Student Blogger: Tatiana Atehortua

Overall, I genuinely believe that these past three years have gone exactly as they were meant to, and I wouldn't change a thing. I look forward to growing my skills as a musician outside of the classroom, and I look forward to what comes next. For everyone starting at a new school soon, I hope you have a wonderful time and that you end up doing what you love, whether there are changes to your plans along the way or not.

Remember that there are people who are there to help you if you look in the right places. You are given advisors you can go to, but they don't have to be the only people you seek advice from. There are plenty of professors, or even other students, who will be happy to help you create plans for your classes, and back up plans if things go wrong.

I am constantly trying to discover plays and musicals that are new to me. My feelings on all of them may vary, but they all have a unique place in theatre history. For anyone who enjoys doing the same, I hope your new favorite show is just around the corner!

If you have any free time before or during the semester, I would recommend browsing through some of these resources. They have been useful for helping me through my classes, but they're also just a lot of fun to play around with.

Libraries are amazing because they hold so much content and knowledge, but they're also great public spaces that you can just visit for free. They're great if you want to be by yourself, or if you want to meet people with the same interests as you. If you feel the same way, I hope that you are encouraged to try any of these things, and that you continue advocating for what you are passionate about!

I think that to make the most of your studying, you have to take breaks every now and then, and these activities are good ways to do that while getting in touch with your surroundings.

I think researching this kind of thing is very interesting, because all towns have some time of relationship with their surroundings. It's also very fun to take your other interests (such as musical theatre, for me) and see how they relate to your town's history.

I'm looking forward to seeing what this last semester has in store for me, and I'm excited for what will come my way after I graduate. I hope you all have a fun, exciting semester, and that you accomplish any goals you may have!

My best advice would be: listen to your mentor's suggestions, but don't feel like you have to incorporate everything they say into your performance. Never be afraid to say something like 'can we try it this way instead?' Not all your ideas will stick in the end, but they are all worth trying out.

think by now, everyone knows what plagiarism is, the reasons not to do it, and the consequences of it. Still, many people do it… I'm interested in exploring the reasons that people plagiarize, and what can be done to improve writing skills so that these problems can be avoided.

When it comes to presentations, speeches, or performances, every instance is different. I've had a performance where I was insanely nervous for many days leading up to it. I've had other performances where I was really excited to show what I've worked on to an audience. The thing about anxiety is that you do not have to get rid of it; instead, your goal should be to find different ways of working through it.

The biggest piece of advice I want to give is: don't end the day frustrated. Before you go to bed, reflect on all the work you have done, and be proud of yourself, because it is not easy stuff. Take it one step at a time, because one thing about finals week is that it will always, ALWAYS pass.

This job has been very rewarding, giving me something new to learn each day, whether it be about my school's history, libraries in general, or even myself. Here are some highlights!

The most important thing to keep in mind, in my opinion, is that there is no right or wrong way to be a good student... You know what you need better than anyone else, and as long as you listen to those needs, you are very capable of making it through this semester, and those yet to come!

I truly feel that in the theater community, I never hear musicians talking about their experiences playing in pit orchestras for musicals (plus, that we just tend to be forgotten at times). Therefore, from time to time I'd like to share my experiences as a percussion student playing in school musicals.

I'm Tati, and I am currently in my last year of college studying music performance. Here is a rundown of what is currently going on for me this semester!