Notes and Bits from Mentor Meeting

• a lot of breaks
• figure out how to speak towards these breaks?
• push more to seek more - bear that in mind
• journal? what are the reasons? explain.
• road to take? 
• not pushing = do more hands off
• you decide your fate
• mentor's job? - you (I) backed away from my project, so did Ms. Lord

-Make more lists! What do you know now that you didn't before? Of self, topic of interest, people, etc.

-PREPARE FOR PROJECT - anticipate what your evaluators are going to ask!

-scan your journals

Where's your endpoint? -> self teacher? why? 

Have Julianna bring in a piece? (final project idea?)

What do I want to know more about that I don't know now?

Do I want to explore other adults learning the piano?

Monday's Mentor Meeting

  In this mentor meeting, I revealed the fact that I think I am going to be really stressed during AP week and that I might possibly fall behind a lot in my WISE work. Of course, it's best if I make plan for this week but I hope I get a chance to actually do so, because I have so many exams this week that I honestly think I'm not prepared for at all that I'll end up cramming entire nights before the exam. Ms. Lord really thinks I should make a plan too. She was actually the one who suggested this because she sorta realized that I'm kind of the person who'd drop everything when something big, like, AP exams, are here. And I guess I've never admitted that about myself, but now I can't deny it.

Mentor Meeting After Break

This is for Monday 04/25/2011
   After my mentor meeting with Ms. Lord, I realized some other "homework" that I have to do. A big thing is making plans/an outline on what to practice and when to research (the specifics of the rest of my project). The "deadline" I should expect for the project is around the 10th of June, so make sure to get everything done before then. In this mentor meeting, I also realized that I should be focusing a lot on the macro portion of research and not just the micro portion. This means I should be doing more research on the piano in general! (I feel like this has been repeated multiple times in the past couple of mentor meetings...?) Hm... and a little idea for future journals is to write about how my project process is now different in comparison to before, when I had Mrs. Miller and there was someone to guide me through everything. Other ideas for future aid include trying to watch someone else practice or play or go to a recital or something of the sort. It is also important to consider the method of learning/approach, because there are more than one way to approach things, and sometimes it's hard to realize the fact that one specific way of approach may not be the best or only way to approach things. I guess this means that maybe I should be exploring my directions in learning and the paths I'm taking because there's definitely more than one route.
   The sample presentation that will be shown to our class will be on the 26th of May and Ms. Lord reminded me that everything's actually coming up pretty soon, so there's not too much time before I need to come up with a finished product. Gahhh so much to do...

Monday's Mentor Meeting

    It seems that I've been having quite a difficult time trying to update my WISE blog. I don't know why, but I just, whenever I come onto my blog, I've gotten to lack the motivation to write anything down, or somehow, my mind just goes blank. In this mentor meeting, I know there was discussion regarding my making a plan for the next week, to keep track of my progress and to make sure that I'm progressing. I don't really have a plan yet though, so that's a GOAL OF THIS WEEK! To find a plan, to make a plan... or something.

   I think there's some other things I've forgotten that were discussed in this mentor meeting, but one thing I wanted to mention was that Ms. Lord that insisted that I bring up the previous incident that had happened, and reflect upon it. This is the second time it was mentioned, and the first time, it wasn't because I forgot, but it was because I didn't want to remember it. As much as it may be thought to be of help, I do not think it will be of any aid, and I will not be expanding anything more regarding to this issue.

Mentor Meeting: Week into April

   So I'm actually writing this today [Tuesday, April 05, 2011], which is about a week later than the date of this mentor meeting, and I have to say, I honestly can't remember much of the content. I know this was the first mentor meeting in a very long time (I missed the one last week) and so I think all that happened was that I updated Ms. Lord on all the things...? I hope I don't forget to include anything here, but basically, I informed Ms. Lord that I have been having some issues and I have informed her that I have stopped my lessons with Mrs. Miller. I think another major part of this mentor meeting was indicating that I have also not progressed much in the last week(s).

Comments on "Disrupting My Comfort Zone" + BIG REFLECTION?

  Brian Grazer, huh? Well, I think that he's a pretty great person for challenging himself and continuing to challenge himself. I think he's overcome some great feats and he definitely speaks some words of wisdom.

 "If you're not growing, you're dying."

   I think his enthusiasm towards "disrupting [his] comfort zone" is really great. It would be pretty awesome to adopt that outlook of his, but things are easier said than done. I do think that I have disrupted my comfort zone, but definitely not a lot. However, I think that not a lot of disruption is acceptable for me. I don't think my project asks that I get out of my comfort zone a lot. Actually, I think it helps me if I stay in my comfort zone. Perhaps in another situation, but the "comfort zone disruption" isn't something I'm aiming towards in this project.... or is that just what I think?

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On the board it prompts:

What are...

...3 ways I've stepped out of my comfort zone?

