Meeting Karen Kolder

Date for Entry: (Monday 30th October 2017)

Actual Date of Online Entry: (Tuesday 18th January 2022)

Dear Diary,

    Today as soon as I got into Daaga Auditorium for my Academic Writing class, the entire place was empty. I was very surprised because the class was supposed to begin in a few more minutes. A girl came into the auditorium and told us after some time that the class was canceled when she checked her MyElearning. I sat there for some time and then soon I met a friend coming in the same way.

    I saw Karen from the Indian Classical group coming down the stairs to meet me. We were not friends yet. She waved out to me so I knew she was waiting for me to see her and sit with her during class. We spoke a little about her situation with a girl from the same class who was walking in and improper questions were asked to Karen and then other conversations took on from there. The last one was about the mid-term exam we had last Monday and she expressed how surprised she was that I got out of the difficult Taan and I was a new student now joining the ensemble. 

    Out time must have been the entire duration of the canceled class. She had offered to buy me lunch at Subway and we had a walk along with UWI Main Campus. That was when I was introduced to John and another boy doing the Music degree at DCFA. John told us that for the Academic Writing course we had to pass both coursework and the final exam to pass the entire course. That really made me nervous. 

    He then told us that there would be a second English course to be done in the second semester. The way how the entire first year was already, I felt like dropping out. I learned that I was not the only one with this feeling. After being with the persons, Kareen took me back to a car park behind Daaga to wait for daddy to come to pick me up. She said that she had her tutorial later that evening and then she would go up to school for her class.

    For Indian classical Mr. Maharaj played us some classical songs but this time it was from Southern India where the music is different and then I learned that there are over one hundred languages there in India. We began to do the third song this time and it was good. I had to work out the Indian Solfeg that Mr. Maharaj sang for me and then play it back on the pan and then show Esha it on the next Tenor pan.

    In another set of work with it, I heard from my recording that in the “Raag Sohini” there will have to be more corrections and now the music just might be over half of a page and then the second piece we started to do would have more changes again in the “Ek Ajnabi,” which is really not good with a new addition and edit every week but the practice for me in scoring is still very good on the other hand.

    After the practice for the class was over, I had to wait a while outside because sir had to give Eshay make-up her makeup assessment from a few weeks ago. I had to wait for her to finish because I wanted to ask sir to write down the name of the new piece we were learning. She also asked me to borrow my score when she had to do it as well. While waiting there were the six of us outside and then the two Brandons spoke to me. The one from my class and then the one from the Certificate.

    When Eshay was over she came out of the classroom and handed me the score I lend her. Then when everyone else walked out into the field the fired and fluffy green grass I went inside and then asked Mr. Maharaj if he could write out the name of the song on the piece of paper that we were doing. He took the sheet of paper I had in my hand and he wrote it out as I slide it into my blue folder, he said, “So Daryl. Yuh see how dem usin’ yuh notes?” I too knew that the music I transcribed, it was to good use.  

    One of the quotations I could have gotten from him which was “Music is a generational thing where you make your friends in a musical purpose and grow with them.” It looked true because from the video all of the musicians looked around the same age and it was still a men group. We also looked at another one with Asha Boshle as she sang with an orchestra behind her.   

 

 Daryl Zion M. Ali 

A Struggle, A Quest & 3 Elderly Meetings

 Date for Entry: (Thursday 26th October 2017)

Actual Date of Online Entry: (Tuesday 18th January 2022)

Dear Diary,

    Today I went in early to UWI’s Main Campus for my Writing for Academic Purpose Tutorials. We had to submit our second group assessment. Everyone in the group had to pick a subtopic from what we agreed on in the Sentence outline. I really did put a lot into it and I could still feel as if it was not very good at all. I took a seat and then was worrying if I should write a handmade cover page although all the information they wanted was right there on the sheet itself. I just submitted it there with the others from my group and filled out a short form on the envelope the teacher made us fill out. I heard the lecturer say to the other three in the group I knew I did not do it well.

    We continued with class and then today we were looking at a new essay type. It dealt with similarities and differences in a given topic. We spent a good time finding the vocabulary required for that particular type of essay and the practice of doing a thesis statement was done. Soon the class was over and then when I got to ask the teacher if my sentence was good she said that she could not understand it because she did not have her glasses to see properly so she asked me to follow her to her office. She unlocked the door, turned on the lights and then went in. I took a seat there and then she told me that she finds that I was having too many problems in class and then she suggested that I could go to a place classed the Student’s life and development and ask them to assess me to see if I can get some help concerning my course.

    She made a call to a lady that she wanted me to go then and meet. She gave me some directions and then I went off to find the security guard. I found one but it was not one for the security guards within SPEC to help me get to the building. It was near the large opened field and along the back roads UWI near the southern parking area. He took me to a building and then I thanked him for getting me there. As I for the entrance after a group of security men was there liming outside they told me where to go and as I got in I saw two ladies there. They were the ones expecting to see me and then they took me inside to a dining room to fill out a form.

