Submitted by Eliza Goldman on the 2013 winter session program in London, England sponsored by the Department of Music…
This past weekend was the free travel weekend for the London Music group! Half of us went to Dublin and half of us went to Paris. I was in the group that went to Paris and it was such an amazing adventure! Our goal was to see everything there is to see in Paris in three days or less. We may not have seen EVERYTHING but we certainly gave it our all! We went to the Louvre, saw the Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triomphe, and walked down the Champs Elysees, but I think my favorite part was a tie between going to the top of Notre Dame and visiting Pere Lachaise cemetery. From the top of Notre Dame, we were able to see all the way to the Sacre Couer, which is a cathedral that was about a 10 minute walk from our hostel. What an incredible view! We, unfortunately, were not able to hear the bells because of maintenance, but we were able to see the Gargoyles and take plenty of pictures! Visiting the graves in Pere Lachaise was an incredible experience. Not only are many famous public figures buried there, but it is also an awesome sight to behold! The cemetery is built on a large hill with a great view of the city and each grave is a work of art. It was like a small city! We saw the graves of composers like Chopin, Rossini, Poulenc and Bizet, as well as Oscar Wilde and Jim Morrison. I was struck by the difference in architecture from what I’m used to in London to what we were seeing in Paris. For the most part, Paris has much simpler architecture, as opposed to London’s statues and turrets mixed with modern architecture. Paris really is a beautiful city and I would love the opportunity to go back some day!
In our film score class, we discuss the main composers of different movie genres. The other day, we spent the whole period talking about Westerns. We discussed some iconic composers and movies, then watched a few minutes of the movie High Noon. After watching movie clips, we hold a class discussion about how the music is utilized in the clip and why the composer made specific choices. It is such an interesting class! We discuss movies that I am familiar with, but never actually paid attention to the details of before. I am also accumulating a long list of movies to watch when I get back home!
This week I am looking forward to two guest speakers, two concerts, and then a weekend trip to Scotland!