UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH BLOGS
The Office of Undergraduate Research sponsors a number of grant programs, including the Circumnavigator Club Foundation’s Around-the-World Study Grant and the Undergraduate Research Grant. Some of the students on these grants end up traveling and having a variety of amazing experiences. We wanted to give some of them the opportunity to share these experiences with the broader public. It is our hope that this opportunity to blog will deepen the experiences for these students by giving them a forum for reflection; we also hope these blogs can help open the eyes of others to those reflections/experiences as well. Through these blogs, perhaps we all can enjoy the ride as much as they will.
EXPLORE THE BLOGS
- Linguistic Sketchbook
- Birth Control Bans to Contraceptive Care
- A Global Song: Chris LaMountain’s Circumnavigator’s Blog
- Alex Robins’ 2006 Circumnavigator’s Blog
- American Sexual Assault in a Global Context
- Beyond Pro-GMO and Anti-GMO
- Chris Ahern’s 2007 Circumnavigator’s Blog
- Digital Citizen
- From Local Farms to Urban Tables
- Harris Sockel’s Circumnavigator’s Blog 2008
- Kimani Isaac: Adventures Abroad and At Home
- Sarah Rose Graber’s 2004 Circumnavigator’s Blog
- The El Sistema Expedition
- The World is a Book: A Page in Rwand
A Final Reflection
I am not sure how to adequately sum up the experience of the last eight weeks. My paper will attempt to do that, but it will be formal and rigorously constructed. It won’t capture the joy I felt getting the experience of my dream job for a little while, the excitement of living in a new city, the perfection of each orchestra I sat in or heard from the house.
I head to LaGuardia tomorrow for a 1:15pm flight. In about 15 hours I’ll be back in Evanston getting back into the rhythm of college life and preparing for senior year. I have never been more motivated to make the most out of my Northwestern experience after seeing the level I need to be at if I want to succeed in this career. I will be playing more lessons and classes, sightreading on my own for at least an hour every day, and doing freelance and show work constantly throughout the year. I’m excited to challenge myself and continue to grow so that when I move to NYC in a little less than a year, I’ll be ready to dive in head first.
Tonight, for my last show I saw The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. Though not a musical, it was a really unique and fitting end to my time in New York. I held onto every moment onstage as it happened, and it gave me tremendous closure. What a beautiful play. I feel ready to leave this city a better person. I’m not too upset about leaving because I know I’ll be back. I am so thankful for the opportunity to conduct this research, and I look forward to refining my research paper over fall quarter!
Thanks for reading!
Casey
“In the Room Where it Happens”
Sitting in the Hamilton pit was indescribable. To be “in the room where it happens” of one of the biggest smash hits to come to Broadway in recent years was so exciting. I had a copy of the score to follow along with and a great view of the entire orchestra. Hamilton was the eighth of eight shows I will observe from the pit in New York. In total, they were Amazing Grace, Kinky Boots, The Book of Mormon, On the Town, Something Rotten!, Les Mis, Wicked, and finally Hamilton. It still feels like this has all been a long dream. Though I am in a way dreading leaving this dream project, I am also very excited and ready to come back to Evanston.
I have absorbed so much information for my research project, but also for how I am going to run my own orchestra in the fall. I am music directing and piano-conducting a fall show and I have learned so much about how I will lead this group of players differently than I’ve ever done before. I used last year as a way to learn from others and assist/play in pits, and now I’m looking forward to a year of leadership and big steps forward in my process. I have a major project lined up for each quarter and then many options for the summer. It’s a very exciting time in my life and I can’t wait to apply what I learned on this extraordinary experience.
I will post at least once more before I leave with a final reflection.
Wrapping Up
My friend Bex was here for a few days and I haven’t posted as much because we were so busy.
I sat in Les Mis and Wicked in the past week. Both were amazing experiences because I know both scores so well. The level of sound from Les Mis was fantastic because they do not use any headphones and listen to each other. Volume augmentation is used limitedly and the group is forced to listen and naturally adjust their levels. Wicked was just stunning- the player I sat next to has played the keyboard 3 book since opening night. Over 12 years! He is fully memorized and plays the show like clockwork.
Tomorrow, I am observing Hamilton. I head home on Friday. It’s been an unforgettable experience. I submitted my Final Report that summarizes my project, and I’ll be working on my research paper throughout fall quarter. I’m going to see a few more shows and go to the library a few more times before I leave. It will be so hard to go, but I’m ready to head back to Evanston for another fantastic year!
Writing, Something Rotten!, and Les Mis
I have made a pact with myself to write at least a page of my paper every day until the end of my project. Right now it’s about 6 pages. It looks like this will be a very long final product that results from my project because I have so many different relevant things to say after 8 weeks of observation. It is officially my 7th of 8 weeks and I am mentally preparing for the end of the road. I’m looking forward to coming back to Evanston, but I will miss the weird life I have led here so much.
