The Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

Merry Christmas, everyone!

Just lounging at Grandpa & Grandma's house reflecting on the last semester (3.5 months) of my life. Wow, a lot has changed!

"Life is a process of becoming, a combination of states we have to go through. Where people fail is that they wish to elect a state and remain in it."
- Anais Nin

Change is a good thing. It means growth; prosperity.

Go through life with God taking control and you will ultimately be brought happiness!

I know this, because in these last few months, God has truly blessed me. My life has literally been turned around from days on end of depression, sadness, and turmoil into utter and complete happiness and joy. My faith has been restored. I have met amazing people who have helped me through a lot of things, and the future has a way of arriving unannounced =)

I'll let you into a little pocket of my life - approximately a week and a half ago I was in tears (again) lying in my bed. My best friend and roommate at college, Jade, had just left for back home to L.A., and my other roommate was moving out of our room. Which meant I still had three days in Boston where I'd be pretty much alone because all my other friends were going home that day.

(I know...boo-hoo...but I was down in the dumps.)

I had been having a tough last month because George and I finally severed all ties, and ended our one-year relationship. Which while it is a very good thing and it needed to be done, you can't help but feel sad about the whole situation and how things got so screwed up. But he was a previous chapter in my life - someone who helped me grow up and realize the qualities I didn't want in a person. I was finally ready to start a new chapter in my life. And my, was it going to be exciting! I was determined to be happy again - with myself, with Berklee, and with my life.

That Wednesday after Jade left, I called my mom:

(Sobbing...) "Mom, I don't know what I'm going to do these next few days. Jaaaade left...she was my best friend... I'm really going to miss her! My other friend couldn't meet with me today. Now all I have are a bunch of finals and those are no fun. And I'm supposed to go sing at this thing tonight, my R&B styles lab teacher sent us an email saying we had to come."

"Jourdan, things are going to be alright. Go to this thing tonight - I'm sure you'll have fun. I love you and can't wait to see you on Saturday. Try to have a good night, okay?"

"Alright. Thanks. Love you too. Bye."

So after that, laying in my bed, I decided to pray again. I had been doing this a lot lately, and I have really been trying to get back into my faith with God. I hadn't yet found a church in Boston, and I really wanted to. I didn't care what type of Christian church it was - only that I could surround myself with other worshipers and believers in Christ.

Okay, God. I'm going to put my life in Your hands. You know I've been going through a tough time lately...please send someone in my life to make me happy again. I want to start over - my future is full of possibilities! Please, Lord, help these three days go by a little fast so I'm not so lonely. Amen.

I fell asleep, not setting an alarm. Something (or Someone =P) woke me up right at 7:25 - five minutes before the jam session started. Ehhhh...I thought. Do I really have to go to this? YES, Someone answered.

So I hopped up out of bed, picked one of my favorite holiday songs - "Merry Christmas, Baby" - a jazzy, bluesy, fun song to sing, and went downstairs.

When I entered room B16, it was not what I had expected. There was a table of food, and lots of people! I had expected only the kids in my class - but this was over twenty people. My teacher saw me, smiled, and announced, "You're gonna sing tonight!" I blushed, and nodded sure. There was a full band of kids, and we all started singing great oldies together. Kids took turns at the microphone, and it was fun dancing around and being a background singer. I didn't really recognize anyone there, but I felt the love. These were nice people.

Then it was my time to sing. I handed out my song to the band, and they started the groove. It was rockin'!!! I was really happy, and just let go. Something about that performance made it perfect. I wasn't really trying, yet it sounded great. I had a really fun time, and after I was done, everybody clapped.

I sat down, feeling accomplished, and started eating some chips. That's when I saw him - what was his name again? Oh yeah...Josh! I had met him once a couple months ago in my dorm - he had come in with some other guys wanting to check out my Dream Theater merch on my wall and meet me. He was standing there hopping around, playing bass. I remember at that moment, watching him with the biggest smile on his face, Wow...this is what Berklee is all about. People playing because they LOVE it. He really has the passion and love for his instrument. That's awesome.

Afterward, I saw Josh again and told him he did a great job. He smiled, and said thanks. "I really like your dress," he said.

