated together. She told me she knew I was going to get in from the day she called Dr. Duerden, and she showed me the housing and campus and pictures of the beautiful school I was going to be attending in the fall. I couldn't believe how beautiful all the pictures were and how close the school was to the ocean. I told mom I was going to do all my homework on the beach.
The week before the semester started, Mom and Dad took me out to Oahu to explore the island together before I was on my own. We went to Pearl Harbor, Sharks Cove snorkeling, walked around all the beaches in Laie, and most importantly got everything I needed for my dorm room. Since all the stores were 1 1/2 hours away in Honolulu, we got it all in one go- bed risers, storage bins, pillows, towels, hangers, shoe rack, shampoo, etc... One of the things I remember really well is when we went to Target, my parents asked if they had any mini fridge's left. I wasn't planning on getting one, but Dad disappeared for a few minutes and then when he found us, he was carrying the last mini fridge left in the store. I felt so loved knowing he got that fridge just for me. When we left the store, I'm pretty sure I rode back to Laie with a few shopping bags in my lap.
My dorm looked okay online, I didn't pay too much attention. But when I walked in, I definitely was rethinking my decision for a minute. Being the oldest dorm on campus and set for demolition the next semester, Hale 3 was small and filled with metal furniture. Not what I expected, but I would learn to get used to it. The one cool thing I liked were the drawers in the side of the bed. Those were so handy. Mom and Dad set up a bunch of stuff while I went to the Freshman orientation. I had set up before to meet with another freshman percussion major that was starting at the same time as me, Cecilyn Crosby. Little did I know that I would come to share a lot of things and spend a lot of time with Cecilyn- she was a really honest person and so kind to everyone. She was a great friend.
The last day my parents were in Hawaii was the best day we had. I don't remember what we did in the morning, but after lunch we went and explored Haleiwa, a tourist-y town 30 minutes out from Laie. After looking (unsuccessfully) for a place that had good pina coladas, we went to a grill that ended up having pina coladas anyways! Dad and I got fish meals and mom got a salad. It was an awesome dinner. Afterwards we went to Sunset Beach to watch the sun go down. It was such a beautiful night, surfers on the waves, breeze blowing, sun still warm but not hot... I remember just being so happy that night with my parents and thinking that I didn't want the night to end.
I was going to sleep that night in the hale, but my roommate wasn't going to be there and I didn't want to be alone quite yet. I slept the night with my parents but then went to my student ward the next morning.
The night my parents left was so emotional. It was so exciting to be on a new adventure and start a new part of my life, but letting my parents leave was one of the hardest things I've ever done. I didn't realize how much I love and need them until I had to let them walk away and know I wouldn't see them again for a few more months.
The next few weeks were filled with so many different emotions - fear, excitement, joy, sadness.... I majored in music, and I took a bunch of awesome music classes my first semester. Music Theory 1, Ear Training, private marimba lessons, Book of Mormon 1, Steel Drum band, English 201 and Swimming. I loved all my classes and the new environment I was in! Hawaii is legally part of the United States, but it felt like a completely different world! Everyone was so relaxed, always so kind to each other, treated strangers like family... Writing about it now is making me really miss the love of Hawaii.
There is so, so much I could write about, but if I write everything I will never stop writing. I'll write about my favorite classes for now, and I may come back and add stuff later if I feel like it. My favorite class first semester was Steel Drum. I got really frustrated the first few weeks because I couldn't figure out where the darn notes were - they're not in order like other percussion instruments, they're in the circle of fifths scattered around the drum. My first two classes I wanted to just give up. Then, something magical happened, and I started getting good - really good. By the end of the 6 semesters I spent at BYUH, I was almost better at steel drum than I was marimba. I miss it like crazy, and I've even started considering, if I wanted to and could convince a school to let me, I would absolutely LOVE running my own steel drum band.
