Orientation

Today was our first day of orientation at the Sherman Street Event. This building, built sometime in the 1920s, had six floors. The top three were completely open and contained a large auditorium. Orientation started with a short performance of last semester's show. I found myself getting really psyched because there was a large guitar part in three of the four songs that were performed. Actually watching an Up With People performance for the second time really helped me focus on my hopes for the next six months.

I was able to meet Michael Bowerman today. Michael is our show director and will begin teaching us tomorrow about our role in this semester's music. Fortunately, I was able to have a long talk with him today. He said that the guitar part for this show segment will be presented to me in cord charts. He stressed the importance of every musician's ability to make their part fresh and unique. The UWP show is very similar from semester to semester, so it is important for each student to receive their part and really run with it. This of course was music to my ears because I had imagined myself becoming glued to a sheet of music. Michael really is a neat guy. He has actually written several pieces that are performed in the Up With People show. I hope to become closer to him this month and really match his needs.

Right now, the guys and I are back it Colleen's, doing our nightly ritual. This ritual consists of drinking our Colorado jazz Pepsi and sitting around our campfire of Mac laptops. Tomorrow we will be getting up at 7:30 and going back to Sherman Street Event complex and begin Up With People!!!