I smiled, "Thanks." Then I remembered why I was here in the first place. To meet new people and start that new chapter in my life.
"Hey...if you want to hang out later, I'm in room 613. My roommates all left, so I've been a little lonely with no friends to talk to."
"Sure, sounds cool."
"Okay great. Well I'll see you around!"

I left, and headed up to my room. To tell you the truth, I kinda forgot about what I had told him. Josh was a really cool guy - he knew everybody and was really nice - so I thought he was probably just being polite he said he'd maybe stop by.

Hanging in my room, my neighbor Tom stopped by to say hi and we were chatting. T.S. was also there with a couple of her friends, and they started talking about Josh. "He's that cute Puerto Rican boy!" said one of them. "Yeah...mmm." said another. I was surprised - even they knew him! Wow, maybe he had just texted them telling them he would stop by to say hi. It would be funny for him to see that it was my room, too.

All of a sudden, there's a knock at the door. "JOSH!!!" they all yelled when he came in. I smiled and said "Hey", Tom also introduced himself. I was confused as to whether Josh had come to hang out with me or with those girls.

He had two bottles of water in his hands. "Hey...is anybody thirsty?" he asked, "I have an extra water." One of T.S.'s friends snatched it up and said "Thanks". I was going to say I had wanted it since I had just sang, but I didn't want to interrupt. I could tell that those girls liked him.

After that, Tom left, and I invited Josh over to my side of the room to check out my new songs that I had written on GarageBand. He smiled and told me he really liked them, and even helped me mix them. The girls left, and Josh and I got to talking. It turns out he's actually from PERU, not Puerto Rico (lol)...and he's a Libra. Haha. We compared Libra with Gemini and every astrology page on the internet told us that we were the perfect fit - soulmates, actually. We looked at each other awkwardly, and laughed. What's going on?

We ended up spending the entire night up together, talking about our lives and what our goals were in life. Turns out, we both want to open a music school for underpriveleged kids when we get older, so that any child - no matter what their social or monetary background - can get an equal musical education. He's also very Christian, and has great morals and values. He told me about a church he goes to here in Boston, and said he would be more than delighted to bring me to a service when we got back. Both of us were also very familiar with worship songs, and were singing them together all night. =) We found out we had a lot more in common than we thought!

Josh also told me that he wasn't the committing type. He had never had a serious girlfriend, and he was really afraid of ever getting one.

The night went on (to early morning), and we were still just hanging in my room. We have a deeper connection, I can feel it, I thought. I asked him what he thought, and he said, "I can definitely feel a connection between us. I don't know what it is...I've never felt this before."

I knew that he wasn't into commitment, so I didn't want to push anything. He kept telling me that he didn't know the first thing about relationships, and didn't know how to be a good boyfriend. I said, "Just forget about it then...whatever", and we walked to Tedeschi's together (this was now 4am).

In the store, he asked me what I thought about PDA in public. I said, "Well, if you're comfortable and you like someone, I don't see the problem with a little peck or holding hands." He then looked me in the eyes, and asked, "Does it go a little something like this?" ...then he kissed me!

It was the sweetest thing ever. From there on, we hung out those last three days...it was amazing (more details later!). When it was time for his bus to leave for New York, I was really sad to see him go. He kissed me and told me that he'd be thinking and dreaming about me the whole time and he couldn't wait until we'd be back again. Ever since then, we've been talking on the phone and texting non-stop. He finally asked me out, and we changed our "statuses" together on Facebook!!! It was so cute, and I know it was a big step for him. I'm so proud of you, Josh!

There is no remedy for love but to love more.

I'm finally happy again. I have a new outlook on life. God has come through to show me His true power time and time again, always answering my prayers or teaching me an important lesson in some way.

I'm so excited for what's to come next!!!

"People grow through experience if they meet life honestly and courageously. This is how character is built."
- Eleanor Roosevelt

New Music!

Can be found at my music myspace!

Okay, so sorry about not posting lately, but if you knew what happened, you'd understand. Basically, my last post (that doesn't show up on here...the 10 things I've learned...) was SUPER-LONG and I put so much thought into it and everything. THEN it got deleted. I don't know how or why, but like 4 pages of typing got totally deleted so I was really angry and never have posted something else for fear of it deleting.

