Week Four Discussion Details

Next week, on Thursday, September 15th, my graduate teaching assistant Bo Atlas will be covering for me and leading you in a group discussion. Please meet at the same time and place and be prepared to discuss the following:

1. Compare Vivaldi's "Summer" from his Four Seasons and Grofé's Grand Canyon Suite.

• How are the pieces different?
• How are they similar?
• How did each composer musically depict nature in their music?
• Orchestration is the art of assigning an instrument (or group of instruments) to certain roles in the music. Can you name some of the instruments featured and why they were suited for that particular passage?
• Do you think there is some way you can utilize either of these works for your presentation, blog post or final project? 
• Did anyone listen to the other movements of the Four Seasons and think that one of those was a better soundtrack to their summer?

2. Discuss your experiences over the past four weeks adapting to life in college

• What have you found to be some of the biggest differences from life in High School?
• Discuss your interpretation of the phrase "With freedom comes responsibility" as it applies to your college experience.
• Share a funny story or personal experience (that does not involve drinking!) about your first month in college.
• What do think is the biggest fear of a college freshman and why?

3. Discuss the concept of "learning how your learn" as it applies to your experience.

• Read this short article on the history of liberal arts education and share your thoughts on it. In the twenty-first century, does the term "freedom" mean something different than it meant in Ancient Greece and Rome?
• Types of learners include visual, auditory and tactile. Take this short quiz to determine what kind of learner you are.  
• Why do you think it is valuable to take courses outside your major?  
• We learn through our mistakes. What was the biggest mistake you made in High School?

Bo is a doctoral student now, but not too long ago he was a college freshman. I've asked him to share any advice or stories about his freshman year with you as well.