A Conglomeration

I don’t want to talk about politics. I can’t wait until the election is over. That takes care of that notification.

I think I’m only applying to NYU. I’m too tired to apply to a bunch of schools that I really don’t want to go to. I know very specifically what I want to do. So, either I get in there and go to school there or I don’t get in and I stay here and teach. If I don’t get in then I’ll think about reapplying next fall.

If I don’t go to PhD school I have lots of options. I can stay here in Houston and work and teach at a variety of things. I can teach privately, at public schools, or at a community college. Or I can go back and write grants again. That was kind of fun. I also might look in to moving to San Antonio. As, I have friends there and it’s closer to family. The same teaching options are open, although they now include UTSA as well.

Let’s see, let me get this out of the way too. Yes, I am stressed out. I have a lot on my plate right now. Class, papers, grad applications (now down to just one), as well as trying to manage everything else in my life. So, I’m a little stressed. Please, don’t tell me not to be stressed. Or that I shouldn’t be stressed. It doesn’t help. Actually, it kind of pisses me off. I’ve worked very hard to be at this place and have the right to be stressed out right now.

And the final thing: I really wish people wouldn’t do two things: talk politics with a mixed group and bash other denominations. About the politics: you never have any way of knowing that everyone with you agrees with you. Your friends could be voting completely differently than you. Respect that and don’t resort to the common techniques by both sides of insisting that the other is going to ruin the country. It doesn’t make you look smart and informed. Just prejudiced and maybe a little bit radical. About the church thing: I’ve never gotten this. I was raised to believe that all Christian church denominations have good eggs and bad ones. That in every denomination you have Christians and you have non-Christians. You have God-fearing people and you have people just searching. None of them are perfect. And that’s okay, because Christ didn’t come to call the perfect. But, when we, as Christians, bash other Christians and their denominations, we just cause hard feelings. There are good reasons that both subjects are traditionally considered taboo.

~The Countess~

PhD

I’ve decided to go for it. So far I’m going to apply to three programs here in the states.

New York University – PhD Ethnomusicology

~ The cool thing about this degree is that NYU has an Irish-American studies degree as well. So, I’ll be focusing on Irish-American folk music for this degree. This is the place that I want to go the most. I’m just really excited about the program, the opportunities. It’s one of the few places in the country where I could get a degree focusing on Irish-American folk music.

University of Memphis – PhD Musicology – Southern Regional Studies

~ I applied here for my masters and got in but they didn’t offer to pay for anything. That will have to change if they want me to come for a PhD. I’m not planning on paying for any more degrees. The Southern Regional Studies part would allow me to focus on American folk music. (Can you see the trend?)

Duke University – PhD Musicology

~Duke is somewhere I have wanted to go for a long time. Theyr program fits what I want to do the least, but, it’s an amazing program. They do have faculty there who have focused on American vertacular music from the Civil War period and I would love to study that with them.

So, my overall theme is to study American folk music in some form or another. I’m still looking for more schools, but, this is a start.

~The Countess~