Anyyyway, I think I'm over it now. Still having fun at Berklee...a lot has changed! Classes are finally getting a little tougher! And I have a job! More soon. xoxo

Listen to my song, and let me know what you think!

-jourdanjustine

10 Things I've Learned So Far...

48 degrees out here.

I don't care if my fingers are numb while I'm typing this outside on Mass. Ave curving around the Berklee building. I'M IN LINE TO GET TICKETS TO AN EXCLUSIVE CLINIC WITH JOHN MAYER!!!!!


Booya.
Hell, I'm from Minnesota. The cold doesn't bother me one bit =P


p.s. Here's a picture of my awesome music bedding =]

You're going to have to Change...

Watch this: Someone found out how Cris Angel (the master magician who levitates between buildings) levitates. This is crazy!



What do you think??

On another note...my apple jacks are back today! Yay, I was so happy I almost ate two bowls.

I'm also officially in the Berklee Chamber Choir (we had tryouts and everything)...and they put me as a Soprano I!!! Whaa? Okay...I'm gonna have fun hittin' those high notes.

Breaking up sucks. I'm pretty sure that this time its it...you have to trust your significant other with your life, or the relationship won't last.

Christmas is coming soon...

...and I love these rain/snow boots!

(I would need a size large/9 and you can get them here)

Hehe =]


Oh c'mon aren't they cute?

P.S. MY APPLE JACKS STILL AREN'T BACK YET!!!

Yea & Nay @ Berklee

So...I'm going to "rate" and describe all the classes I'm currently taking for two reasons:
1. It's a good way for you guys to experience a week in my life here.
2. I'm extremely bored.

I just finished my classes today, and don't have anything else planned today. It's been raining hard all day long, and it's just plain icky outside. So - inside I stay!

Here we go (hopefully some of my teachers don't read this!), and I'll post some pictures along the way, too =]...

Private Lesson - Duane Moody
Mondays @ 2:00pm
Don't know how this one is yet, because I haven't had a lesson with him. He's been in Germany singing in an opera for the past three weeks. But like his surname, I think that may be his character, based on the emails I've received from him. Here's an exerpt:

"Hello everyone: This message is not for everyone.... What are we waiting for people, a personal invitation? As if you haven't gotten one already. Sign up for your make up lessons TODAY!!! Stop waiting 'til the last minute to do things. And when you do sign up for your make up lessons, please sign up as I requested you to. I have noticed that some of my Monday students have signed up for 3 seperate half hour lessons. I specifically said for my Monday students to sign up for a complete hour and a seperate half hour, and I informed my Tuesday and Wednesday students to sign up for a complete hour. Why are folk signing up for two seperate half hour lessons? I do not wish to think that I have students who can't follow direction. Use the brain you have and if you don't understand, ASK questions. I gave you all my personal numbers and personal e-mails. NO excuses.

You know what I'm going to say, right? KEEP PRACTICING YOUR BREATHING EXERCISES. I know all of you have not been doing this, but trust me, doing those breathing exercises will only help to elongate your career, i.e., the 40 year plan as compared to the 5 year plan. Also, learn as much music as you possibly can and have the songs prepared for me to hear them so we can decide if these songs are right for your vocal instrument. DON'T JUST WORK ON YOUR POP/R&B/GOSPEL, ETC. MUSIC!!! Go to the traditional vocal rep books in English that are on the reserve in the library. Try to sing the melodies of these songs. If you are not good at reading music, then listen to recordings of this music. BERKLEE IS NOT THE ONLY LIBRARY IN BOSTON PEOPLE. I am not interested in charts, I work on your instrument, but if you wish to chart out a song for me to overview it and to see if it is correct, DO IT. Even if you don't feel like it, DO IT anyway. Take initiative, be assertive and aggressive. TIME WAITS FOR NO ONE!!! Learn that lesson QUICKLY!! In other words, don't waste your time in the first two weeks of class thinking about what you should bring to your first lesson. Also, check the voice department handbook and see what Vaccaii or Concone lessons you should prepare for your semester proficiency and LEARN IT. I did not say memorize it, I said learn it.

