WOW! It's our last day in Budapest before a 24-hr. journey back to Des Moines, IA. Our last day included a very interesting visit to the Franz Liszt Academy of Music. We visited the updated, recently renovated campus which included 28 practice rooms, many ensemble rooms with grand pianos, beautiful student lounge/cafeteria and various administration offices.
Our first presentation was on the present state of music education in the public schools of Hungary. This was quite informative and offered us a good comparison of what we have here in the USA versus Hungarian schools.
Our second presentation was on the Liszt Academy itself. They discussed various course options, various degrees, as well as the intense audition/application process to be accepted. None of the music majors nor the Sletto's would have been accepted due to the high standards set for acceptance into the program!!
The afternoon was free so many students went back to the Buda Castle area to explore more of the museums and sites on that west side of the Danube River. We meet at 6:30 pm and had our 'last supper' at Haxen Kiraly Etterem ethnic restaurant not far from our beautiful hotel, the Novotel Budapest Centrum.
This was the most luxurious hotel with large rooms, spa in the lowest level, and a huge breakfast buffet in a gorgeous dining hall.
At the last supper, we shared our favorite sites and stops along the trip. We also toasted the students for their flexibility and ability to become 'a family.' Lastly, we gave our tour guide Szilvia a gift from Drake and thanked her for all her detailed work. A final toast was shared to the Sletto's. A surprise birthday cake arrived for Professor Tom Sletto since he would be celebrating his birthday traveling all the next day.
Everyone went back to the hotel to pack for the trip home, after a little more time hanging out in the hotel lobby and a few beverages to celebrate. A GREAT trip with GREAT students!!
Showing posts with label Drake University - Fine Arts Travel Seminar. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Drake University - Fine Arts Travel Seminar. Show all posts
Friday, January 25, 2013
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
January 22, 2013- Budapest
Today was a very busy day here for us, so I will provide you all with a quick synopsis of each event that we attended. To start the morning off, we toured the Budapest Museum that featured quite a few works of art depicting many events in Hungarian history. This museum featured a varied collection of pieces, including abstract, classical, impressionist, carved works, etc. Overall, we were highly impressed! Many of the pieces were very moving- for example, we looked at a painting that depicted a Hungarian man killing his wife and then committing suicide when they were about to be captured by the Turkish. It sounds gruesome, I know, but it was in reality a very deep history lesson about Hungary.
After attending the museum we visited the flat of Zoltan Kodály, a musician, composer, and pedagogical genius whom we have been studying. It was small but quite beautiful, and featured many of his works. The flat is kept almost exactly the way it was when he lived there, which was interesting to see. He had a beautiful music room that housed two pianos and many artifacts from his musical travels, as well as a library with floor to ceiling bookshelves. Here we learned about many of his journeys as well as more about his personal life, which was nice to focus on.
Next we headed to the Terror Museum, a powerful museum that is dedicated to the Nazi and USSR invasion of Hungary. Though many of us know general information about World War II, I am betting there are a number of us who are still naive as to how far the impact of the Nazi reign went (I myself being one of them). This visit was a very moving experience, and I believe this museum is one of the most creative and realistic ones I have ever been to. It is comprised of several floors (the building is taller than it is wide) and takes you on a maze-like tour throughout the years of the occupation. We learned how it affected churches, peasants, government, and many other aspects of Hungarian life. Did I mention the building is one that was used as a torture building during the time of the Nazi reign? We were able to take an elevator down to see some of the torture chambers, which was a terrifying but very eye-opening experience. If anyone who is reading this ever wants to come to Budapest, I would highly suggest attending this museum. I would say it is definitely the highest quality museum that I have ever been to.
Lastly, we attended a dinner that featured a live gypsy band performance! They were phenomenal. They played many of our requests (one being the solfege song from the Sound of Music- how appropriate) and made the dining experience lots of fun. For being a band of only four I was impressed with how loud their sound was, and the range of songs they were able to play. Again, if anyone is planning on visiting here I think this is something you should experience!