I feel like my decision on actually taking lessons is definitely an example of my stepping out of my comfort zone. This would be... the third piano teacher I've had, and I've had other music instructors for other instruments in the past as well. I don't know why, but I absolutely detest having piano lessons. Somehow or another, I always feel like I would disappoint the teacher and it would make me feel extremely uncomfortable before my lessons. Another way that' I've stepped out of my comfort zone could perhaps include when I played for some friends at school when they came by to visit me in one of the practice rooms.  I was super self-conscious because the friends for which I was playing were all really good at piano. This actually reminds me, I should journal more of my practicing experiences because it shows more "doing". I guess a third way I've stepped out of my comfort zone would be when I asked my middle sister to watch me play piano and point of if I was doing anything wrong because that's what Mrs. Miller had suggested I do before ended lessons. She said that this would help me make sure that I was playing correctly. I was reluctant to do so because it's kinda odd to have a little girl tell you you're doing things wrong... but it's for the best :)

...4 ways my project has changed thus far?

Honestly, I don't think my project has changed a lot. Or perhaps I just haven't noticed it yet? Though, everything's taking a really long time and I've already forgotten the deadlines I've set for myself at the beginning of this period. This reminds me, I should go and read my first entries.  What's with the music and emotions thing? The idea seems really odd to me now... xD 

...3 things I wish I'd done differently in working on my project so far?

I definitely think I should have come with a better plan on the research portion. I have NO research plan. All I do is randomly find things and stick them into a bookmark folder on my browser and that's it. Hm... I also think I should've considered how I would be managing with a teacher and/or working independently a lot earlier. Everything seems messy because I had no idea where to go. Another thing I wish I'd done differently was find a more interesting specific topic to research, a more interesting micro-research focus.

...5 things I've learned about my field of interest, myself, and working with others?

My field of interest? Why, there's a lot of people devoted to it and my sisters really love it. I like piano, but I definitely don't have the same passion as some other students that my teacher has. Myself? I'm a very indecisive person and I let a lot of different things affect me... I guess that means I'm sensitive? Or something... IDK. (There I go again with the 'I don't know' 's). Working with others? Sometimes what others have in mind for me is not exactly the same as my own ideas, even though we may not be having trouble working together. 

Last Week: 03/28/2011

    Ahhh haha I couldn't make it to my mentor meeting today either. It was a sad picture. I went before our class meeting the following day and it seemed to me that Ms. Lord was quite disappointed in me. Oh, the things to be fixed... I would put in a big reflection here... but I don't want to. This was when the email and stuff was going on.

Tuesday's In Class

   Ms. Lord was not at school today and Mrs. Gergely came in as a substitute. Mrs. Gergely told us about the funding opportunities that were specifically designed for WISE and also gave us these sheets for making WISE funding proposals. She told us that currently there's about $700 in the WISE fund and that this amount (plus more if we fund raise it) needs to be divided among about fifty WISE students. Some students will need a large chunk of funding while others may not need any funding at all. I'm one of those I think, or at least I feel as if I can cover the costs myself. Anyways, we were and will be brainstorming more ideas of interesting and innovative ways to fund raise.
  Oh and presentations of WISE projects continued after that!

In Class Journal Part 1

   Today in class we shared our projects. Natanya baked chocolate chip cookies for the entire class to show her baking process (they were so yummy!) and Jimmy showed us a bunch of his mixed martial arts. He seems super enthusiastic about his project, which is a very good sign. I liked how he talked about the Brazillian jutsu and such, and although I don't know anything about martial arts, he seems like he's doing pretty well.
   Carrie presented a poem in class. And WOW was I stunned. I loved her emotion and strength, and I sorta wanted to yell "Encore!" except that might've been a bit too awkward. Haha. Slam poetry is her project focus, and what she's doing is presenting poems within 3 minutes. These poems are graded on a scale of 1 to 10.
   Mary showed us her clowning! It was so much fun to watch her juggle and make balloon animals and talk about her adventures at the Camp Good Days Carnival. I love hearing how much people are enjoying their projects because it makes me treasure even more this class and how lucky we are to have this time to do something we enjoy.
  After that, Jordan, Dylan, and Tara all presented. I didn't take any notes here because I had been a little too captivated by Mary's balloon animals slash I got to the bottom of my paper and decided I was done xD BUT Jordan told us all about his success in finally finding a publishing firm for his Star Wars study guide and Dylan showed us his super blue laser. Tara showed the class her oversized sketching journal which she uses to plan out the fashions to be created. It's actually really cool and I found it very interesting how she's actually making clothes and having models.

Mentor Meeting Feedback

   So today's meeting, according to Mrs. Lord, was one of the most important mentor meetings thus far, because I've come to realize that I'm encountering problems with myself and not just with piano playing as a topic in general. There are two, with the first one being that I can't read sheet music and I can't seem to get it straight no matter how hard I work at it. Mrs. Lord suggested that I try a different approach, but somehow I don't find that an appealing option. Maybe I'll just work in this manner for a couple more weeks and then decide something? And another thing is the Saturday morning class. My inability to decide on whether or not to go could be because of stage fright, or something else... Am I afraid of feeling inferior to all the other younger students that are going to be there? Or am I just not prepared yet? What is it?