Last night, I observed Something Rotten! I interviewed the conductor and the keyboard 1 player. They have a BLAST in this pit. It was so wonderful to see the joy in everyone who makes this production possible. It is one of my favorite shows, and it is definitely in the “well-oiled machine” phase now that it has been running for over 6 months. I also got to go up on the podium at intermission and look at the scores. Looking up at the huge curtain reading “SOMETHING ROTTEN!” right in front of me from the podium sent chills throughout my entire body. It was a surreal moment that reminded me of my career goals and gave me a sense of clarity to accomplish them.
Tonight, I am observing Les Mis! It will be helpful to sit in on a show I am already quite familiar with musically. Then I’m seeing a lot of shows this week (and a Yankees game on Tuesday!), and observing Wicked on Friday. I’m also observing a recording of Seth Rudetsky’s show on Wednesday. It’s shaping up to be a fantastic final two weeks.
On Again, Off Again
My research here is following the pattern of a career in music direction: dry spells where you have to get creative with your time, and periods that are so busy it feels there is hardly time to breathe. I have not had a direct observation of a show in a week or so, but today I received 4 updates on shows that I could sit in on. I will be sitting in on Hamilton, Les Mis, Something Rotten!, and Wicked in the next week.
Yesterday, I got to interview David Loud and Brian Usifer. Both were extremely informative and helpful for my project. David Loud was especially interesting to me as a lifelong music director and original cast member of Merrily We Roll Along back in 1981. He has music directed many Kander and Eb shows, as well as the original Ragtime. It was fascinating to talk to him about the evolution of the field and how his job has changed over time. He has worked with some of the most amazing people in theatre history and I am very lucky to have him involved in my research. Brian Usifer was very helpful too, coming from a vast musical education that encompassed classical, rock, jazz, and pop music.
Wrapping it up
Greetings for the final time! I haven’t posted in a while, which seems to have been the way I started my last few posts. There are many reasons why I didn’t write a final post before I left Turkey. The first main reason is that my laptop’s keyboard broke (completely my fault – I spilled sparkling mineral water on it) and when I finally got an external keyboard, it was difficult to use. The other main reason is that I was busy doing other things. But as I always say, it’s never that you don’t have time, it’s that you don’t make time. And so it was. I just chose to spend my time differently. But today is Sunday, August 30, I am sitting in my parents’ house in NC enjoying vacation, I leave for fall study abroad in Sevilla (and a new blogging adventure!) this Wednesday, September 2, and I have finally chosen to dedicate time to wrapping up this blog.
Firstly, I apologize for not posting the Bulgaria and last-few-weeks-of-adventures posts I promised. I will tell those stories through pictures here, and then spend my last paragraph or two reflecting on my entire 2-month trip.
Here is a summary, in words and pictures, of my last few weeks in Turkey:
1. I went to Plovdiv, Bulgaria, with my friend Eric.
2. I went to a lovely brunch place on the Bosphorus for my friend Rachel’s birthday
3. I went to the farmer’s market in Beşiktaş with friends.
4. I went with my cousins to the pool-side outdoor venue where my parents had their wedding reception.
5. I went with friends to a beach in Istanbul where the Bosphorus and Black Sea meet.
6. I successfully took final exams.
7. I went on a sunset boat ride on the Bosphorus with the other TLCP participants to celebrate the end of the program.
8. I went to Istanbul’s famous Galata Tower, an international parade and a Catholic church on Istiklal Caddesi, the Sulemaniye Mosque, and a poorer part of the city with my friend Eric.
9. I ate delicious food. (George has his head in a jar of hazelnut butter because it was the end of the program and, in his sadness, he resorted to emotional eating. Also he appreciated the irony of the Cola Turka pic.)
10. I flew to Izmir to visit my dad, uncle, and cousins. After a day, we drove to Altinoluk, a town on the Aegean Sea where we a have a summer home. We stayed there for a week and went to the beach every day!
11. I flew back to Istanbul.
12. I flew to one of my two stateside homes, Chicago.
And that was it. After a lovely week in Evanston, I flew to Raleigh, NC, and here I am!
Here are my primary reflections on the program and the overall experience:
I saw a side of Istanbul I had never seen before. Even though I had visited the city maybe 8 times in my childhood to see family, I had never lived there as an adult in a place miles from my nearest family member. And I had never spent 7 weeks in Turkey, let alone even 4 weeks in Istanbul without leaving for other Turkish cities to see other family members.
