March 12, 2008
Milestone
Sooo...my current chapter just passed 50 pages! And isn't nearly done...
Combined with my first chapter, it means that my dissertation has passed 100 pages.
If I can get 200 solid pages (+ appendices + interviews + bibliography, etc.), I would be a very happy camper.
That means I'm about at the halfway point. Or maybe a teensy bit past!!
Posted by Tim and Jo at 01:32 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
February 11, 2008
Our favorite tax deductions
Tim: Taxes DONE! Joanna did them all. Not only that, she found some deductions which we could have done as credits on our last three tax returns. So we churned out three 1040X forms and are expecting even more $$$ from Uncle Sam. These refunds will allow Joanna to spend (hopefully) another year at home with kids without having to work.
Joanna was in the ZONE. The research skills she acquired doing her dissertation paid off in more ways than one! The twins helped us as well, as you can see by the photograph. Definitely, our two favorite tax deductions.
Posted by Tim and Jo at 02:41 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
January 26, 2008
A fresh start
This afternoon, Tim babysat the kids while I worked on my dissertation. This is my first real venture into it since the kids were born. It's time to put the academic hat back on, too. The twins are sleeping at more regular intervals during the day, and I have a few spare moments that could be put to use. I'm also learning to multitask nearly 24/7, so maybe I can incorporate dissertation research into it. Maybe listening to music while the kids are calm? Reading while feeding?* Anyways, Tim has volunteered to watch them on a regular basis during the evenings and Saturdays so I can get some serious research done.
It helps, too, that he works at the library and can pick up some books or make a photocopy on his breaks for me.
Project of the day: a complete overhaul and reorganization of my research materials.
Rather than four disorganized files, I now have four organized file boxes:
1) non-dissertation stuff (teaching materials, unrelated classwork)
2) Oversized dissertation materials (scores, etc.)
3) General materials and research from past chapters
4) Research for current chapters (organized by general information, and then by individual composers.
(I'm starting to feel like Tim)
Now it looks clean and colorful (thanks to bright folders and a sharpie) and surprisingly appealing! Hopefully it will inspire me to use my bits and pieces of time wisely. And I'll try to blog about it to keep myself accountable (feel free to write nice comments to encourage me to keep at it, LOL!).
*it can be done thanks to this amazing pillow!
Posted by Tim and Jo at 05:01 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
September 24, 2007
Real research!
Last Monday, I did some real research like a real grad student! I found that Emory University about an hour and a half away had several of the very old hymnals that I needed to see for my dissertation. They have an incredible British and American hymnal collection--over 16,000 volumes!
Tim took part of the day off to come with me, and I spent a couple of hours poring over old shape-note hymnals from the 1830s and 1860s. It was rather awe-inspiring, touching the first edition of the Southern Harmony (1835), and wondering about its provenance--whether it had been carried to the frontier by some itinerant preacher, or had been treasured by a local family.
The librarian was incredibly helpful, and even made photocopies of some of the hymns. I *heart* librarians. I would never have gotten this far in my research if it weren't for librarians who have gone out of their way to help me get the information that I need.
So, hopefully this last big research field trip (at least for awhile!) will inspire me to keep plugging away over the next few weeks.
My current goals? Maybe posting it up here will help keep me on track
1) Finish revising the chapter that's had me tearing my hair out for months. I finally found the way I need to restructure it, it's just mainly a process of revising the chapter to fit the new structure, doing more in-depth analysis, and creating musical examples to illustrate the analysis
2) Have the materials together enough for the next chapter and putting-the-dissertation-all-together steps (introduction, conclusion, appendices) that I can do most of my work at home after the babies are born
3) Getting materials and process organized enough that I can break down the process into small chunks (15 minute tasks, 1 hour tasks, half-day tasks) after the babies reorganize my world.
Posted by Tim and Jo at 11:09 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
November 03, 2006
A rare feeling
Words are sweet this morning and yield themselves to my plucking fingers.
Hope it continues!
Posted by Tim and Jo at 12:46 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
October 17, 2006
bewilderment
So…here’s what I’ve been thinking about lately. The 1970s. Scandals. American identity. Confusion. Bicentennial. Public history. Social history. A new emphasis on individualism and personal history (the "me" generation). The idealization of the past. The idealization of the south and rural life. A return to tonality. And how these all come together in the form of two pieces written during the early 1970s that use shape-note hymns.
I just can’t figure out how to pull it all together into a coherent chapter.
I feel like I'm fumbling through different kinds of history and historical writing, wishing I had a better grasp on methods of historiography.
Posted by Tim and Jo at 07:15 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
October 13, 2006
Why grad school is like home-schooling
...I've done some of my best work in my PJs.
Posted by Tim and Jo at 09:35 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
October 04, 2006
conference paper
I'm giving a paper at a regional conference this weekend, based on part of my first dissertation chapter. And I'm in the middle of a horrible bout of notascholaritis--the jitters you get thinking about standing in front of a bunch of very smart people hoping that what you say is considered worthwhile and valid. And hoping that you and your arguments don't get shredded by said bunch of very smart people.