Jessica Nordenson
Today was a very busy day here for us, so I will provide you all with a quick synopsis of each event that we attended. To start the morning off, we toured the Budapest Museum that featured quite a few works of art depicting many events in Hungarian history. This museum featured a varied collection of pieces, including abstract, classical, impressionist, carved works, etc. Overall, we were highly impressed! Many of the pieces were very moving- for example, we looked at a painting that depicted a Hungarian man killing his wife and then committing suicide when they were about to be captured by the Turkish. It sounds gruesome, I know, but it was in reality a very deep history lesson about Hungary.
After attending the museum we visited the flat of Zoltan Kodály, a musician, composer, and pedagogical genius whom we have been studying. It was small but quite beautiful, and featured many of his works. The flat is kept almost exactly the way it was when he lived there, which was interesting to see. He had a beautiful music room that housed two pianos and many artifacts from his musical travels, as well as a library with floor to ceiling bookshelves. Here we learned about many of his journeys as well as more about his personal life, which was nice to focus on.
Next we headed to the Terror Museum, a powerful museum that is dedicated to the Nazi and USSR invasion of Hungary. Though many of us know general information about World War II, I am betting there are a number of us who are still naive as to how far the impact of the Nazi reign went (I myself being one of them). This visit was a very moving experience, and I believe this museum is one of the most creative and realistic ones I have ever been to. It is comprised of several floors (the building is taller than it is wide) and takes you on a maze-like tour throughout the years of the occupation. We learned how it affected churches, peasants, government, and many other aspects of Hungarian life. Did I mention the building is one that was used as a torture building during the time of the Nazi reign? We were able to take an elevator down to see some of the torture chambers, which was a terrifying but very eye-opening experience. If anyone who is reading this ever wants to come to Budapest, I would highly suggest attending this museum. I would say it is definitely the highest quality museum that I have ever been to.
Lastly, we attended a dinner that featured a live gypsy band performance! They were phenomenal. They played many of our requests (one being the solfege song from the Sound of Music- how appropriate) and made the dining experience lots of fun. For being a band of only four I was impressed with how loud their sound was, and the range of songs they were able to play. Again, if anyone is planning on visiting here I think this is something you should experience!
Jessica Nordenson
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
January 21-Exploring Budapest
We began our first full day in Budapest with a wonderful breakfast at our hotel. We had plans to attend a lecture at the Franz Liszt music academy, but our guide at the academy was ill. Professor Sletto and our tour guide Szilvia improvised and arranged a guided tour through the Hungarian Parliament instead. The building is massive and absolutely beautiful. There were many parts of the building that was original, but most of the inside and all of the windows have been renovated since WWII. Much of Budapest was destroyed during WWII, so many buildings in the area surrounding the Parliament have been rebuilt since. The Parliament houses both of their political bodies, the House of Commons and the Senate. These used to be called the Lower and the Upper house. We were able to view the Senate, the former Upper house. It symbolically had blue carpet, as opposed to the red carpet in the rest of the building and the Lower house, because the Upper house was traditionally made up of blue bloods.
After the guided tour of the Hungarian Parliament, we traveled to the Budapest markets. The vendor booths were housed in an old train station. There were three levels of vendors selling their goods. The first floor had fresh produce, meats, and pastries. The second floor had multiple different vendors selling anything from souvenirs to china and purses to intricate lace doilies. The third floor had more merchandise and restaurants. Many of us had much success at the markets.
Touring the Parliament and market took us into the late afternoon. Many of us headed back to the hotel to relax and we all had dinner on our own. It is hard to believe our trip is almost over. We are looking forward to our last few days in Europe and then returning to the states.
After the guided tour of the Hungarian Parliament, we traveled to the Budapest markets. The vendor booths were housed in an old train station. There were three levels of vendors selling their goods. The first floor had fresh produce, meats, and pastries. The second floor had multiple different vendors selling anything from souvenirs to china and purses to intricate lace doilies. The third floor had more merchandise and restaurants. Many of us had much success at the markets.
Touring the Parliament and market took us into the late afternoon. Many of us headed back to the hotel to relax and we all had dinner on our own. It is hard to believe our trip is almost over. We are looking forward to our last few days in Europe and then returning to the states.