Another class I fell in love with was Orchestration. I took this one kind of on blind faith because my theory teacher at the time, Dr. Bradshaw, said he recommended every music major to take it. At first it was so hard. We had to learn about all the instruments in the winds, strings, percussion, and other random families. Being a percussionist and a violinist, winds and brass were really challenging, especially the transposing part. I was probably the most frustrated I've ever been doing the homework for that class, which was usually taking a two line piece and orchestrating it for a small ensemble. But then, once I started really getting it, it was my favorite class! The midterm was orchestrating a beautiful piano piece for a symphony orchestra, and I was really proud of how mine sounded. And I loved the final, which was orchestrating the same piece 3 different ways. Sometimes I still go back and have the computer play back to me what I wrote. I often wish I still had something requiring me to do that again because it's hard to fit it in when it's just for fun.
The last class I think I have time to write about is Percussion Methods. Going into this class I though I knew quite a bit, at least a little more than the non-percussionists in the class... I was wrong. Dr. Duerden opened my eyes to just how much I had left to learn about the instruments I was majoring in. From snare drum to cuica to triangle to tambourine, I learned so much in just one semester. My favorite part of that class was when we had to teach the class an arrangement for a keyboard ensemble for 10 minutes. I remembered playing Fields of Gold by Sting in the Rugare Marimba Ensemble, so I just taught that one and it sounded sweet! Dr. D was also really impressed, which made it even more fun.
I really miss the college life, the people I met, learning from such incredible professors... Like I said I could write about BYUH all day long, but let's leave it at this: I loved college!
When I was looking for schools to apply to, I felt like I was between a rock and a hard place. I knew I didn't want to go to BYU Provo - it was too big and I didn't want to feel lost in the crowd. Plus it is an extremely competitive school and I am the opposite of that. I also knew, though, that I didn't want to go to BYU Idaho, their track system was terrible and I wouldn't be guaranteed the Fall track. I decided I was going to go to U of I or Eastern Washington. Looking back now, neither of those would have been good schools for me, but I was determined not to go to Provo or Idaho.
Then, out of the blue, Mom asked me one day if I would be interested in going to Hawaii. Instantly I knew that was right; maybe not consciously, but I knew the idea felt good and that I would pursue it seriously. Mom called the percussion professor since that's what I wanted to study, and he said if I sent in a DVD of myself playing and he liked what he saw, he could flag admissions and get me admitted as soon as they saw my application. That's what we did! When I saw that I was accepted to BYU Hawaii I jumped up and down and freaked out and was so so so excited!!!! No one was home but me, and when I tried to call mom six or seven times she didn't answer. Finally she got home and we hugged and celebrated together. She told me she knew I was going to get in from the day she called Dr. Duerden, and she showed me the housing and campus and pictures of the beautiful school I was going to be attending in the fall. I couldn't believe how beautiful all the pictures were and how close the school was to the ocean. I told mom I was going to do all my homework on the beach.
The week before the semester started, Mom and Dad took me out to Oahu to explore the island together before I was on my own. We went to Pearl Harbor, Sharks Cove snorkeling, walked around all the beaches in Laie, and most importantly got everything I needed for my dorm room. Since all the stores were 1 1/2 hours away in Honolulu, we got it all in one go- bed risers, storage bins, pillows, towels, hangers, shoe rack, shampoo, etc... One of the things I remember really well is when we went to Target, my parents asked if they had any mini fridge's left. I wasn't planning on getting one, but Dad disappeared for a few minutes and then when he found us, he was carrying the last mini fridge left in the store. I felt so loved knowing he got that fridge just for me. When we left the store, I'm pretty sure I rode back to Laie with a few shopping bags in my lap.
My dorm looked okay online, I didn't pay too much attention. But when I walked in, I definitely was rethinking my decision for a minute. Being the oldest dorm on campus and set for demolition the next semester, Hale 3 was small and filled with metal furniture. Not what I expected, but I would learn to get used to it. The one cool thing I liked were the drawers in the side of the bed. Those were so handy. Mom and Dad set up a bunch of stuff while I went to the Freshman orientation. I had set up before to meet with another freshman percussion major that was starting at the same time as me, Cecilyn Crosby. Little did I know that I would come to share a lot of things and spend a lot of time with Cecilyn- she was a really honest person and so kind to everyone. She was a great friend.
