Well, the school year is winding down.

(Note: winding down in college-speak means: “I’ve-never-had-so-much-work-to-do-in-all-my-life-and-I-don’t-know-when-I’m-going-to-get-it-all-done” Just FYI.)

But, finals and exams and essays for me means making final decisions about college for the majority of you, so, I’ve compiled a small list of why Furman is a great choice:

1. Campus is beautiful, and I’m not just saying that, we’re actually ranked as one of the most beautiful campuses in the country.
2. Undergraduate Research: I challenge you to go to a larger school and ask how many undergraduates do original research. Trust me, it’s going to be less than the number here.
3. Music lessons and performing ensembles are open to both non-majors and majors. Plus, they are all top-notch (need proof? Check out the music department’s website)
4. We one of the best dining services – seriously, I’ve never had a truly awful meal.
5. You will be able to meet influential people on this campus – Dr. Shi is always available to the students
6. You can serve the Greenville community
7. Speaking of, Greenville is a great place – tons of good restaurants and plenty of stuff to do on the weekends
8. If you can’t find a major that suits you, you can always create an ICP (Individualized Curriculum Program)
9. We have some of the best pre-professional programs in the nation. Our pre-med program has acceptance rates that are consistently twice the national average and our pre-law program has 100% placement following graduation
10. Have I mentioned how beautiful campus is?

I hope that you all have an amazing summer (the summer before you start college is one of the best!) And I hope to see you all on campus next fall!

If you’ve received any literature from Furman, chances are, you’ve seen the word “engaged” somewhere on it.

And by somewhere, I, of course, mean plastered all over.

Maybe you have heard of Engaged Learning touted on a campus tour, but what is it really? Well, last Friday, we saw engaged learning on display all over campus.

Officially, engaged learning is taking the lessons learned in the classroom and applying them to the real world through research, internships, and so on. I know that it sounds like typical college-speak, but Furman really does make a conscious effort to make students participants in the learning process, not just passive learners.

On Friday, classes were cancelled (woot!) and the entire day was devoted to putting the research, talents, and experiences of students on display. Thus was Furman Engaged!

Literally the entire day was filled with presentations and performances. Here are the ones that I went to (and trust me, there were a LOT more)

The Venetus A - the chicken scratch that you see along the margins has never been translated. Until now.
9:00 – Classics: Translating the Venetus A. My seminar professor, Dr. Blackwell and his Greek students are busily translating the commentary on the Venetus A manuscript. In case you don’t know, the Venetus A is the oldest existing copy of the Iliad, and the commentary along its margins has never been translated. Cool.

10:30 – Modern Languages and Literatures: Theater and Poetry Live! Recitations in Modern Foreign Languages. The Spanish department presented several reading of Spanish sonnets from the Medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque periods of Spanish literature. Next up, the French department presented a dramatic reading of scenes from La Cantatrice Chauve (The Bald Soprano), a French absurdist comedy. ‘Twas hilarious. Finally, the German Department presented Aschenputtel (Cinderella). Except, this was the Grimm’s Fairy Tale version, which is not quite the same as the Disney version. (Read: more gore) I’ve got to say: I like it better this way.

Lunch – Furman University International Student’s Association’s International Food Fest. Our international students prepared food from their homes. I got a plate piled high with Indian, Ghanaian, Caribbean, Italian, and several others that I can’t remember. Needless to say, it was delicious.

And free.

12:45 – Chemistry - Student Research Presentations. Being the science nerd that I am, I found the presentations of student research really interesting. If you don’t know, Furman has one of the best Chemistry departments in the nation and the research that these students are doing is on par with research that is done by graduate students at other universities.

2:10 – Music and Physics - Song to the Moon. With the renovation of the Science complex, Furman now has it’s own planetarium. So, the Percussion Ensemble teamed up with the Physics department to present Dvorak’s “Song to the Moon (Mesicku na nebi hiubokem)” underneath the moon. This place is so cool.

As I said, this list doesn’t even come close to enumerating all of the cool things that were going.

Turns out “Engaged Learning” isn’t just rhetoric, it’s reality.

Here is one of the many perks of college: You don’t have to wait until Easter for Spring Break.

And boy, was I ready for it! All of my professors scheduled midterms the week (actually, the day) before break started, so Friday afternoon was one big sigh of relief. One of the nice things about having exams before the break was that I didn’t have any real work to do.