From the Goat Town to the Big City
The flat countryside of Hungary is reminiscent of the Iowa cornfields we left two weeks ago today. As we rode in our bus from the small goat town of Kecskemet to the capital city of Budapest, reminiscent visions of the midwest came and went, but any desire we may have had to return home was offset by the anxious exitement of being in a brand new place. The metro area of Budapest is roughly 3.5 million people in total, although population of the city itself is closer to 2 million. Still, this makes it the largest city in Hungary. First settled by seven Hungarian tribes in the 9th century, the city has been in the hands of numerous peoples, both Asiatic and European. For being considered one of the most beautiful cities in eastern Europe, Hungary has seen its share of violence and power changing hands from one group to the other, the most recent shift being that from the communist Soviet Union to becoming its own independent republic. Originally, Budapest was 3 separate cities: Buda, Óbuda, and Pest, but in 1873 the 3 cities were unified into a single city named Budapest, on the east and west bank of the river Danube. The east bank is the Pest bank, which is about twice as large as the Buda bank on the west side of the river.
Our first stop in Budapest was at a large square with a war memorial. Built as a tribute to all those who had died in allegiance to Hungary, we found ourselves surrounded on one side by enormous statues of famous Hungarian kings, politicians, and war heroes. The square itself featured a large pillar about 50 meters tall, near which a plaque was placed in the ground serving as the commemoration of the memorial. This served as a somber reminder of the price of "independence," and it was interesting to hear our Hungarian tour guide speak with such reverence to their long, rich history.
We arrived at our hotel, and after a brief orientation session, we decided to go as a group to a Hungarian bathhouse, which drew all of its hot water directly from one of the 80 geothermal springs in the area. The design of the baths themselves was very baroque, with a great deal of ornamentation and elaborate detail, which really contributed to the historical feeling of our experience in the city. Another thing that contributed to this historical aesthetic (although maybe not to the same extent) was the subwaz that we rode to the bathhouse. The line 1, which we rode, was built in 1896, making it the second oldest subway line in the world. Going through the stations was an incredible experience, as much of the decor has been preserved (refurbished, but kept in its original orientation). All in all, not a bad first day in Budapest. The historical significance and the cultural aesthetic of the city are sure to keep us enchanted in the days to come.
Our first stop in Budapest was at a large square with a war memorial. Built as a tribute to all those who had died in allegiance to Hungary, we found ourselves surrounded on one side by enormous statues of famous Hungarian kings, politicians, and war heroes. The square itself featured a large pillar about 50 meters tall, near which a plaque was placed in the ground serving as the commemoration of the memorial. This served as a somber reminder of the price of "independence," and it was interesting to hear our Hungarian tour guide speak with such reverence to their long, rich history.
We arrived at our hotel, and after a brief orientation session, we decided to go as a group to a Hungarian bathhouse, which drew all of its hot water directly from one of the 80 geothermal springs in the area. The design of the baths themselves was very baroque, with a great deal of ornamentation and elaborate detail, which really contributed to the historical feeling of our experience in the city. Another thing that contributed to this historical aesthetic (although maybe not to the same extent) was the subwaz that we rode to the bathhouse. The line 1, which we rode, was built in 1896, making it the second oldest subway line in the world. Going through the stations was an incredible experience, as much of the decor has been preserved (refurbished, but kept in its original orientation). All in all, not a bad first day in Budapest. The historical significance and the cultural aesthetic of the city are sure to keep us enchanted in the days to come.
Monday, January 21, 2013
A Walk Through Goat Town
We began our day with a guided tour throughout the town of Kecskemet, which when translated means goat. The town is home to around 114 thousand people who come from a wide range of religious backgrounds. One big characteristic of this town in the vast variety of religious denominations and the churches that they belong too. We got the chance to enter into one of the churches and get a look at the styles that were used. The church was made up of a rock material that was made to resemble lime stone. This material was used a lot in churches and town buildings because lime stone was not a common material in the surrounding area for people to use.
