This past week felt like the closest I've been to experiencing normalcy since March. Many of the burdens and hardships that so many of us have carried and experienced this past summer due to the pandemic have dismantled any sense of normality and has left an empty husk. Even with the opportunity to share music with my community back at home this past summer, I rarely found myself in a peaceful state of mind. As I continue on in my journey to discover my voice and to carve my path out as an artist, I am constantly reminded to hold dear those small things that we take for granted.
I flew back to New York last week to start my 1st year as a grad student at Juilliard. After spending the entire summer at home (longest I've been at home for 4 years) I felt trapped and really needed space. It felt really refreshing to get out and travel again.
Waiting for boarding at LAX in the wee morning hours before the sun rises
The precaution that airlines are taking now regarding COVID-19 safety is actually quite good and I found the entire trip quite enjoyable. Masks are mandated and those who don't have masks are given masks before they can board the plane.
My cello and I j chillin before liftoff
Everyone was separated by an empty seat but since I had a cello next to me, I got a whole row.
LGA , NY
All the airports I went through for this trip( LAX, DIA, and LGA) were all surprisingly empty. Pretty much only saw the people on the flight I was on. The trip back into the city tho, was terrible as usual. New York drivers are even worse than drivers in LA.
Precautions that Juilliard is taking
Completely empty hallways in school
Being back in school felt bizarre. I have never seen it so empty, even during breaks. The precautions that Juilliard is taking to insure the safety of its students is well planned out and it feels good to be part of a school that takes this pandemic seriously. Students are only allowed into the school to practice or rehearse currently and must go through a series of procedures in order to gain access to the building. All of the classes are currently online but depending on the state of the pandemic, some in-person classes might be slowly integrated back into the curriculum.
my room for the next two years
I've been feeling much more productive now that I have a set schedule of classes to keep me in check. I've also been exploring some rather interesting music, preparing for a solo cello recital that I'll be giving online at the end of this month. Rarely played, these pieces were written by people of color and were never given the proper exposure to integrate them into the classical music canon. I've been hitting my head against the wall figuring out some of this music since its a language that I'm not really familiar with but there are some really intriguing and beautiful things that I can't wait to share.
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