NYC Immersion Reflection
Andy Steffen
Who would
ever think that a trip can change a person so much? I have to admit that I thought that what I
was calling a trip/vacation was going to be a trip that had some to no affect
on me. My thoughts and beliefs about what I wanted
to do with my life were and had been set in stone, in my mind.
I knew that I would go to graduate school or teach when I graduated from
UW-Eau Claire and that would be it. Super simple,
cut and dry, right to the point. Little did I know that New York
City would have such an immense impact on my thoughts, actions, beliefs, and
disposition.
The trip and
experience was wonderful. I learned so much from visiting
and exploring the city. I thought that I was able to
function on my own quite well. I was an independent individual
while still being a part of the team. One thing that
made itself very apparent in the city was the amount of independence everyone
operates on. There are so many people living in New York
City that when it comes down to it, the only person that you can really depend
on is you. Taking responsibility for yourself and
holding yourself accountable was something that I strengthened on this trip.
Sticking to your word, following through, and being accountable for you
actions/words are some of the most important things to do as a professional.
The overall
experience of the music community I thought was great.
Coming from Eau Claire where music is huge and greatly supported made me
excited to experience a larger and greater musical city.
Seeing many professional performances and talking to the performers and
their journey to where they were was so eye opening and inspiring.
I have always considered and thought about pursuing a professional music
career and seeing people (normal people) do it and be successful makes me
confident in my ability to do the same. It has
increased my desire to work harder and set myself apart from others because I
have that determination and motivation.
I think that
one of the most surprising things for me was not just the “shock” of the city
and how different a lifestyle it is from the Midwest.
I had expected that NYC would be different but I also didn’t expect it
to be so easy to acclimate to. I had expected that I would stick
out and look like I didn’t belong. Eventually, I
realized that if I carried myself and began to embody what I thought a New York
native I would blend in and fit the culture. It helped me
to realize that I could totally live there and not be concerned about my safety.
That was another one of my big surprises, realizing that I could
completely see myself living in a big city. There was so
much to get lost and immersed in that I could be entertained and busy all the
time, which would be nothing new for me.
In terms of
diversity, I found myself being shocked with myself.
In one of the ES courses on campus we talk a lot about racism, culture/ethnicity,
and stereotypes and how we can dismantle them in our minds and not perpetuate
those negative thoughts, actions, and beliefs.
So, coming to New York, I was confident in my ability to not hold
stereotypes true and keep my mind open and free of judgment.
There were a ton of things that we each saw and experienced that challenged
us. For me, I was completely challenged by the
different cultural epicenters. When Jordyn, Kelly and I went to
Harlem to meet David for a coaching, it was the first time I had ever been
completely surrounded by a Hispanic community like that.
I have been to Spanish speaking countries like Mexico and Guatemala but
there that’s all the culture is and going to a place within America that
embodies that lifestyle so much was different.
I was also
taken by the gay community in NYC. I knew before
we went that I would be in one of the few states in the U.S. that performs and recognizes gay marriage and I was
interested to see what that climate would be like.
It excited me to see two men and two women fearlessly walking down the
street hand in hand. And while these sorts of actions
can be done in Eau Claire, its reception is not always as warm and
well-received as it should be. Even though Eau Claire’s LGBTQA
community is strong, the climate is less than conducive to public displays of
semi-affection.
In terms of
answering my question (personal and professional) I would say that I only made
things more complicated for myself. While at first
it seems like it isn’t good, since the trip I’ve been reflecting on my
experience and have realized the good in this.
Going into the trip, I was wondering whether or not I wanted to go to
graduate school for composition, choral conducting or teach in the public
schools. This trip was going to help me figure out
what I want to do and whether or not I have to choose to narrow my focus in
life. After meeting with people like Jim Bassi,
conductor, composer, pianist, and vocalist, I have come to realize I don’t have
to narrow my focus. That was exciting news to hear and it made me
excited that I didn’t have to give up anything that I’ve been doing so far in
my undergraduate career. The only thing is that since then
it made things a little more overwhelming because now I have to figure out how
to keep all of these facets of my life active and involved.
One thing that I am most grateful for from my interview with Jim were
the critiques and advice on my compositions. While most
people would just thumb through and give general comments, Jim went through
each piece with great detail and commented on my harmonic progression, voice
leading, and overall compositional style. He gave great
suggestions and advice about how to improve my writing and take it to the next
level. One of the ways that has helped the most is
using blank manuscript paper. Writing has become ten times
easier as a result and when I want to change something I can just start on a
new line. The lack of erasing helps with pulling new
ideas and developing different sketches through time.
Since the
realization from Jim I’ve also been considering two other facet: vocal coaching
and collaborative piano. Since our group meeting with
David Sytowski, vocal coach in NYC originally from Milwaukee, I have been
considering pursuing a career or training in this field.
As someone who accompanies and has accompanied many voice students over
the past four years at college, I have seen lots of techniques and approaches,
played a wide variety or repertoire, and have worked with lots varying levels
of singers. It feels like something that is completely
within my element and personality.
The second
thing that I have been considering since the trip has been a degree in
collaborative piano. As someone who spends a great
deal of time behind the keyboard for others it makes sense.
As much as I dislike it at times, I really do enjoy playing piano and
accompanying people. Being able to do it better and
work with all types of musicians would be a great skill to acquire and perfect.
As someone who will graduate with a bachelors in Music Education I feel
as if my people skills are great, but working with musicians can be difficult
at times. Then again, people are people and that’s
something I’ve learned as a result of the trip, too.
If we regard everyone on the same level as us it makes networking and
building relationships that much easier and better.
Because of
all of these new thoughts and potential career paths I’ve been overwhelmed
about what I should do. If I’ve learned anything about
that though is that I can do whatever I want. I just have to
seize the opportunities as they come. I can’t be
afraid to put myself out there for people to see.
As a result, I’m going to continue to do what I do best: work hard.
I feel as if my hard work and motivation have provided and enabled me to
do so many of the things I’ve done already. So long as I
keep a level head I feel as if I will be able to accomplish many of the things
I want in my life.
I think in
order to make sure I get to this point I need to keep reminding myself why I
love doing the things I do. I know that
this year was a struggle for me to enjoy what I love the most: choir. This year was a huge struggle trying to
remember why I love singing in choir.
Looking ahead, I need to keep in my mind and heart the reasons why I
enjoy music. If I want to stay as busy
as I want to be with different areas, I need to make sure I am remembering the
reasons I enjoy music and continuously seek it in my life.
The entirety
of the immersion trip has been truly life changing. It has made a goal and ream seem more
tangible and obtainable. For me, I’m a
person who really likes to plan ahead and the fact that I’m not really thinking
too far in the future about my career after my undergrad is a little anxiety
inducing, yet I’m okay with it. I know
that everything in the end will work out.
New York as taught me to be flexible with my life. Things change and your ability to adapt and
handle it is essential to surviving and making it in the industry. I think that I can and have begun to learn
how to do that successfully.
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