Reflection on the 1st Week in March

   For the dates February 27th to March 5th, my focuses for the week were on recognizing notes on the staff and learning to pedal. I've been practiced at school twice (due to absence/classes, I only had 2 classes free during 7th period), so I wasn't able to progress too much on pedaling. For note recognition, I've drawn tons of diagrams on the back of my progress journal and found random pieces of songs I would never play that I wrote down the notes for (ie. marked ABCDEFG above each note).

In-Class Journal Entry #1

   In class on Tuesday, we watched a video of a past WISE project. Since I was not present in class, I had to borrow the disk to bring home to watch and journal on the video.

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• Austin - building a barn
• "a barn is a lot more than just a structure"
• "everything takes longer than I expected"
• lots of challenges
• picking wood
• trying to get a tractor to start
• WISE in an independent experience, but it's also more than that, because it allows students to spend time reflecting on who they are becoming as a result of the experience.

   Personally, thus far, I have found part of "everything takes longer than ... expected" to be exceedingly true. Although I'm not building a barn, the process of learning how to play piano and learning to read sheet music isn't easy. Somehow, I just can't see where I would end up at the end of the year. I can't really tell if I'll be able to fully read sheet music or I'll still be struggling. It's sorta like I can't plan out anything, because I don't even know how I am doing myself. If I look back to the first day when I started, I can't really put a label on how far I've progressed because I honestly don't know. I  feel like I haven't done much, and that makes me really scared. Am I going somewhere? Am I going at the right pace?

Absence

   Due to personal illness, I was not at school today, so I missed the class get together we had during 7th period. I'll update back here later afterwards (:


   On Friday, I dropped by Ms. Lord's classroom and picked up the folder containing the WISE project of a previous IHS student that is relevant to my current project. The past project was on learning to play the guitar, and although the topic isn't exactly the same as mine, it should be a good reference/model.

Before My Mentor Meeting

   Mentor meeting today 7th period! I've kind of been contemplating whether or not I should continue taking piano lessons from Mrs. Miller because to learn fingerings, it can basically be taught in one lesson... but Mrs. Miller's also teaching me about keys and such so... I don't know...
  This is just a little note to myself for things I want to bring up and talk about today with Ms. Lord:

• Future plans... Am I going in the wrong direction? A new direction?
• Do I have to have recitals?
• Am I going at the right pace?
• Should I start learning pieces on my own?
• Should I continue piano lessons with Mrs. Miller?
• Should I tell Mrs. Miller about my blog?

A Mentor Message

[I've been on vacation so I haven't updated for two weeks, but I have everything down! :)]

FOR: Wednesday, February 16th, 2011


    My first mentor meeting was supposed to be on the 14th of Monday, but I accidentally missed Ms. Lord when I went by. That was a bad start to the week... but fortunately, I was able to reschedule and meet with Ms. Lord today, the Wednesday after.

   In our first mentor meeting, we discussed the plans for future mentor meetings. I didn't really know what the specific jobs of a mentor were, but I found out today that they vary depending on the mentor and student. Here's some notes for future mentor meetings (technically speaking to myself here):

• If your mentor isn't there and the room door is open, he/she will most likely return shortly and/or is nearby. Stay and wait a while, or leave a note on the door and come back in a couple of minutes. 
• The mentor isn't supposed to go after you to make sure you make the meeting. At least that's not what most mentors do. It is your job to reschedule and/or plan accordingly.
• YOU tell your mentor what you want them to do. Do you want them to reflect on your progress? To question you? To listen to you? To be someone that you can ask questions?
• Bring questions for yourself and plan to discuss them with your mentor. 

An Update On Practicing

   I was really hoping this wouldn't happen as early as it did, but I guess it couldn't be helped. I knew I was going to run into this problem...
   I was REALLY good with practicing on the first two days. Right after I got home from school on the first three days, I practiced for half an hour each time. From the log book Mrs. Miller gave me, I did all the reading sections from pages 15 to 31. But somehow on Thursday, I just decided it was okay to practice at a different time, to practice after dinner or something. Or something... well that something became not practicing at all. Even worse, I didn't practice on Friday either. I guess I didn't realize that the fact I had to work right after school, and didn't plan ahead.
    The good thing is that on Saturday, I "made-up" all my missing practicing by practicing for two hours straight. Only, that's actually bad because I wasn't supposed to do that, I wasn't supposed to cram practicing all into one block of time. It's only the beginning and I've already broken sequence. But what else can I do about it? I mean, at least now I'll be prepared for next week because I'll be bringing my books to school and practicing on the pianos in the practice rooms during 7th in the Performing Arts Center. Hopefully nothing like this happens again...