I don’t know about you, but I absolutely HATE having to do schoolwork over a break.

So what did I do with myself over nine glorious days of freedom? Well, I actually wasn’t that free. As I have mentioned before, I am in the Furman Singers, and we always take spring break to tour.

So, I spent my break singing.

Which, although it may not sound like it, was more fun than I would have had sitting at home. We traveled all over the southeast, through North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida.
Just one of the many churches at which we sang.
I have never been on the road so much in my life.

But on the upside, I have mastered the art of sleeping on cramped, loud charter buses. Now there’s a life skill.

In all seriousness, though, tour really was a lot of fun. We all became very close to each other, (who couldn’t, when trapped on a bus for two seven hour bus drives within 24 hours of each other?) and, as cheesy as it sounds, I grew on tour.

Living with 80 people on a bus will teach you a lot about adapting and compromising, and there is nothing like going home with a family that you have never met to hone your small-talk skills. As a singer, you learn when to push yourself, and when to relax a little. As a musician, you learn the real beauty of your art, which is touching people through sound. As a Furman student, you learn how much this school means to those who have come before - alumni came and sang with us every night. And you learn what amazing opportunities this school affords you – not every school would be willing to finance a tour for their choir.

I spent my spring break with Furman, and I have to say…

…I kind of like her…

…a lot.

For some of you, this weekend marks an important point in your college application process.

Music Auditions.

(Cue Jaws theme)

I was in your position last year, and let me tell you, I was a nervous wreck. But I promise that you have nothing to worry about. The music faculty is amazing and they really want you to do your best. So, just relax! Everything is going to work out fine.

And tonight, you get to witness “An American Experience”!

What a thrill! What excitement!

So, I might be exaggerating a little bit, but it is going to be a lot of fun. Mostly because I get to whoop and holler through pretty much the entire last half of the concert. (Yes, I do get excited about being able to make a fool of myself) The Furman Symphony Orchestra is joining forces with the Furman Singers to bring you a program of music in the “Americana tradition”.

So expect to hear plenty of folk songs like “O! Susannah” and “Shenandoah” as well as patriotic songs like “America the Beautiful”.

You’re welcome to whoop and holler along, if you would like. I’m not going to judge you. But word to the wise: whooping and hollering during “America the Beautiful” is generally frowned upon. So proceed with caution.

P.S. You can see me in the smack-dab middle of the floor during “What Wondrous Love”.

Feel free to wave.

An American Experience....but I can't promise that you will see animatronic presidents at our program. Image from http://wdw2.wdpromedia.com/media/wdw_nextgen/CoreCatalog/WaltDisneyWorld/en_US/Media/InternetMediaType/Attraction/HallOfPresidents/HALLPRES_1_998.jpg

So, I have a bit of a confession to make: I am a music nerd.

You can, then, imagine my joy and wonder at learning that Furman hosts a church music conference. As part of the conference, several guest clinicians came and hundreds of choir directors descended upon Furman’s campus.

On Thursday, the Furman Singers rehearsed with Dr. Eric Nelson, who directs the choirs at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia as well as the Atlanta Sacred Chorale. Let me just say that he is one of the most infectiously passionate and enthusiastic people that I have ever had the privilege of meeting. The rest of Thursday and Friday were filled with clinics on topics ranging from singing on pitch to choral accompaniment.

The conference culminated in a concert in the Chapel by the Atlanta Sacred Chorale. First of all, if you haven’t been in the Chapel, next time you come to campus, please go. It is one of the most beautiful buildings on campus and home to Dr. Tompkins’, Furman’s organ professor, baby: The Hartness Organ.

Now, I realize that organ music might not be your thing, and I totally understand, but the Hartness is absolutely amazing. The range is so extensive that the lowest and highest notes are more feelings than sounds. And the inside of the organ is a maze of different rods connecting the manuals (keyboards) to different pipes. But my favorite part is the Zimbelstern – little bells that play when their stop is engaged.

But I digress. The Atlanta Sacred Chorale sang an amazing concert with one of my favorite songs and a few others that will become favorites. The Chapel is a wonderful space acoustically that only amplified the already wonderful voices of the Chorale.

It was sublime.

On a (semi) related note, please do not be afraid to walk around campus on your own to explore. Campus tours are great for hitting the high points, but there is so much more to campus than a tour could possibly cover in the time allotted. So, if you want to go exploring, feel free!