Sigh.
Posted by Tim and Jo at 07:10 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
August 22, 2006
Great dissertation (or other big papers) tips
Phew, after helping with a conference for a good part of the summer, it's time to get back into dissertation mode. Feeling a bit rusty, but I managed to get a couple of small tasks done today (identifying and labeling hymns within a symphonic work, reading a bit more of Let Us Now Praise Famous Men).
I just stumbled on some great dissertation advice here. Hopefully I can put it to good use.
Posted by Tim and Jo at 11:28 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
July 20, 2006
new documentary
Oooo! It looks like there's a fascinating new documentary coming out about shape-note singing. The recordings on the website are gorgeous. Can't wait till the film is available.
Posted by Tim and Jo at 02:05 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
June 19, 2006
Terrific writing tips
I just did a quick search for "writer's block" and "Ph.D." and found a couple of great links.
This one is brilliant! I think it's the music theorist in me that likes to see processes broken down into individual pieces, labeled, and analyzed. The advice here seems especially helpful, not just for the "stuck" stage, but also for the "I have a bunch of stuff written out, it looks like gobbletygook, and what do I do now?" stage. The way the post discusses "transition signals" (similarly, as a result, in conclusion, etc.) as ways of pacing your writing reminds me of tempo markings in a composition.
An old post from New Kid on the Hallway on writer's block has some great tips as well.
Posted by Tim and Jo at 01:53 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
June 15, 2006
Decadal Immersion, or How to Justify Watching Mary Tyler Moore as Serious Research
Part of my dissertation process has been trying to immerse myself in the particular decade I'm studying. It's a fun approach. I had a professor teach use about 19th century Russian music by having us write a book report on a Russian novel of the period, write weekly journals on whatever we had been thinking about in relationship to the class, listening to a cassette of his grandmother recalling her girlhood experience in Russia during the Bolshevik revolution, and other cross-disciplinary activities.
It was years ago, but the class is still vivid in my mind. Once you "feel" the culture, it's so much easier to understand the music. That's a mushy way of describing what was an incredibly profound experience.
Back to my dissertation: I already immersed myself in the 1930s (New Deal here we come!) and the 1950s (no, the decade was not like Leave it to Beaver episodes), and now I'm into the 1970s. Vietnam, Nixon and wonky Bicentennial celebrations (more on those later). And the Mary Tyler Moore show, thanks to Netflix. Never really watched it before, except for a random Nick at Night while babysitting as a teenager. It's really hilarious. And the clothes...wow! Just a quote from one of the books I've been reading, that's quite applicable,
The sexual and synthetic revolutions combined forces to produce some of the ugliest and most outrageous clothes ever seen.
--The Seventies: From Hot Pants to Hot Tubs by Andrew J. Edelstein and Kevin McDonough
Posted by Tim and Jo at 04:31 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
May 26, 2006
Getting Back on Track
I had a funky insight today as I was driving home from library work and dinner with Tim before his night class. I can write my dissertation like a blog! Not meaning that I can be as informal in the dissertation as I can be in the blog, but that when I write on the blog (or in our not-high-tech chronicles), I feel like I have a story I'm trying to communicate. Now despite the fact that I use more formal/academic language in my dissertation, the main point is that there is a story that needs to be told, and I want to tell it.
I'm hoping my new insight will help keep my dissertation from being too dry! Someday, I would love to be one of those scholarly writers who's beauty of prose keeps readers fascinated and engaged with the material at hand. Maybe this will help my find My Voice!
When I got home, I wrote out two pages (still rough) introducing my current chapter. I've been trying to find some direction (a story to tell!) and I think I've finally found it. Actually, there are several stories to tell, but I think that I have found a way to weave together the narrative threads.
I've also been interviewing--through e-mail a couple of real composers. One of the composers has shared his life experience as it relates to shape-note hymns. I've been in a happy sort of glow most of the day. It's a nice not-an-ivory-tower feeling to engage with an interesting person, who's kindly shared his life with me. And now I have the opportunity to help tell his story through my dissertation.
Meanwhile, I'm going to do a bit of searching and try to find out how other scholars have successfully incorporated interviews into their dissertation or other research.
And a last little dissertating bit New Kid on the Hallway blogged about a fun writing resource--you can make word count goals, analyze your writing style, or even just generate a random word for inspiration.
Posted by Tim and Jo at 01:00 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
February 20, 2006
dissertating again
It's time for me to start contacting (*gasp*) real live famous composers. Maybe I'll start tomorrow. I feel a little intimidated. I had an awkward experience at a conference last year when I was just starting to define my dissertation. I set up a meeting with an important scholar who knows a lot about my topic (but again, I was just starting to formulate my topic in my head). I thought I had some clear questions for her, but when I actually met with her, I came up with some lame, vague question. I don't know if it was that lame, but the way she responded made me feel like a bumbling novice. *sigh* I don't want to be a lame scholar.