You all are adults, I don't think I need to hold your hand to help you figure out what you need to have prepared for your proficiencies. If you think my e-mails are too long and drawn out, get over it, I type fast so I can type more than the average person. And the main reason why I type so much, is because I need to explain myself fully, so that I cover my own ass. It's what adults do. LEARN IT!!! See you all in your lesson times. Peace and much love. Mr. Moody"

Daaang. He sounds partially hilarious, though. I think I'll like him =]

My friend Dann and I

Rhythm Section Grooves for Voice - Paul Pampinella
Mondays @ 9:00am
This class is okay. It's definitely not my favorite, but I'm learning new things in it so that's good. Basically, each week we bring in a handwritten lead sheet (which are chords, the beats in each measure, key, lyrics, etc. and main melody line to give to the band so they can play it for you). You also count off the band and cut them off at the end when you're done performing your song for the rest of the class.

It's really good practice for performing in front of an audience, too, because there are about 7 kids in the class and you know they're all judging you. =P
And Paul gives good criticism on our lead sheets and critique - so then we learn to fix it and next week we can do better. He's the kind of teacher who's really blunt, however, so a lot of people don't like him. Yeah, he's not the "bubbly" type, but he's good at his job: teaching. Surprisingly, when I sang last week and I finished, he said, "Great! I have nothing else to say...good job." (Everybody stared in awe as I sat down, lol).

"Pimp Tom" - haha don't ask!

Performance Skills/Background Singer - Janice Pendarvis
Mondays @ 6:30pm
Why hello, my least favorite class! Or should I say dreadfully hated. Basically, Janice is not good at her job. She supposedly flies in on a plane every Monday to teach us and always has an excuse about how her plane arrived late and she couldn't get our stuff copied to hand out and she always has a mess of papers. And to top it all off, she babbles on about nothing, and hasn't teached us a thing. In the class we're supposed to be singing three-part harmony (like backup singers), and she is STILL working on putting us in groups! How hard can this be, people? And last Monday she spent the entire hour focusing on one kid and how he can't match pitch and she was working with him the whole hour. I've concluded that if you live far enough away where you have to take a PLANE to get there, you should NOT be teaching there. Period.

At the "Baw-stuhn Haw-bah" with Mom, Tay, and Grams!

Ear Training I - Kaye Kelly
Mondays/Wednesdays/Fridays @ 3:10pm
Okay, after the worst is over comes one of the best! I love ear training! It really does depend on the teacher if you enjoy a class or not. If you don't enjoy the subject and the teacher doesn't teach it well, you don't want to learn. Even if it's a subject you don't particularly like, but the teacher's great, you end up loving the class! (More examples about that later).

Anyway, in ear training we basically study solfege (do, re, mi, fa, sol, etc...), and therefore learn to sight-sing songs using that technique. We develop our "ear", and learn to hear intervals, different notes, and the tonal quality of them all. We also practice dictation - which is writing down on staff paper what we hear. All we normally get before we start is the key and the number of measures. I personally think it's pretty easy, because I've grown up doing this all my life with choirs and AP Music Theory in high school, but some kids really struggle with it. Everyone in that class is really fun, though, and Kaye is an awesome teacher. By the second day she knew all of our names, and really takes the time and patience to make sure everybody understands what we're learning.

My class is advanced, so we move through the chapters pretty quick. We're already at sight-singing and dictating 16th notes, which are crazy quick.

Kaye is also a singer/songwriter herself - you can check her myspace out here and her webpage here.

Shopping in the city with Jade & Dann

Writing Skills - David Zoffer
Tuesdays/Thursdays @ 9:10am
Eh. Not much to say about this class but that it's my second-least-favorite. The teacher is always late, and he's dressed like he JUST got out of bed - not combing his scraggly hair with a pre-mature balding head...definitely never shaving...and his clothes are of pajama-type material. Even though the class is early, even I try to look my best! And I'm the student!

