Week 6

The summer has drifted by quickly, no sooner did I blink than I was back in the south Texas sun for marching training.  Regardless, here we are, being reflective. 

This week's topics were a little easier to deal with because they were familiar.  Having covered some of the data collection methods and how to break data down in the Assessment in Music course made the information comfortable to digest.  Admittedly, as most textbooks, the reading isn't always easy to digest.  With the intensity and rigor in the field of research, the coursework has raised a bar of demand in my arena.  The last time I was required to complete this must research was in Music History as an undergraduate.  My attachment to being a traditional student makes this difficult, but I'm learning as I go. 

I was appreciative of the structure suggestions in the reading.  The information was helpful, and it assisted in expanding my knowledge base for data collection.  The assignments were also beneficial because I had to recall how to do all of those things again.  The project is coming together, but what was once a thought of simplicity has become far more demanding.  When I originally was going to help in the design and implementation of a similar study in 2002, I wasn't going to be doing it alone.  This would have been a study between my saxophone professor and me, so we could have designed everything together.  This is why Dr. Wolfe will play an important role as this develops into my thesis.  His experience and resourcefulness will be of great value in this endeavor, and while we're not working side by side, we'll still be working together.  This is what we planned to do a long time ago, so I'm excited to see it all come to fruition. 

As the research continues, I'm more and more intrigued by how this study can be applied to general life experiences.  Some people have an innate fear of night driving; could learning to use breathing help soothe this ailment?  Driving in traffic, job interviews, standardized tests, DATING(?), coping with any kind of stress - this is just the tip of the iceberg.  Cultures around the globe have used meditation as a means of focus and alleviating stress for generations.  If a practical application can be found, why not implement it?