I got better at making mistakes. By “got better,” I mean that now I get less upset at myself for making mistakes. I have let go of a small bit of my ego and pride. And by “making mistakes,” I primarily mean making mistakes in Turkish grammar, pronunciation, etc. But there is always spilling sparkling water on my laptop, haha.
I was reminded of the value of family. My extended family members cooked me homemade meals, took me out for margaritas, drove me through terrible Istanbul traffic, called to check in every week or so, and, in those and a thousand other ways, showed me the true meaning of unconditional love.
I was reminded of diversity in 2 main ways. 1) I got out of the Northwestern bubble and, while in the TLCP, met people from many different walks of life. Yes, a fair number of participants were undergrads or grads from high-ranking universities. But of course every person is unique, every university is unique, and the stories these people shared with me definitely broadened my worldview. 2) I got out of the Bogazici University bubble and visited some of the poorest parts of Istanbul. Yes, I visited many rich and/or touristy parts, but I also visited some poor sections that reminded me that no matter where you are in the world – even a megacity with a name like Istanbul – diversity in living standards and class standing exists, and it bodes well to never romanticize a city, a group of people, or a single person’s life.
I got better at international travel. Pretty self-explanatory, but no small feat.
I was reminded of the value of friendship. Even though the TLCP lasted only 7 weeks, I made friends who were there for me when I needed companionship. When I or my friends wanted to go on small or large adventures – to a restaurant down the street, Istanbul’s most historic cites, the beach, Bulgaria – we were always there for each other. When my laptop broke and I got irrationally upset, I facebook messaged a friend who came right down to my room and spent an hour cheering me up. When another friend of mine and I both had things going on back in the States that were out of our control, we talked through it over lunch and leant each other much-needed support and empathy. We didn’t pretend everything was okay when it wasn’t. And finally, whenever I needed to talk to friends from back home, they always made it a priority to talk to me. In these and a thousand other ways, I was reminded of the value of good friends.
There is so much else the program and experience taught me and reminded me of, but the list above suffices for now. As I wrap up my wrap-up post, I want to say one more time how grateful I am to have received two Northwestern grants to attend the TLCP, the Undergraduate Language Grant and the Keyman Modern Turkish Studies Grant. Without these grants, and with even just one of them, my participation in the TLCP would not have been possible. Every experience I have had over the past three years has made me feel more grateful, lucky, and blessed to be at Northwestern, and, more generally, to lead the life I do. I cannot wait to start my fall study abroad adventure in Seville, Spain, and I will post a link to that blog on facebook and send it to those I have promised I would.
Finally, I am so grateful to have friends, mentors, and family who took the time to read part or all of this blog. Even if this was the only post you read, even if you only skimmed, thank you! You have made my first blogging experience positive, worthwhile, and meaningful, and I am truly grateful. Until next time, iyi akşamlar!
8.10-8.14 – All good things come to an end
Bob and I spent the last week finishing up the soil analysis at the Arboretum. Due to a broken still we were unable to complete the pH and electrical conductivity analysis for the samples, as both of these measurements require the soil sample to be in solution with destilled deionized water. I’ll complete these measurements in January, when I return from study abroad. But since we had some time to kill while the soil samples were cooking, we got to take some beautiful walks at the Arboretum!
They also have a totally awesome jungle gym that I was not too proud to play on. Plus, there was an exhibit of giant Lego sculptures, and one was of a Galapagos tortoise and finch! (coughcough follow my study abroad blog in Ecuador this quarter coughcough)!
On Friday we watched Taran, Meghan, and Alyssa give presentations on their projects with the REUs and they were totally awesome! Super super proud of all of them <3 Taran won the prize for best poster too! And we all got field guides from Evelyn and Becky 🙂
Now down to the deliverables: what did I learn from this summer? Well, lemme tell you…here’s a small excerpt from my wrap-up paper for the URG.
While I cannot correlate the phylogenetic diversity of the prairie plants to their soil yet, I nevertheless have at this point been able to notice a variety of interesting trends in my soil data. For the purposes of viewing these trends, I have created two charts of my data, with the average GSM and LOI for each of the 18 sites. These charts generally mirror each other, with sites with high moisture similarly having high organic matter. Since I had no experience with soil science prior to this project, this correlation was incredibly exciting to me until I looked at a textbook and found that the connection is not unique to my soil. The organic matter is the part of the soil that retains water, and thus the higher the organic matter, the higher the water content. My data is therefore consistent with known trends, increasing my confidence in its accuracy. The lowest GSM/LOI averages were at the 41st St Bioretention, a restoration in the Chicago Park District. This site was between the beach and Lake Shore Drive, making for generally dry, sandy soil. The highest GSM/LOI averages by far came from Harvey Creek, in Sandwich, IL. This soil was incredibly dark, almost black, and reminded me of fully decomposed compost. Sure enough it had very high SOM. Although I have not found out much about the history of this site, besides that it was privately owned, it was in a dip in the land that may retain water, increasing decomposition and thus SOM.
