Practical Ear Training (Final Exam)

 Date for Entry: (Thursday 15th December, 2016)

Actual Date of Online Entry: (Monday 15th November, 2021)

Dear Diary,

    This is the subject that should have been called General Musicianship III but it was fine. Everything in the course was related to the other two General Musicianship classes I had from the previous two semesters. 

    Funny thing first, three big questions almost made me ball out in "French words" in that exam. I mean, why would you give us three huge questions about things we did not do in class? Why? It's like I’m going to have to sing the pennywise advertisement song singing, “Why, Why to tell me why!” Lolz!

    In the end, I took my bag and then I went out by the car to meet dad. This would be the last time I stepped foot in the schoolyard until the next academic year for my final Certificate Course. It feels scary a bit to see the horizon line in front of me but let’s hope it bring good things. It was also the last time I see my friend Adam since he’s leaving us to go to Berkley College of Music.

 

Link(s):

1. Practical Ear Training (Final Exam) - Receipt. 

 

Daryl Zion M. Ali

General Musicianship 3 (Final Exam)

 Date for Entry: (Monday 12th December 2016)

Actual Date of Online Entry: (Monday 15th November, 2021)

Dear Diary

    Today I had my examination for General Musicianship III. I really did not find the name suitable because it was not doing the usual stuff. I found that the subject name deceived me in particular looking at the courses previously completed. The exam went well. I went to school at twelve and then waited a while for the examiner to call us into Studio four. It took me the full two hours to complete the paper. In the end, I felt a big relief that it was all done and over but hoped to get a really good grade even though I did not study a bit for it.

    One other part about the day to smile on and remember was that when one of the invigilators was passing around to see if we had everything on our exam receipts, she looked at mine and said, “Wow, that’s quite a nice signature" and then she moves on to the others. I smiled and laughed out with Kayla who was sitting on my right. 

[UPDATE] 

    There was another class where a few more quotes of wisdom were shared but kept with me for this journal from Mrs. Neaves. They will remain with me as I wish a limited copy of a score she was handing out was not in my possession.

• “Sometimes people say things just to hurt you. It isn’t meant to wish you well."

• “You could dream big but the extent you can reach as in the requiem performance, it is all about becoming who you are.”

• “Never talk about the sexuality of another or yourself in public. Even in the place of immensity be it age, race, religion, etc. It is something that you shouldn’t talk about.”

• Once you're a musician, you are a teacher all the time. Even if you are a soloist. If your guidance is not working, find a new method. For example, teaching a fish to climb a tree.”

Link(s):

1. General Musicianship 3 (Final Exam) - Receipt.
2. Harmony Decorations Handout.

 

Daryl Zion M. Ali

Do You Hear what I Hear?

 Date for Entry: (Unknown/Forgotten)

[December 2016]

Actual Date of Online Entry: (Monday 15th November, 2021)

Dear Diary, 

    Today I got to Church at nine in the morning after church for pan class. During Practice, Mr. Sharma gave me a copy of the “Do you Hear What I Hear” score he gave me to work on. 

    Last Wednesday he took my attempt at the steelpan arrangement to make some corrections and also to see what he came within my score so he said that it would be like an arrangement that we both worked on. 

    To get the score in my hands, it looked nice. The band tried it out for the first few measures and then I took it home the full score to show Mama and them when I got back to Curepe.

 

Link(s):

1. "Do You Hear What I Hear" (Lead Score) - Internet Download.

 

Daryl Zion M. Ali

Dream Teacher Profession in Life

Date for Entry: (Wednesday 9th November, 2016)

Actual Date of Online Entry: (Monday 15th November, 2021)

Dear Diary,

    This afternoon was the last class for my “Introduction to Music Education” and today I had to dress up as a teacher and got to class in preparation to teach my whole class as part of the coursework. This will be the final assessment for the whole course (100% exam) since there is no written end of the examination. Mrs. Joseph teamed us up in groups of two and three. I was teamed up with Samantha and our assigned topic to teach that day was Key Signatures.

    I made some notes on a flashcard to remember what I had to do but in terms of fright and forgetting, I just went with the flow and see what needed to be said as we were taking turns and also, I just decided at the time during teaching to speak my mind in a friendlier way. It was like a conversation between teacher and student and I try to make things fun.

    During one part of my several turns, I spoke about the use of key signature as punctuation like driving a car on the road, where one car driver decides to go driving on the right-hand side. My friend Adam in the back said “Boom” while the others in the class had finished their laughter from that. I took that as a smile in my mind and said loudly, “Yes! Boom!” The whole class laughed out again. When they finished I said, “And you can also have Bam too!” Miss Joseph laughed out and said “Oh My God!”

    Another point where I made the class laugh out again was when There was this extremely long chat that I did with Samatha’s assistance on Monday at two in the evening, we met at school to decide on what charts we had to do since it all had to show that we were poor and had to do everything ourselves. So, when we had to put up this long chart, Natasha came and helped us put on Masking tape we borrowed from Kayla on the back and then it was an old kind so we used our one instead. As they put it put on the wall, I took the marked part of my hands and hit the whiteboard side to make it stick properly. The class laughed out so loudly again and I hit another chart to go on the wall.  

    In closing, we had to give them a definition that Samantha held up and I read aloud for the class. I helped her carry our posters back to our seats so the next group could go on. It was way past seven o'clock when the entire class had finished. I then took a quick run to the toilet and on my way and I saw Mr. Murry and Mr. Sharma talking by the door talking. Mr. Murray looked at me with a big smile watching my clothes. He told me he liked the tie.

    Before class finished, I managed to save some of the handouts and evaluation sheets that they had created as part of their presentation as well. The other groups are mentioned on the following sheets along with the name of the topic they were given to teach.  