    When some time went by a lady with a sheet over hear heard like a Muslim lady came and sat by me. That was Ms. Worm. She went through the forms and then she helped me fill in information I did not understand what they were asking for. When she asked me which kind of assistance I would like to get from them I asked about the types of assistance they provide and she sent me back some flyers they had for me to see and then we soon got into the talking part. Most of the information we spoke about was confidential and it was mostly about the information in my schooling activities and personal emotions from on the form such as loneliness, stress and anger and the list went on. She also gave me tips on trying to being brave and walking with authority. It felt good when we stood up and tried it.

    Lunchtime was coming so Ms. Worm took me to their conference room in the back of the main office area and we continued to the chat. On my way there with Ms. Wbeorm, a nice lady in pink stopped me and then I realized it was Aunty Alicia from in the back of us in Tunapuna. When we were talking about school subjects I showed her my timetable and then when she looked at my Transcript it was not showing up anything on the paper for this semester so it was then she told me that something was going wrong with it. As she also looked at the timetable from my blue timetable, she told me that I should not have to be doing all of these courses for one semester because it was just too much. I agree but then I had to explain to her about Performance Music which is split into three totally different classes and then the other four classes which are cut into two classes each. She took it to make a copy of it and then.  

    When the time was wrapping up I spoke to dad on the phone when I went out of the building and told him that I would come to meet him outside the Library drive-in. Ms. Worm was sent immediately to the Administration building but I know that Dad wouldn’t be able to hardhearted me and understand all that I had to tell him so the only thing to do was to meet him and then tell him where I had to go. He drove me to the Administration and then I went to the Bursary section to see if there was any hold of anything wrong and then the lady at the counter. When she told me this I walked back to Ms. Worm which was two streets away and let her know what was happening. I was getting worried because Ms. Worm said that by Monday they were cutting people off the system if they had to go through all these problems. 

    There was a Graduation that finished some time now so now I had a but fear to find again which was crossing the road in the middle of traffic. This is something I did not like to do at all but I had to if I was going to exactly let Ms. Worm know what was happening. When I went in, she told me to wait outside and then after she came off the phone, she introduced me to a guy in a wheelchair who was graduating with his master and he the piece of advice he could tell me was, “No matter how hard the sacrifice is, just keeping going and you’ll get it nicely in the end.” I did appreciate that very much. Ms. Worm said she will make an appointment for me to see a Dr. Jackline and then she will send me the date and time. I told aunty Alicia goodbye and then the Doctor lady was right there next to her.

    I went back to the front of the Administration building and then called dad to find out when he was. When he asked me if I was done in UWI I said yes but then I told him I had to go home immediately to go to Curepe to get to E-mail my work to someone in the group so they could submit it online. It took me a long time to get the computer running although I told the girl that I would be in a meeting and that I could try to send it to her by one o’clock.

    Finally, the email was sent and then I felt like a long and hard part of the day was over. Then I had to go to my very long History class later and take notes that were very long. I made sure to take note of all the things I could get from the slides on the PowerPoint that Mrs. Ramlal had up.

Link(s): 

1. English for Academic Purposes Assignment.
2. Student Support Brochures.

 

Daryl Zion M. Ali

Intermediate Assessment & Music Theory Office Hours

 Date for Entry: (Wednesday 25th October 2017)

Actual Date of Online Entry: (Tuesday 18th January 2022)

Dear Diary,

    Today I went to my nice school with a cross-chain around my neck that I bought from PAX at Mount Saint Benedict. I took out a Tenor pan from the school’s storeroom as soon as I got inside of the Pan Theatre and ran through my pieces once more because today was our assessment for the Intermediate Steel Ensemble. I did not have a class with Sharma this morning because he had to cancel it and we decided to do the makeup on Friday at ten o'clock. Me, Kayla and Chekia started off to practice and then we invited the others inside to join the song with us if they wanted. Soon Mr. Manette came into class and then he told us that the examination was out of thirty points. 

    I was third to do my assessment. We had a choice of doing it in groups or solos. For me, I did my assessment alone because usually, Chekia wanted me to do the assessment with her. I felt good to come out of the room feeling successful. I came out waiting and then when the group after me came out. I asked sir to take my bags to go and visit Mrs. Ramlal for her office hours. It was time that I went to ask her for some help in my Music Theory and to get to understand it better.

    I took my purple briefcase with me up inside the new building which was carrying my nice and newly photocopied Music Theory Textbook. She was happy to see me bringing in my textbook in the briefcase so that it did not get damaged and she then laughed out and showed me her book. When I told her what kind of help I needed she took out a sheet of manuscript paper from her book and we worked through the three different types of primary triads in the second inversion (the three types of six-fours), after going through first  inversion triads and the figured bass for them verbally. When I told her about the process I first do she told me to forget ninety percent of that and that I was giving myself too much work. 

