School update: Speech presentation, Chicano Studies presentation, Piano quiz

I gave my first presentation in my Speech 101 class today. I got 27/30 points; the only thing I got docked for was going over the time limit. I knew that might be an issue, and I had already cut down on my content to try to get closer to the time. In the morning, I did it in under 5, but I guess I elaborated on a few more things in class than I did in my own living room. That, or my pauses for dramatic effect are longer when I have an audience.=P

I’m happy with the score though, I’d rather have time issues to improve upon than content or delivery issues!

Next stressor: Powerpoint (or in my case, Presentation) show about the Chichimec, Toltec, and Aztec Indians for my Chicano Studies class. Not everyone in my group is pulling their weight, which means someone else has to. I’m also doing all the talking in the presentation, and I have to learn really quickly how to pronounce the names of all the cities and gods of these indigenous groups! *collapses* But I’ll do it, cuz it’s gotta be done! This show has to be put together, and words learned, by two weeks from tomorrow.

I have a quiz tomorrow in my Piano class. I feel pretty good about it, but I felt pretty good about the last one too and I had some trouble with it.

My issue is that the only thing we’ve actually EVER played in front of the professor was that first mini-quiz (C and D major scales in each hand). We’ve never used the keyboards in class as anything more than desks, so when I practiced on my own for the quiz, I was making all the right sounds... However, on quiz day, he corrects us on our posture, hand position, wrist position, tempo, and so forth... So when I raised my wrists a little and turned my thumbs in more, it threw me off! Wish we played in class...

Quiz tomorrow is 5 pieces of 10 notes each (not moving our hands from the keys we start from, in other words), 4 measures each. It’s easy enough, unless the professor throws in some other thing I’m doing wrong to throw me off!

He was pointing out over and over the importance of using a metronome for practice, so I got him to okay using our metronomes for the quiz. Heading over to practice rooms now to practice for the quiz and playing to the metronome. (I downloaded a metronome program for my computer, called Gtick. But I got my physical metronome in the mail this weekend. I love new toys in the mail!)

Notice that I haven’t mentioned anything about my Health class (until right now). We have an exam there a week from today, but I’m not ready to stress on that yet, not until after tomorrow’s piano quiz!