The second building we entered was the Kecskemet city hall, which was built in 1893. The styles of architecture used in this building resemble traits of Renaisance and Baroque. In the main room of the building featured portaits of beautiful depictions of the kings and rulers of Hungary. The city hall is also the place that features bells that ring throughout the day. It is the music that these bells play that Zoltan Koday used as the basis for one of his works.
Throughout the rest of the tour we became more accustomed with the history of Kecskemet as well as looking at many of the different buildings and monuments. One of the more interesting monuments was a structure that sat at the very center of the town showing the names and directions of all the surrounding towns and how far away each was from that point.
We all then spent the rest of the day relaxing and wandering about the town on our own until it was time for our group dinner. The dinner was at a very nice restaurant located in the middle of the town. The three-course meal provided to us was of all Hungarian foods. After dinner, we all went back and prepared for our trip to Budapest, Hungary.
The second building we entered was the Kecskemet city hall, which was built in 1893. The styles of architecture used in this building resemble traits of Renaisance and Baroque. In the main room of the building featured portaits of beautiful depictions of the kings and rulers of Hungary. The city hall is also the place that features bells that ring throughout the day. It is the music that these bells play that Zoltan Koday used as the basis for one of his works.
Throughout the rest of the tour we became more accustomed with the history of Kecskemet as well as looking at many of the different buildings and monuments. One of the more interesting monuments was a structure that sat at the very center of the town showing the names and directions of all the surrounding towns and how far away each was from that point.
We all then spent the rest of the day relaxing and wandering about the town on our own until it was time for our group dinner. The dinner was at a very nice restaurant located in the middle of the town. The three-course meal provided to us was of all Hungarian foods. After dinner, we all went back and prepared for our trip to Budapest, Hungary.
Friday, January 18, 2013
January 18, 2013
We began our day by heading to the first of our two schools we had on our agenda. There we met the deputy principal of the Kodaly School. She gave us a little background of the Kodaly approach as well as some history of the school. She explained that the school began in 1950 here in Kecskemet and stressed that it is not a school for musicians but Kodaly began the school with the intentions of bringing music back into the general classroom as a way to reach all students, musically inclined or not. The music lessons begin as a part of the school day at the age of six with basic musical reading and writing. Here, as we saw in one of our observations, teachers use folk and childrens songs and games to get the students involved. Beginning in the 5th grade students are expected to participate in choirs that rehearse 2 hours at the end of the school day. The school provides both primary and secondary schooling. Along with their lessons students may also select an instrument to study. The most popular being the piano followed by the flute, cello, and percussion. The principal concluded by describing the admittance process, stating that the students need to audition. This features rhythmic games, nursery rhymes, and singing.
Following our introduction to the school we observed a first grade class during their music lesson. The teacher began the class with a song using solfege hand signs which assigns a motion to specific notes. There were a few similarities that I noticed between this class and some of the lessons we had previously observed in other schools. For example, this teacher used both movements and music to engage the students as well as teach them the lesson. I also found it interesting how many students were eager to volunteer to sing for the whole class as well as the large group of observers in the back. I remember being terrified in music classes that the teacher was going to make me sing alone. The class continued with the students putting their heads on the desk while the teacher sang different pitches and the students being able to raise their hands when they recognized a certain pitch.
Our class then went on to observe a 7th grade class that was very advanced. To be honest as a health science student I could not recognize much of what they were doing. Our professor told us that they were performing at the level of a sophomore music student and the majority of the 7th graders had no intention of pursuing music as a career. I was blown away by their ability to determine the chords the teacher was playing on the piano after just hearing it twice.
Our trip to the second school was a little bit shorter but filled with more history on Kodaly himself. We met with a professor at the Kodaly Institue which is meant to instruct future music teachers through the bachelor and masters programs. The professor explained that Kodaly (1882-1967) moved around a lot with his family growing up due to his fathers career. The numerous exposures to different musical styles lead to his wide range of interests. In 1900 he moved to Budapest to study music which lead to a partnership with Bella Bartock in 1905. Together they gathered Hungarian folk music which Kodaly used for his doctoral thesis. While teaching at the Academy of Music he was commissioned to write a piece for the 50th anniversary of the uniting of 3 Hungarian areas. The sound the women of the choir was not strong enough so he enlisted the help of a boys choir which in turn sparked his interest in childrens choirs. Kodaly then began the school in his hometown of Kesckemet that we first visited. Our class ended with the teacher putting a melody on the board for us to sing in solfege. Needless to say it was not the easiest for some of us but by the end we were starting to understand. I now have a greater respect for those students that are going into teaching music!