    It felt like a really long time working with Mrs. Ramlal. I knew it was over an hour in there because when I came back out and went to Studio four, Mrs. Neaves class for Aural Training was about to start. There was about half an hour to forty minutes remaining. Some of the important points I collected from Mrs. Neaves today were:

 

Ø  The whole tone system is one that you must learn to hold the tension even how dissonant it may be (Page 8).

 

Ø  The heart always goes into the rhythm of whatever you are doing. (Page 21, exercise 37).

 

Ø  As a singer, you sight-read and sing at the same time but at the same time, they are both different. It is a skill (Page 26, Exercise 51-60).

 

v Sight-Reading – Instrument

v Sight-Singing – Pitch & Rhythm.

 

Ø   Music is always flowing. It does not stop. It's either you’re on the bus or not (page 31, Exercise 7).

Link(s): 

1. Manuscript page from Office Hour Meeting.**

 

Daryl Zion M. Ali

Western Music History 1 - (TEXTBOOK)

 Date for Entry: (Wednesday 18th October 2017)

Actual Date of Online Entry: (Tuesday 18th January 2022)

Dear Diary,

    Tonight, I have finished a milestone of my goal for this semester which is to make and compile information for a Western History Textbook. All together Mrs. Ramlal gave us two PowerPoint Presentation Documents on the MyElearning site from UWI and it had the things we had to learn for our course. It focused more on the Medieval Period (the Middle Ages). It felt so good.

    At the beginning of making these notes into a Microsoft Document from the information of the Internet, I decided to make a special sheet like a lottery slip or like one of those multiple-choice sheets that you might get in an exam and make it easier for me to see which slides I had completed already and then have that accompanied by another sheet which lists the topics of the various slides. This was really helpful seeing that the topics were mixed up all over the place in the PowerPoint Presentation file.

    The only thing that I regret not doing is getting the idea to do this from the start of the semester. Seeing that I got this idea late the work will be a lot and also when it comes to putting in references and credits to people for their work in the book this takes a good deal of time to sit down and do but I know I will get it over with very soon. Plus, I have to get the slides for the Renaissance Era and the Classical Eras to do also and the time is just so little each week to do them.

(UPDATE)

    It was somewhere in the Christmas vacation that this textbook for the course was completed. An estimated time of completion would be around the third day after boxing day.

 

Link(s): 

1. Checklist for PowerPoint Slides.** [By Request Only.]
2. Western History Textbook - DAPHA Projects 2017.**

 

Daryl Zion M. Ali

Mount Saint Benedict Visit - Western History 1 (Paper)

 Date for Entry: (Tuesday 3rd October 2017)

Actual Date of Online Entry: (Tuesday 18th January 2022)

Dear Diary,

    This morning daddy and I went up to Mount Saint Benedict in the car to find the Library. I had on my long track pants in case they had a dress code in effect just as how the Gate office operates. I went through about eight books looking for research for my paper which I had to write this week to hand up for Mrs. Ramlal’s Western History class. In all, we spent a whole long time here of about six hours from nine in the morning to three in the afternoon.

    When I was done, I had to hurry down the mountain and go to school immediately without lunch. I did not even have breakfast that morning but as usual, when that happens I was happy and fine. The nice girl in the office was able to help me and at first, it was a little time she took to help me find the books with the relevant information since their books did not have music things about the church music I was looking for.

    In the back of this journal entry will be the pages of information from the books which I was able to get photocopied. When the girl came back after an hour from copying the pages daddy and I was shocked when we found out the price for the copies so both of us paid a piece of the cost and we covered it for sixty-seven dollars. I also bought a cross-chain as I wanted something for around my neck instead of the heavy Steelpan necklace I made for the panorama season. 

The links below provide copies of documents used for the research paper.

 

Link(s):

1. "Introduction to Christian Worship" By James F. White.** 
2. "The Liturgical Environment: What the Documents Say" By Mark G. Boyer.** 
3. "A Brief History of Christian Worship" By James F. White.**
4. "Handbook for Liturgical Studies" Volume 3 By Anscar J. Chupungco.** 
5. "The Hymns of the Breviary and Missal".**

(UPDATE) 

Friday 27th October 2017.

    Today before Music Theory began, Mrs. Ramlal had some more of her History papers to return to us. Finally, she came back with mine. I was really excited to see the mark and at the same time, I was feeling nervous because I did not want to get a low mark. This past week she said that every time she decided to mark some of the papers, the internet decided to go or that her computer wanted to give her trouble. For me, I could seriously relate to that whenever I am in the presence of a laptop and had to use it.

    As I looked at the paper from the Student’s Accountability statement on the top of the paper, I still admired the signature at the top and that was nice. I could still remember when I took a picture of this same first page of the Accountability statement on Instagram and my friend Megan replied a comment that said, “Take in that big signature nah” that felt good reading it and then another teddy bear feller wrote something nice too. It did not mark his name on Instagram but I saw one of his pictures.   

 

Link(s): 

1. Western Music History 1 - Research Paper.

Daryl Zion M. Ali