I was really excited when I heard we were going to be attending a concert at Carnegie Hall. I have never been to Carnegie Hall but of course I've heard of it so I knew it was going to be a really unique experience. I have to say that before even learning about the concert we were going to attend , I had assumed it was going to be classical music similar to what we hear on the radio when we tune into a classical music station. Then I heard we were going to go see the "Class of 1978", which was comprised of Chinese composers, and I was honestly surprised.

Attending the Metropolitan Museum of Art was an eye-opening experience for me. I still don't think I fully appreciate the opportunites we as Macaulay Honors Scholars have. The chance to go to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in general is amazing in itself. But we as scholars have the chance to visit the museum for free, whenever we please. I took the opportunity to visit the MOMA after our visit at Carneige Hall with the art director. There were many exhibitions being held at the MOMA, but we (Sara, Ross, and I) decided to take a look at the Monet's Water Lillies exhibition.

My first experience at Carneige Hall was definitely something I will keep in my memory. The Chinese inspired music still flows in my ears. Viewing the five pieces that composed the program we saw that night reminded me of one thing: the cinema. As we discussed in class, I felt I was viewing a horror film throughout most of the program. It began with the first piece. The gentleman walked out on stage, smiling, and sat down in his seat. Then all of a sudden, as if someone shouted "Action!," he completely transformed into character.

As I am not musically literate, I find that it is hard to articulate what I enjoyed about Monday’s concert. My father is a great fan of classical music. I grew up listening to it and attending concerts. I have also worked with Orchestras in various performances I was featured in. To preface this, I used to take singing very seriously. I trained with professional vocal coaches and enjoyed practicing. Yet, I never took the time to seriously learn to read music.