Following our introduction to the school we observed a first grade class during their music lesson. The teacher began the class with a song using solfege hand signs which assigns a motion to specific notes. There were a few similarities that I noticed between this class and some of the lessons we had previously observed in other schools. For example, this teacher used both movements and music to engage the students as well as teach them the lesson. I also found it interesting how many students were eager to volunteer to sing for the whole class as well as the large group of observers in the back. I remember being terrified in music classes that the teacher was going to make me sing alone. The class continued with the students putting their heads on the desk while the teacher sang different pitches and the students being able to raise their hands when they recognized a certain pitch.
Our class then went on to observe a 7th grade class that was very advanced. To be honest as a health science student I could not recognize much of what they were doing. Our professor told us that they were performing at the level of a sophomore music student and the majority of the 7th graders had no intention of pursuing music as a career. I was blown away by their ability to determine the chords the teacher was playing on the piano after just hearing it twice.
Our trip to the second school was a little bit shorter but filled with more history on Kodaly himself. We met with a professor at the Kodaly Institue which is meant to instruct future music teachers through the bachelor and masters programs. The professor explained that Kodaly (1882-1967) moved around a lot with his family growing up due to his fathers career. The numerous exposures to different musical styles lead to his wide range of interests. In 1900 he moved to Budapest to study music which lead to a partnership with Bella Bartock in 1905. Together they gathered Hungarian folk music which Kodaly used for his doctoral thesis. While teaching at the Academy of Music he was commissioned to write a piece for the 50th anniversary of the uniting of 3 Hungarian areas. The sound the women of the choir was not strong enough so he enlisted the help of a boys choir which in turn sparked his interest in childrens choirs. Kodaly then began the school in his hometown of Kesckemet that we first visited. Our class ended with the teacher putting a melody on the board for us to sing in solfege. Needless to say it was not the easiest for some of us but by the end we were starting to understand. I now have a greater respect for those students that are going into teaching music!
January 17, Vienna and Kecskemet
This morning we had a few free hours to finish exploring Vienna before boarding our private bus for Kecskemet. Most of the group decided to take a tour of the Imperial Palace, where we wandered through the Sisi Museum (Sisi was Empress Elizabeth's family name) and the Imperial Apartments, where Emperor Franz Joseph and Empress Elizabeth lived during the winter. During the other seasons, they lived in Schonbrunn Palace, also located in Vienna. But given the short time we had, we weren't able to make it to that one. The Sisi Museum provided an audio guide of Sisi's fascinating life, from her happy childhood to her marriage to Franz Joseph, which resulted almost immediately in a feeling that she had lost her freedom in life. Depression set in for Elizabeth, and only worsened when her first child died at the age of 2 from dysentary and her second child committed suicide later in life. After her son, Rudolph, committed suicide, Sisi became completely withdrawn from her family, friends, and life in general. She did not fulfill any parental, family, or even royal duties other than the ones she desired. Nonetheless, Franz Joseph loved her with all his heart and continued to dote on her and give her whatever she pleased.
Sisi's only moments of happiness were when she "escaped" Vienna and the palace life, either through horseback riding, traveling (preferably by ship), or her excessive exercise routine. The first two pasttimes allowed Sisi to feel danger, which she liked because she wished to die, as her youngest daughter had sadly recorded in one of her diaries. The final pasttime, exercising, was due to Sisi's obsession with maintaining her slender 5'8", 99-105 lb figure. She exercised for hours each day and often fasted. Sisi was also obsessed with maintaining her beauty, particularly her long, thick hair. She spent several hours each day treating and maintaining it.