The last day my parents were in Hawaii was the best day we had. I don't remember what we did in the morning, but after lunch we went and explored Haleiwa, a tourist-y town 30 minutes out from Laie. After looking (unsuccessfully) for a place that had good pina coladas, we went to a grill that ended up having pina coladas anyways! Dad and I got fish meals and mom got a salad. It was an awesome dinner. Afterwards we went to Sunset Beach to watch the sun go down. It was such a beautiful night, surfers on the waves, breeze blowing, sun still warm but not hot... I remember just being so happy that night with my parents and thinking that I didn't want the night to end.
I was going to sleep that night in the hale, but my roommate wasn't going to be there and I didn't want to be alone quite yet. I slept the night with my parents but then went to my student ward the next morning.
The night my parents left was so emotional. It was so exciting to be on a new adventure and start a new part of my life, but letting my parents leave was one of the hardest things I've ever done. I didn't realize how much I love and need them until I had to let them walk away and know I wouldn't see them again for a few more months.
The next few weeks were filled with so many different emotions - fear, excitement, joy, sadness.... I majored in music, and I took a bunch of awesome music classes my first semester. Music Theory 1, Ear Training, private marimba lessons, Book of Mormon 1, Steel Drum band, English 201 and Swimming. I loved all my classes and the new environment I was in! Hawaii is legally part of the United States, but it felt like a completely different world! Everyone was so relaxed, always so kind to each other, treated strangers like family... Writing about it now is making me really miss the love of Hawaii.
There is so, so much I could write about, but if I write everything I will never stop writing. I'll write about my favorite classes for now, and I may come back and add stuff later if I feel like it. My favorite class first semester was Steel Drum. I got really frustrated the first few weeks because I couldn't figure out where the darn notes were - they're not in order like other percussion instruments, they're in the circle of fifths scattered around the drum. My first two classes I wanted to just give up. Then, something magical happened, and I started getting good - really good. By the end of the 6 semesters I spent at BYUH, I was almost better at steel drum than I was marimba. I miss it like crazy, and I've even started considering, if I wanted to and could convince a school to let me, I would absolutely LOVE running my own steel drum band.
Another class I fell in love with was Orchestration. I took this one kind of on blind faith because my theory teacher at the time, Dr. Bradshaw, said he recommended every music major to take it. At first it was so hard. We had to learn about all the instruments in the winds, strings, percussion, and other random families. Being a percussionist and a violinist, winds and brass were really challenging, especially the transposing part. I was probably the most frustrated I've ever been doing the homework for that class, which was usually taking a two line piece and orchestrating it for a small ensemble. But then, once I started really getting it, it was my favorite class! The midterm was orchestrating a beautiful piano piece for a symphony orchestra, and I was really proud of how mine sounded. And I loved the final, which was orchestrating the same piece 3 different ways. Sometimes I still go back and have the computer play back to me what I wrote. I often wish I still had something requiring me to do that again because it's hard to fit it in when it's just for fun.
The last class I think I have time to write about is Percussion Methods. Going into this class I though I knew quite a bit, at least a little more than the non-percussionists in the class... I was wrong. Dr. Duerden opened my eyes to just how much I had left to learn about the instruments I was majoring in. From snare drum to cuica to triangle to tambourine, I learned so much in just one semester. My favorite part of that class was when we had to teach the class an arrangement for a keyboard ensemble for 10 minutes. I remembered playing Fields of Gold by Sting in the Rugare Marimba Ensemble, so I just taught that one and it sounded sweet! Dr. D was also really impressed, which made it even more fun.
I really miss the college life, the people I met, learning from such incredible professors... Like I said I could write about BYUH all day long, but let's leave it at this: I loved college!
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