To be honest, my first semester is easily summed up with “one day at a time”. It was odd for me to move back to Ohio in the first place, especially in contrast to the high-stress DC area that I moved from. One of the major things I have been taught is about failure, and how I react to it. Luckily, this time, my failures were not catastrophic compared to some that I have experienced in the past. They were subtle, yet as I looked in the mirror, the things I realized were huge. When I started Music Theory, I was so overwhelmed. That was really difficult since very few people in my hall and surrounding me were in that course so there was a lack of understanding my struggle from my peers. However, I am now one of the best students in my music theory course. I know that material backwards and forwards, and people come to me to ask questions. That doesn’t make me feel superior, but it definitely makes me proud. I worked extremely hard to even learn the basics of Music Theory, expanding my vocab in an area that very few people even need in their daily life, so sometimes it can seem rather impractical. For the first time, I experienced rejection following an audition as well. Frankly, I was happy about that. Not only did it show me how genuinely important it is to truly want something, but it also taught me about putting in what you hope to get out of things. There are talented people here who work extremely hard, and they will be the ones who deserve the good outcomes. I had been slacking on practicing, so I got better. I picked a favorite practice room, and treat every day like a 9-hour work day, rarely going home until all of my classes are finished. It’s simply a change in perspective, but it has improved so much about me. I’m here to learn first, and I love what I’m studying. Though there is a fine line between keeping music as a passion versus it becoming work, but I have managed it well so far. As for next semester, I am hoping to continue growing in and learning about, while also loving music further.