After having four children and becoming even more withdrawn and displeased with life, Sisi was stabbed while traveling in Geneva, Switzerland. While it was a rather gloomy story, the museum did a beautiful job of telling about her life and portraying portraits and items to reflect the timeline. The museum was immediately followed by the Imperial Apartments, where we first viewed all of the rooms in Franz Joseph's wing and then entered all of Sisi's rooms after. They did not sleep together, and in fact Emperor Franz Joseph had to ring the doorbell even to get into Sisi's wing to visit her on the rare occassions she was not traveling. The rooms were very Baroque style, with gold and royal red painting, furniture, and carpet.
After the museum, we boarded our bus and headed for Hungary. We were initially a little nervous, because the Hungary borders had been closed only an hour before we left due to the bad weather (continuous snow all morning). We made it safely by 7 pm, but not without several traffic delays. Our groups then split up for a quick dinner on there own and we all took an early night to bed to get ready for a big day at the Kodaly Institute tomorrow.
Sisi's only moments of happiness were when she "escaped" Vienna and the palace life, either through horseback riding, traveling (preferably by ship), or her excessive exercise routine. The first two pasttimes allowed Sisi to feel danger, which she liked because she wished to die, as her youngest daughter had sadly recorded in one of her diaries. The final pasttime, exercising, was due to Sisi's obsession with maintaining her slender 5'8", 99-105 lb figure. She exercised for hours each day and often fasted. Sisi was also obsessed with maintaining her beauty, particularly her long, thick hair. She spent several hours each day treating and maintaining it.
After having four children and becoming even more withdrawn and displeased with life, Sisi was stabbed while traveling in Geneva, Switzerland. While it was a rather gloomy story, the museum did a beautiful job of telling about her life and portraying portraits and items to reflect the timeline. The museum was immediately followed by the Imperial Apartments, where we first viewed all of the rooms in Franz Joseph's wing and then entered all of Sisi's rooms after. They did not sleep together, and in fact Emperor Franz Joseph had to ring the doorbell even to get into Sisi's wing to visit her on the rare occassions she was not traveling. The rooms were very Baroque style, with gold and royal red painting, furniture, and carpet.
After the museum, we boarded our bus and headed for Hungary. We were initially a little nervous, because the Hungary borders had been closed only an hour before we left due to the bad weather (continuous snow all morning). We made it safely by 7 pm, but not without several traffic delays. Our groups then split up for a quick dinner on there own and we all took an early night to bed to get ready for a big day at the Kodaly Institute tomorrow.
Thursday, January 17, 2013
A Taste of Vienna
Sadly, it is time to leave Salzburg. We had a great time there as a group seeing all the sights and enjoying being surrounded by the mountains. The travel time from Salzburg to Vienna was only a two hour train ride, so we were there in no time at all. Our hotel was not quite as nice as the previous stops, and seemed to be more like a hostel, but we will only be there for one night. We had to say goodbye to our wonderful guide Manuela shortly after arriving. We are sure going to miss her! We sang her the goodbye song from the Sound of Music with personalized lyrics, so we hope she liked it.
We went to a small cafe for lunch, and afterwords went out walking to explore Vienna. The first stop was the opera house of the city. Vienna is known for their operas, and I definitely would have tried to go, but we had too little time in the city. We then traveled farther to the city center, which is the oldest part of the city and functions now as a tourist attraction with a lot of shopping options. The stores there are way out of the range of a college student, especially Kohlmarkt street with stores such as Gucci, Dolce and Gabana, Tiffany and Co., and a bunch of other ridiculously expensive shops. We went inside one to check a price, and they did not even display price tags on the clothes. The St. Stephens cathedral is right in the heart of oldtown, and it is absolutely beautiful. It was completed in 1160, and features Gothic and Romanesque style architecture. The last stop on our short exploration of the city were the Imperial Apartments of the Hapsburg dynasty. They are available for tour, so we will probably come back tomorrow to check them out.
Before our guide Manuela left us, we asked her for a restaurant recommendation, and she suggested Augustiner Keller. The restaurant is located in a renovated section of a very old monastery. The restaurant featured vaulted brick ceilings, and multiple rooms that were all different from each other in their shape and size. Several of us ordered traditional Austrian meals such as wienerschnitzel or gulash, and it was delicious. Tomorrow will sadly already be our last in Austria, and I definitely want to come back someday to see all the amazing sites this historic city has to offer!