In addition to the soil research, I learned much more about restoration practices, in prairies and in general, than I had ever known before. The key takeaway that I got was this: ecosystem restoration is really hard. I had assumed that once you created the restored ecosystem, you could leave it alone to be wild again. In reality, a restored area requires diligent maintenance in order to retain the qualities of the target ecosystem. A large part of maintenance is repeatedly removing invasives, either by pulling/mowing them, spraying them, or, in the case of prairies, doing a controlled burn. Restoring a site is a never-ending project, not a quick fix.
Thanks so much for reading!
“Smoke Gets In Your Eyes…”
Today, I went back to the Performing Arts Library and did some more research for my project. I am finding the many writings of composing and music directing legend Lehman Engel especially helpful. Also, since there is not a lot of literature on music directing, I have been going through books made about specific Broadway shows and going to the Music Team sections. The book on A Chorus Line had a wealth of information on music directing and the process of creating a Broadway score.
I have decided to write a research paper as the way I will present my findings, and I will hopefully be able to present in a music directing class I am taking this fall as well. I want to publish the paper as a PDF to spread on forums, Facebook groups, email, and other media to reach as many music directors as possible. I am going to start putting this paper together in my remaining weeks here in New York, and will continue working on it in Evanston.
I also went to the Museum of the Moving Image in Queens this afternoon. I went to see the Mad Men exhibit that will be there for just a few more days. I took a class on Mad Men this past spring and I’m a huge fan of the show, so it was a great way to immerse myself further in that world. It had 3 fully recreated sets with the actual pieces that were filmed, and tons of artifacts and clips from the show. It was another great way to see a part of the city I have spent very little time in so far.
Tomorrow, I am Skyping in with my family for my mom’s birthday and then observing Les Mis from the orchestra! I have assembled another huge list of music directors whom I wish to observe, so hopefully I will have many more observations before my time is through here in 3 weeks.
The clock is ticking, and I am doing my best to absorb every single minute of this life changing experience.
The End of My Journey
I’ve packed my bag for the last time, I can check my luggage without worrying if it gets lost and I’m writing this high above the Pacific Ocean while shooting towards San Francisco at an unbelievable 643 mph. My feelings are conflicted right now. On one hand, I am truly excited to return home and see my family, sleep in my own bed, and sing the national anthem daily (at least, that’s how I remember the States). On the other hand, this is the end of part of my life that may be hard to top. It’s odd being simultaneously excited and sad. I suppose this is what they mean when they call something “bittersweet.”
A view of Sydney from the last night of my trip.
I feel that I’ve carried out my research project very successfully, and there are more research posts coming (if you’re reading this Dr. Civetta, don’t archive my blog yet!); however, this trip has been about more than the research project. I’ve been challenged daily by any number of hurdles: How do I get to my interview? What does this street sign say? Or what is this person trying to say to me? While figuring these out, I’ve missed my family and friends at home, made many new friends, and had hundreds of unforgettable experiences. I think I’ve accumulated enough stories to survive social encounters for the rest of my life. Truly, I could not be more thankful to the Circumnavigators and Northwestern for the opportunity.
Since I left Indianapolis nearly three months ago, I think I’ve changed in a few ways. I’ve become more confident in myself. If you put a stranger in front of me, I’m positive that, even with a language barrier, I can strike up some sort of friendly conversation with them. Drop me in the middle of an unfamiliar city without a phone and I’ll put my money on me being able to get back to my room. Give me a price in Euro, Liras, Rands, or Reals and I’ll shoot it back at you in good ol’ US dollars nearly instantly. Most importantly, I’ve learned how to “jump off the cliff” and take on a challenge. It wasn’t always easy, and it’s not supposed to be, but it’s been a summer where I’ve thrown myself into this project, and I mean it when I say, it’s been an incredible experience.
To those who have helped me along the way, thank you. To those I’ve met, I hope to see you again soon. And to those I missed, I’ll can’t wait to see you in a few hours.
Wrapping Up Gumbo and More
Gumbo ended today. It was an amazing, amazing experience in which I learned so much about professionalism and musicality. The score was so difficult and I was tested constantly as a leader and a musician. This was one of the most valuable experiences I have had on this show. I truly believe Gumbo has a big future.
Tomorrow, I am going to A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder. I also will be meeting with David Loud soon, MD of many Kander and Eb shows. It will be a defining moment of this project to speak to such a veteran of the craft I am studying. I have other interviews lined up for later in the week as well. It’s shaping up to be an excellent week 5.