Update!

The test went pretty well yesterday. The most difficult thing about tests like this is the big unknown factor. One thing you can do to prepare is try to think up potential questions about music you listen to. A tone poem comes on the radio: what's the history of the tone poem? What stylistic elements are specific to this piece? Describe the career and other compositional output of this composer. Etc, etc. Anyway, bad news or good news first? Bad news: the one genre I didn't review the night before the test (of course I'd studied it for the past several months...among many, many other genres) was the one I had to write about. The motet between 1300-1600. I also had to write about Italian-language opera from 1730-1850 and compare the careers and compositions of Schoenberg and Stravinsky. The listening examples were ok. So there were no softball questions (or sports questions of any sorts, haha), but I did much better than last time, so that's the good news. (Oh, did I just publicly announce that this was my second attempt at this test? Oops. Oh well, most of you know that anyway, and if you are tsk-tsking me, you're not a friend!)

The next step is the oral component on Monday, where I'll have a chance to add things I forgot to mention in the written part. I'm not a very good test taker, as I've always had a hard time memorizing details. So over the weekend I'll be looking at those details...in detail? (My brain is mushy right now, sorry.) There's also a score-i.d., which I'm generally pretty good at. 2:00-4:00pm on Monday, so keep those good thoughts coming.

Oh, by the way: I walked to the school at 7:40am, the soft sunshine beaming through the Autumn leaves. :)