We went to a small cafe for lunch, and afterwords went out walking to explore Vienna. The first stop was the opera house of the city. Vienna is known for their operas, and I definitely would have tried to go, but we had too little time in the city. We then traveled farther to the city center, which is the oldest part of the city and functions now as a tourist attraction with a lot of shopping options. The stores there are way out of the range of a college student, especially Kohlmarkt street with stores such as Gucci, Dolce and Gabana, Tiffany and Co., and a bunch of other ridiculously expensive shops. We went inside one to check a price, and they did not even display price tags on the clothes. The St. Stephens cathedral is right in the heart of oldtown, and it is absolutely beautiful. It was completed in 1160, and features Gothic and Romanesque style architecture. The last stop on our short exploration of the city were the Imperial Apartments of the Hapsburg dynasty. They are available for tour, so we will probably come back tomorrow to check them out.
Before our guide Manuela left us, we asked her for a restaurant recommendation, and she suggested Augustiner Keller. The restaurant is located in a renovated section of a very old monastery. The restaurant featured vaulted brick ceilings, and multiple rooms that were all different from each other in their shape and size. Several of us ordered traditional Austrian meals such as wienerschnitzel or gulash, and it was delicious. Tomorrow will sadly already be our last in Austria, and I definitely want to come back someday to see all the amazing sites this historic city has to offer!
January 15th
We went back to the Carl Orff institute this morning to observe classes. The first was a class of college-age students learning Orff techniques of movement and dance. They did not speak much English, but we understood that they were learning to work with partners as well as do a lot of improvising and choreographing their own routines. It was interesting to see the contrast in teaching approaches from Joaquin Dalcroz, as well as the difference in skill level for different ages. After that class, we split into two groups. One group observed a class of mentally disabled students ranging from about 16 to senior citizens. They played music and did some dancing, and the students got to participate. The other group watched a video about teaching music to mentally disabled people of all ages, then got to use some of the techniques, such as improvisation, on a set of drums.
After the institute, a majority of the students went to lunch at a market just down the street before taking the bus back to the city center of Salzburg. We had some free time so we split into groups, a majority of which went shopping or to get coffee. Then we met up again to take an audio guided tour of the Salzburg Museum. There was a lot to learn in the museum about the history of Salzburg, and a lot of artifacts to go along with it. What stood out the most to me and a couple others were the ceilings of the building. Almost all of them were domed, with three dimensional figures or designs that were hand painted and very beautiful. The audio guides were a bit lengthy however, and had a lot of banter so it was difficult to listen to everything.
For dinner, a lot of us got some unique sandwiches from a vendor on the street. They were similar to a Gyro, with lamb, lettuce, tomato, and cucumber sauce. But, instead of a pita they were served on toasted buns. Very delicious. That night we went to a very unique brewery in new town owned by Monks. It was a good chance to socialize with the professors a bit more, and we ended up staying there and playing cards until they turned the lights out on us.
After the institute, a majority of the students went to lunch at a market just down the street before taking the bus back to the city center of Salzburg. We had some free time so we split into groups, a majority of which went shopping or to get coffee. Then we met up again to take an audio guided tour of the Salzburg Museum. There was a lot to learn in the museum about the history of Salzburg, and a lot of artifacts to go along with it. What stood out the most to me and a couple others were the ceilings of the building. Almost all of them were domed, with three dimensional figures or designs that were hand painted and very beautiful. The audio guides were a bit lengthy however, and had a lot of banter so it was difficult to listen to everything.
For dinner, a lot of us got some unique sandwiches from a vendor on the street. They were similar to a Gyro, with lamb, lettuce, tomato, and cucumber sauce. But, instead of a pita they were served on toasted buns. Very delicious. That night we went to a very unique brewery in new town owned by Monks. It was a good chance to socialize with the professors a bit more, and we ended up staying there and playing cards until they turned the lights out on us.
