Navigating the first semester of college is hard for everyone. However, it can be especially tricky when doing it all from your bedroom. In my first six weeks as a freshman at USC Thornton’s Popular Music Program, I have had to drastically adjust how I budget my time, stay organized, and navigate life.
The Pop program is set up as small 30-40 person class sizes with close, individualized instruction. This is perfect for me. I wanted to get to know those I was going to be making music with and learning from. Online schooling has shifted this dynamic. It is much more difficult to develop those connections and the feeling of unity within our cohort. We are all trying our best to stay as connected as possible through group chats, after-school zooms, and collaborations. Even though the situation isn’t ideal, I do believe that we are still making the most of it.
There are some things, however, that can’t be replicated in an online learning environment. The most obvious one being our performance classes. Fully online music school makes a true performance class nearly impossible. Because of this, the Popular Music Program put this year’s repertoire class on hold for the future and we were asked to replace that course with either another music course or a Gen Ed. The weirdest part about attending online music school is the fact that we are not making music in school. After six weeks of online school, it seems strange to imagine myself on campus, in a performing class. It makes me really excited to know that eventually I will be making music with my classmates. To me, that will make all of the challenges of online learning worth it in the long run.
One of the main challenges with online school is engagement. The only class I can say I am engaged in 100% of the time is my private instruction class. I have trouble focusing during the rest of my classes. All of my professors are trying their best to be as engaging as they can be. I appreciate how energetic and excited they all are despite this less than ideal format. The most engaging parts of class for me are when we are actively doing something. In my case, this means practicing a piano exercise, sight singing, doing dictations, practicing rudiment exercises, and more along those lines. Breakout rooms are also valuable in classes where they are applicable. Staring at a computer screen while listening to a lecture can only hold your attention for so long. My mind naturally starts to drift. Even when I do stay focused during the lectures, I don’t feel that I get a lot of value out of my classes. For the most part I feel like I have been simply completing assignments and getting ready for exams without getting the full value of my classes. The style of learning that has suited me best in my online classes has been practice-based learning. The three classes where this applies are my Private Instruction, my Aural Skills class, and my Keyboard Proficiency class. The classes are structured to give you material to practice in order to get ready for the next lesson or exam. I feel that those classes have given me the most value because they are all about the work that I put in after the computer screens are off.
The main benefit I have found in online learning is my ability to structure my time. Most of my day is spent in the house and, therefore, I can get a lot done in my day. The flexibility allows me to practice more and focus on what I need to work on. I believe that the most valuable lesson I will have learned through this online format will be how to stay organized and on top of my work. This skill will continue to be crucial once I am able to get on campus and into my career.
Attending online music school, as a whole, has been very challenging. It feels weird to start this new chapter of my life in my bedroom that I have been in since I was two. Although the situation isn’t ideal, I believe that it has allowed me to grow and adapt to the different situations that life will throw my way.
Alec Romo Nichols is a Freshman in the USC Thornton School of Music Popular Music Program.