 

Link(s):

1. Lesson Plan.
2. Handouts from other Groups.
3. Picture of Posters made for the Presentation. [NOT SAVED]

 

Daryl Zion M. Ali

Criterion makes a Picky Mess.

Date for Entry: (Thursday 3rd November, 2016)

Actual Date of Online Entry: (Monday 15th November, 2021)

Dear Diary,

    Today after my “Introduction to Music Education” class I got back my homework. It was not something I was proud of when I got back the results of the marks I got. I made sure to let Aunty Annmarie look it over when I emailed her the night before it was due. She said she didn’t know much about the music aspect but it was still worth a try and there was an appreciated note she showed me in return.  

 

Link(s):

1. Rubric Assignment.

Daryl Zion M. Ali

Music Certificate (Year 1; Semester 2): Exam Results

 Date for Entry: (Unknown/Forgotten)

[2016]

Actual Date of Online Entry: (Wednesday 15th September, 2021)

Dear Diary,

    On this day I received my grades and felt so glad to see that the courses were passed. I was grateful. Musicology and Introduction to World music was a really tough experience to go through. Even not knowing how to arrange a piece of music and attempting to do it, I was still glad that it was workable and 'acceptable' to some unknown level. 

    For the Musicology class, I was not able to source a photograph of the large scroll I made (6 rows by 2 columns). This course was awarded an 'ultimate project' as I call it. The project is awarded to the most difficult course of the semester and all of the content is simplified to the best that I can in preparation for final exams and study throughout the semester. 

    The 'ultimate project' can be created in various forms such as a 'UWI' textbook that was recreated (their compilation books), a textbook created from scratch as the Introduction to World music textbook, or some form of chart marking. I don't think my classmates for Musicology were appreciative of it but I was glad to take the chance of making something that had aided me in my studies. I also Thank Mrs Nicholas for allowing me the opportunity to share it on that final day of the class.

 

Link(s):

1. Grade Details (Music Certificate - Year 1; Semester 2).

Daryl Zion M. Ali

"Jesus Loves the Little Children"

 Date for Entry: (Unknown/Forgotten)

[2016; Sunday]

Actual Date of Online Entry: (Wednesday 24th November, 2021)

Dear Diary, 

Today after service Mr. Sharma came with a new piece of music to teach the Sunday School children on the pan. He gave me a copy of the full score and then I took it home. I really wanted to write the date on it but I had to forget it since I didn’t want it to get messed up.

Daryl Zion M. Ali

Friendship and Fun VS. Work and Experience

 Date for Entry: (Sunday 5th June, 2016)

Actual Date of Online Entry: (Wednesday 22nd September, 2021)

 Dear Diary,

    Today the Youth group had planned to do a nice field trip down to the southern parts of Trinidad and then travel to other places. It was something I wanted to go with them since we haven’t had a meeting for three months straight. The occasion was also like a decision pending for Hillview Gradation that I chose to miss out and go to my UWI classes. Unfortunately, I had to say no and not go because they were going right after church.

    I told them no because I had Sunday school pan to teach with Mr. Sharma and I was a bit glad I didn’t go anyways. The water was gone and I was still feeling sick from yesterday with the weak feeling. I was happy to play the double seconds and double tenor today as well. It was nice but I liked the double tenor more.

    In the ending, I got back the corrections for the arrangement "Jesus Loves Me" that Mr. Sharma wanted me to do as the next piece for the ensemble to start learning. It needed some simple set of corrections for it to stand out well on its own. Even though it was simple, there was soooooooo much stuff to correct that I did not feel confident in myself. I just told myself, "Ignore all ah dem thing, Nah boy. Dai is jess how it is now. Yuh guh grow and learn from it somehow."

 

Link(s):

1. "Jesus Love Me" (Steelpan) corrections - First Attempt.

 

Daryl Zion M. Ali

World Music (Final) Exam

Date for Entry: (Friday 6th May, 2016)

Actual Date of Online Entry: (Thursday 16th September, 2021)

 Dear Diary,

    Today was my Introduction to World Music final exam. It was only this past week that I put together the scratch created textbook before. It was done on legal-size sheets of paper and I only sold three copies. I knew it would have been a very good idea because with all of those numbers of e-mails that Mrs. Neaves sent to us in class and then the problems that could happen such as a student could be missing one, or the file can’t open, it can’t be seen in their inbox or they misplaced their printed handouts from the lectures.

    Upon reaching school, I walked into the yard and then Justin called me out. He was sitting in with Kern in Kern's red car going over some notes. While they talked to me and went through some of the questions I showed them the book and they laughed out with big smiles. Then I went over to show my other friend Brian. It was now getting closer to exam time and I still felt as if I did not study enough.

    In the exam, I took my time and wrote out the answers that came to mind. I was glad that I did the research for the book because a good section in the essay part I did with Brazil’s music history would have used the majority of that personal research.

    At the end of the examination, most of the students were at the end of the corridor outside of Mr. Murry’s office. They were talking about the exam and then most of them were surprised when I told them that I wrote on eight pages of the Answer booklet when most of them used five and four. I was glad to get back the question paper for the entry of this journal entry.

(UPDATE) 

    Music theory continued as the expected procedure. The rhythm clapping and Solfege singing was done on the last day of class. Only the written listening and written theory were done during the scheduled date for this exam. 

 

Link(s):

1. World Music Final Exam - Question Paper & Candidate's Receipt.
2. Certificate Exam Timetable - Yr1 Sem2.
3. General Musicianship 2 - Final Assessment Objectives.

 

Daryl Zion M. Ali