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
ONWARD TO VIENNA AND HUNGARY
Students have been most attentive, respective, and timely. We now leave the beautiful city of Salzburg and take a train to Vienna, home of our tour guide, Manuela. We will hate to see her leave us, but alas a new tour guide, Zilvia, will take us to Keckemet. KeckKemet is the birthplace of Kodaly, Zoltan where the primary schools still use his approach. From there we end our tour in Budapest.
Keep watching this blog for further updates, all written by our wonderful students!
Keep watching this blog for further updates, all written by our wonderful students!
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
January 14th; Karl Orff Institue
The day started with the entire group taking the public buses out of the center of town to the Karl Orff Institute. We were met at the institute by the director who gave us a tour of the music portion of the Universität Mozartem. We got to look into a few of the classrooms, see their "cafeteria," which consisted of two vending machines and some tables, as well as the theater, student lounge, and see the workshop where they build the mallet instruments that Orff is so well-known for using in his teaching (xylophones).
After our tour we attended a lecture that, though quite interesting, at an hour and a half in length, got to be a little long for everyone. We learned about Karl Orff's childhood and how he came to develop the method of teaching music known as Orff-Schelwurk. We also learned about the people crucial in aiding the development of this methodology, as well as listening to recordings as well as watch of video of one of his main influencers teaching students and performing. Following the lecture we had a workshop on body percussion and movement. Our instructor had us completing activities that tested how good the group's rhythm and coordination was. We would have to move our feet to keep the beat, while clapping or patting a different rhythm with our hands while singing/chanting something else. A large portion of the opening activity was completed in call and response, and we learned multiple different actions. We would get split into different groups and we would have to keep two or more different rhythm patterns going simultaneously. The juxtaposition of the rhythms in each group made this activity difficult. The last activity of this type that we completed had 4 different patterns going, with 4 different phrases to go with that matched the rhythms. Each group had to develop their own body percussion pattern that we then put together with other groups to see how they lined up. This task was especially interesting to see how well things landed together when the groups had been working completely separately from each other. We also did some improvisation exercises on our own and with partners, and individual people in the group got the opportunity to lead everyone in a rhythm pattern.
At this point there was some confusion, as the director of the institution thought that we were going to be staying for the entire day, while the group's schedules included a free afternoon. So our two professors stuck around for the entire day while the rest of the group split up. Part of the group went to the top of the mountain the a few students had travelled to the day before. The rest of the group went for lunch, shopping, and the fortress, Hohensalzburg. It was a very educational and enjoyable day for all.
After our tour we attended a lecture that, though quite interesting, at an hour and a half in length, got to be a little long for everyone. We learned about Karl Orff's childhood and how he came to develop the method of teaching music known as Orff-Schelwurk. We also learned about the people crucial in aiding the development of this methodology, as well as listening to recordings as well as watch of video of one of his main influencers teaching students and performing. Following the lecture we had a workshop on body percussion and movement. Our instructor had us completing activities that tested how good the group's rhythm and coordination was. We would have to move our feet to keep the beat, while clapping or patting a different rhythm with our hands while singing/chanting something else. A large portion of the opening activity was completed in call and response, and we learned multiple different actions. We would get split into different groups and we would have to keep two or more different rhythm patterns going simultaneously. The juxtaposition of the rhythms in each group made this activity difficult. The last activity of this type that we completed had 4 different patterns going, with 4 different phrases to go with that matched the rhythms. Each group had to develop their own body percussion pattern that we then put together with other groups to see how they lined up. This task was especially interesting to see how well things landed together when the groups had been working completely separately from each other. We also did some improvisation exercises on our own and with partners, and individual people in the group got the opportunity to lead everyone in a rhythm pattern.
At this point there was some confusion, as the director of the institution thought that we were going to be staying for the entire day, while the group's schedules included a free afternoon. So our two professors stuck around for the entire day while the rest of the group split up. Part of the group went to the top of the mountain the a few students had travelled to the day before. The rest of the group went for lunch, shopping, and the fortress, Hohensalzburg. It was a very educational and enjoyable day for all.
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