Fashions aside, David Zoffer assumes we know how to write notes, legatos, all the phrasings and markings, etc. already and moved promptly onto bass and drum notation the first day. Since then, he's given us assignments that we don't know how to do, and doesn't explain it well. He also has the handwriting of a 4-year-old...NOT even kidding! It's really that bad. Just to write out a measure of music takes him about 6 erasures to get it looking not-quite-decent. He can play piano though, I'll give him that.

Standing in the Frog Pond in the Boston Common (it turns into an ice rink in the winter!) =]

History of Art 2 - Ross Bresler
Tuesdays @ 10:10am/Thursdays @ 2:10pm
Ross is absolutely AMAZING! This class ties for my favorite along with Harmony. The way he teaches makes you really want to learn about art. This is my biggest class - with about 30 kids in this large room - and there's a humongous overhead in the front where he displays slides of the paintings we're studying (right now we're in 1400 Italy and 1500 Flemish) and talks about them with passion and ferver. He can be so hilarious - talking to himself (yet at the same time giving us a lecture), swearing at the paintings or the artists for doing certain things, etc. Basically, he puts on an act for us every day on his "stage". It's really fun, and I really have started to look at art in a different way now. We take a trip to the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston every other week too =]

More friends!

R&B Styles Lab - Larry Watson
Wednesdays @ 11:10am
Except for the first day, when Larry went on a rant about how black people are born more musically talented than white people and started all types of music - which white people just copied off of (note that this class is full of 5 white female students, including me)...he's been an okay teacher.

The class is really fun, and every week we prepare a gospel/r&b piece that has to be memorized, and then we bring sheet music for the (cute) accompianist to play. It's really laid back and relaxed, and last week I sang "Love Finds Its Own Way" by Gladys Knight and the Pips. He told me it was a great choice of song, and next week we all have to come back with a Gladys Knight or Dionne Warwick song.

Nadia, Jade, and I about to embark on a quest for kettlecorn!

Harmony I - Omar Thomas
Wednesdays/Fridays @ 2:10pm
I think I've raved and ranted about this class enough already, but I'll add a little more. My favorite class EVER, Harmony with Omar Thomas is a great learning experience for me. I now look at music in a totally different way than before!!! This is so much fun...discovering all there is to music and all it has to offer - there's just sooo much more out there than just the melody, harmony, and words we hear on the radio.

I cannot believe all there is to discover with just a simple song. Triads and chords now mean a LOT in the whole scheme of things. I have a feeling by the end of this semester my ear is going to be a million times better than it was before I came here, and I'm going to be able to listen to a song on the radio, tell what key its in, and tell what its chord progression is! Be ready to test me!

My class is also really laid back and fun. Everyone has a sense of humor, and some kids just yell stuff out randomly and we all start laughing - even Omar. We have "piano tests" - where we sit at the piano in front of everyone and play out different scales to get the fingerings and sharps/flats right. It's pretty easy, as long as you know what key you're in! Other than that, we listen to popular songs, namely Coldplay, Dave Matthews Band, and "Hide and Seek" by Imogen Heap - I love that song =]

Having fun and getting into trouble at the hat store =]

(okay, I'm trying to do a rainbow theme here for the titles if you haven't noticed, but I've run out of colors. forgive me, please!)

At Revere Beach, a couple T stops from Boston

Intro to Music Technology - David Doms
Fridays @ 11:10
I seriously cannot keep my eyes open in this class. It's not that the class is bad, it's just that the teacher's voice puts me to sleep. NOT EVEN KIDDING!!! I try sooo hard to listen and pay attention, but just the droning way he speaks drifts my mind elsewhere. Not to mention he always has the lights off, and that definitely doesn't help.

Anyway, the first class was a joke. He talked about computers and how they work and make our lives easier. Stuff like copy/paste, download, etc. C'mon!!! All the students here have grown up in Generation X - where technology has always been a part of our lives. But now we're moving on to Garage Band and how to use it and stuff like that. No biggie. I think this class will be a breeze compared to the others even if I'm not always completely able to stay awake =]

Best Friends Forever! My roommate Jade =]

Hanging out by the Harbor and Quincy Market

I think this one explains itself =P

WOW I just realized this was a realllly long post! Well if you read it, I hope it was worth it! Comment about what you think about it. More lata.

-jourdanjustine