New Blog New Blog New Blog!

New years resolution! As an aspiring arts critic I decided it would be beneficial to create a blog where I could review vocalists. It’ll take the burden off of some of my friends. Check it out!

 

http://thatsingingsnob.wordpress.com/

My apologies

I will resume writing about things that are actually interesting and important once I get through this rough stretch of holiday concerts. Too many personal posts for my taste! 

bitches ain’t shit

Today in biology I cut a fetal pig’s heart clean in half and felt absolutely nothing. Could the symbolism be any more transparent?

Alright Heather, cut the melodrama.

Playing the beautiful loving character that is Hope Cladwell all fall opened my eyes, I think I may be a bitch. At a young age I prided myself on my altruistic personality, now I wonder where that compassion has escaped to. I look at the small handful of people I’ve lost due to my over competitive attitude, low tolerance, and fear of commitment. I see faces that I’m glad have nothing to do with me anymore, and one face that I wish I could make look me in the eyes again.

I think about who I was exactly one year ago. I think about the guy who was supposed to remain my best friend for the rest of my life, the same guy who I can’t even say hello to in class. While I hesitate to throw out the term “used,” I never though I’d be the one taking advantage. I fear heading down the same path again.

Hey listen up!

I’ve got an incredibly talented friend who is a singer songwritter. She just created a Tumblr blog to show off her music and you should all have a listen! Seriously, she’s fantastic, and that’s saying something because I am not one to just hand out compliments.

Here’s the link, spread the love: http://haliebmusic.tumblr.com/

Haters Gonna Hate, Potatoes gonna Potate.

To begin, I’d like to apologize for dropping off the face off wordpress for the last couple of months. The show consumed nearly all of my time, and any free second that it forgot was immediately snatched up by homework. Needless to say, I was pretty swamped.

However, eight packed weeks of nonstop work paid off more than I ever expected. While tackling my part was nerve wracking, frustrating, and very uncomfortable at times, the gratification I received at the end of the process was nothing short of glorious. For that one week of shows, I was a celebrity. Showered in waves of compliments, I had never felt more appreciated.

The celebration came to an abrupt halt when some very startling news met me at school on Monday morning. I was told that a cruel article, relentlessly bashing the show and actors, had been passed out during our Friday night show. As if  from a scene from some crappy teen film, a black hooded mystery person had sneaked in to the auditorium during intermission and threw these papers in to the audience with no remorse. Upon discovery, the papers were collected before any company members had a chance to see them. A destructively curious side of me longed to read the article, while another part of me knew I did not want to see what it said. I am sure you can guess which half ultimately had it’s way.

When I returned home from striking the set on Monday I was sent a link that lead to the article on facebook. Upon reading it, I was devastated. The author acknowledged the quality of my singing, but immediately proceed to say that a different actress deserved the part more.

Oh, the anger.

Rage bubbled up inside of me like a tea kettle on the verge of a boil. I wanted to slam doors, punch walls, and most of all, find this “ghost writer” and give them “a fucking piece of my fucking mind.” I could not believe what I had read. All my hard work put to shame by some faceless stranger behind a screen. For a brief second, the whole show was ruined, soiled by one negative review.

Then, closure.

It is absurd to assume that everyone would like my performance, or even the show. Where there is glory, there is also criticism. While the negative comments hurt, they show me where I have gotten in these past three years of high school drama.  Once a freshman face that no one recognized or knew, I have become a face that inspires these younger students. I have become a face that receives compliments and recognition, but along with this success comes the pain of being disliked. While it may kill in the moment, I have learned to embrace this hatred, because at the end of the day I still have the success that no one can deprive me of.

 

but what about us humanities people?

Disclaimer: This is probably considered a rant, so bear with me. 

A few days ago my brother came home with a paper from his middle school math teacher informing my parents about the “challenge homework” that the class offered. My mother was furious that my brother had not been recommended by the teacher to complete these assignments.

Before I go any further I should clarify that I absolutely despise math, but my brother is definitely an aspiring engineer. Personally, I’ve been an avid fan of English since the fourth grade.

As an English lover, this incident got me thinking. Why are these middle schoolers even offered math “challenge homework” in the first place? This special homework never is offered in English or history, but always seems to be an option in math classes.

At a very young age these kids are already being separated in to  ”good at math” and “bad at math.” While I’m sure that these extra assignments are very beneficial to those who fall under the “good at math” category, what do the “good at English” kids get? Or the “good at history” students? These math challenge assignments only provide a false sense of entitlement. Meanwhile, the students who do not excel in math feel inferior.

Categorizing at such a young age puts kids in a box. Who is to say that just because a kid is not great at math in seventh grade means that he does not stand a chance?

Hey Romney, put a sock in it.

“The district that spent the most per pupil and had the smallest classrooms, Cambridge, those kids were in the bottom 10 percent.”

Not only is the above statement insulting, but it is also false. As a proud, eleventh year Cambridge public school student, I was appalled when I read what Romney said on Tuesday. I’ll let the statistics vouch for my school district’s success http://www.bostonmagazine.com/best-schools-in-boston/index.html.

So I begin to wonder, where exactly is the republican presidential candidate getting his information? MCAS  scores perhaps? I did a quick google search (thank goodness for technology) to see what I could find, and it certainly was not parallel with what Romney is claiming.

Ranked 244th out of 350 in tenth grade English does not sound like the bottom 10% to me, and neither does 154th out of 351 in tenth grade math. I looked at several other 2010 MCAS rankings and while Cambridge never makes the top 10%, we certainly are not at the bottom. Mitt Romney’s comment is rooted in a complete lie. He also neglected to mention Cambridge’s incredibly diverse population. It is difficult to take an English MCAS exam if English is not your first language.

I find it pretty concerning that Romney blatantly lied and has not been called out on it, as someone who’s entire education has been provided by the city of Cambridge it is also insulting to have my entire education slandered.