Manning Musings

The past two weeks have been busy and eventful. Nick is super busy with school but manages to spend time with me which is great! This last week I have been grading midterms for my Music 1010 class and laughing and moaning about some of the crazy things people say and believe about music. It is appalling to Nick and he has to tell his friends all about it but we have lots to laugh about. Following the midterm I had my students do evaluations on their experience in class and what they like and don't like. I have had music students do evaluations before but I was totally unprepared for some of the responses I got back. Here are a few samples to enjoy:
 "The short answer questions regarding the jazz guest performance. I found these questions impossible to answer because I was not in class on that particular day. Now, I know that you have said multiple times that attendance is mandatory. Plus, I fully admit that I had no legitimate reason for not attending class on that day. So, why even bring this up? Well, I thought it was worth mentioning because what if I did have a reason for missing that class?"
"Music 1010, personally, has not been an informative experience. The class isn't particularly difficult for me due to my prior knowledge of music...As someone who is very familiar already with the concepts of music, this class has not helped me develop further into understanding and comprehending the complexities of this art. So, for something to be "improved" I suppose I would up the difficulty." (She got a 59% on the midterm)
And my personal favorite..." I don't recall you telling us that we would need to do a listening portion on the test so for future students make sure they take their headphones out and listen."
I was pretty speechless folks!
It was so fun having Jenn up here for a few days. We just wish we could've spent more time with her.
On Friday we had our first prenatal exam with an excellent midwife who just passed her national exam! Way to go mom!
Other than that, Nick is playing with a Brazilian guitarist who will be a guest performer at USU. He will do so great as he always does.
Can't wait to see you all at Thanksgiving!