I'm also trying to find ways to get more experience teaching. I've been TAing music appreciation for the past 3 years, and I really want to sink my teeth into teaching and designing my own class. If my grant applications don't pan out for next year, there's a chance I can teach as adjunct faculty since I'm ABD. Or at least find some other way (any creative ideas?) to get teaching experience.
Posted by Tim and Jo at 10:42 AM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
February 13, 2006
dissertation blah
Urgh.
Last semester I had to stay focused to get a chapter done to try to get a scholarship for next year to try not to have to try to find a job next year. Great incentive!
This semester, I haven't quite found my groove (and midterms are next week-we're nearly half-way through the semester already). Some of it has been slow ILL stuff, some of it has just been general un-focus. I got a book in just now, which I thought was going to be Alice Parker's entire Singer's Glen opera, but it turns out to be just the chorus parts, just with piano. The full score, apparently, is only available for rental for performance (and costs $200!). I'm not quite sure how I'm going to get around that.
It's probably time to get in touch with Alice Parker directly, but I'm a little nervous. I want to sound professional, with polished research and nicely worded questions for her, not over-eager and studentish. I also haven't had much experience with interviewing people for academic projects. There must be a book or something out there with tips. I don't know if I should e-mail her and ask for a phone interview, or ask her questions over e-mail, or ask if I could visit her in New England.
Now I'm thinking about working on John Adams's chamber work Gnarly Buttons.
http://www.earbox.com/frames-html/low-frames.html
The first movement uses a shape-note hymn (apparently transforming it, using jazz and bluegrass styles as the movement progresses, both styles hugely loaded with "Americanist" implications). Same problem though--piano and clarinet reduction is available, but not (apparently) the full score.
C'est tout!
Posted by Tim and Jo at 11:22 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
January 31, 2006
Alice Parker
Joanna: The next composer I'm studying is Alice Parker. I knew her back from Covenant days, from singing her arrangements of shape-note hymns in chorale. Back then, I knew very little (until my class in hymnology) about shape-note hymns. Her arrangements were incredibly haunting. "What Wondrous Love is This" and "Hark I Hear the Harps Eternal" reduced me to tears more than once.
Amazing things I've discovered about her in the past few days:
*She studied composition as an undergraduate, but rejected the atonal (dissonant and difficult) aesthetic of her time (very gutsy!). Instead, she got a master's degree in choral conducting, and then began arranging tunes for Robert Shaw. Then she derived her own musical language (modal and contrapuntal) from her experience in arranging folk music and hymns, wanting to use a musical language that could be instantly comprehensible to many people. She says that her job isn't to "fit into" the twentieth-century (or into any century!), but to write what she hears as authentically as possible. I feel very inspired by her choice: as a composer, I've struggled with the aesthetics of complexity, atonality, and experimentation that are often idealized in the university system (one professor used to tell me to use the "three v's" more in my music: violence, volume, and velocity). It just isn't me ! I've been in a compositional slump for a couple of years now, but now she's inspired me to find some alternate ways of expressing myself through composition.
*She didn't see raising childred as a detriment to her career, but as an opportunity to fine-tune her craft through work on smaller projects.
*She has an incredible approach to hymnody: by studying the historical context of the hymns and understanding the multitudinous styles found in ordinary hymnals, people can get away from bland singing styles. For example, she teaches people to bring out the fluidity of chant based hymns, while emphasizing the dance basis of many folk hymns.
*She wrote several operas, including Singer's Glen, a historical reenactment of a shape-note tunebook compiler's life (the opera I'll focus on in this chapter). Music to tell the history of music, very cool!
*She's 80 years old and still active traveling and teaching seminars on hymnody!
Posted by Tim and Jo at 01:30 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
Ramblings
Joanna: I've started on my second chapter of my dissertation. I'm discovering that there's an ebb and flow in the dissertation process that helps keep it interesting (at least so far!). There are the stressful "I have to meet a deadline" or "I have so many revisions I don't even know where to start" or "I'm so completely stuck that maybe I should just throw everything out so far and start over times."
But there are also the reading and research and "I just discovered something new" or "I just made a connection between several ideas that illuminates many other things I've observed" or "I just got in touch with someone who got in touch with someone else who's mother knew this composer's best friend, and is able to give me an obscure piece of information I couldn't find anywhere else" (really happened!) times as well. I'm in the reading/research process at the moment, for my second chapter.
In a nut-shell, my dissertation examines the ways that 20th century American composers have reused American folk hymns in their "classical" music, specifically a kind known as shape-note hymns http://www.fasola.org
Within the historical context of the new compositions, the hymns become cultural symbols (nationalism, regionalism, pluralism, historical recreation, etc.).
Posted by Tim and Jo at 01:20 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack