Tag Archives: learn

Give Tchaikovsky a Try

By Nikhita Datar

Edited by Natalie Grace Sipula

I’ve been surrounded by music for as long as I can remember. Whether it was in dance classes, family gatherings, or elementary school choral concerts, something about the infinite number of possibilities of different instruments and sounds that create music has always captivated me. By combining different fundamental frequencies and pitches from the music scale, you can create wildly different pieces of music, and I think that is amazing. 

Photo by Stefany Andrade on Unsplash

I began playing the violin at a really young age. I initially resented the idea of consistently practicing and standing still with good posture. Above all else, I was frustrated that I was unable to sound like Itzhak Perlman (a famous violinist) no matter how hard I tried. As I got older, I began playing in different orchestras and chamber groups, and the opportunity for me to engage with music in different formats and genres really helped me develop my love and passion for it. I was able to play some of the most iconic pieces of classical music from composers that I admire the most, and I was also able to build some of the most meaningful relationships of my life. During the school year, I would play in my school’s orchestra, play in chamber groups, take private lessons, and prepare for all kinds of concerts year-round. In the summers, I would attend different music programs such as Blue Lake Fine Arts or Interlochen Music Academy. What was originally an overwhelming task became a great passion of mine.

I think that I’ve always known since I picked up the violin for the first time that I wasn’t fully going to pursue a career in music. As much as I love classical music and the art of playing the violin, I knew that the pathway of being a violinist wasn’t the right fit for me. Even so, the notion of throwing away years of private lesson tuition and hard work wasn’t appealing to me. I knew I wanted to keep playing music for the rest of my life, even if this special hobby wasn’t necessarily monetarily profitable. I emphasize the notion of monetary benefits because playing an instrument does indeed have a number of other benefits. It can increase your cognitive abilities and decrease loss of memory. As you play music, there are a million things happening in your brain at once. You’re simultaneously checking your pitch and making sure to land on the right notes in the moment while also reading the key signature and time signature to play in the right key. You always have to read a few notes ahead to prepare yourself for upcoming wonky rhythms and accidentals (a note of a pitch that is not a member of the scale or mode dictated by the key signature, indicated by notation such as the sharp (♯), flat (♭), and natural (♮) symbols). 

Photo by Michel Catalisano on Unsplash

I don’t know if I would necessarily say that playing an instrument has made me smarter, but it certainly has improved my ability to think critically, and think fast. It’s also given me access to a greater community of people who share similar interests and have taught me a lot about the world we live in. Simply listening to classical music, rather than playing, can have so many benefits for your brain as well. I would highly recommend listening to or learning to play classical music to improve your cognitive function. And who knows, you might start to really like it! 

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Unusual Things to Do in L.A.

By Rachel Priebe

Los Angeles is full of many wonderful tourist attractions, making it hard for the average person to get bored. However, as someone who has lived in the area for a while, I often find myself wanting to venture out beyond the Hollywood sign and LACMA. The following is a short list of some of the lesser-known gems I have come across while exploring L.A. These are some of my top “weird” things to do in L.A., but of course, there are many more!

Have a picnic in an abandoned zoo

Located in Griffith Park are the ruins of the old Los Angeles zoo, which closed in 1966 after the opening of the current one. The zoo is now a picnic area and hiking trail and contains old animals cages and exhibits. This is a unique place to see some of the LA views and walk around or have a picnic!

Address: 4801 Griffith Park Dr, Los Angeles, CA 90027

Photo by Rosalind Chang on Unsplash

Explore the Bunny Museum

“The Hoppiest Place on Earth” is a little ways away, located in Altadena (which is right next to Pasadena). While this is a little further away from the USC area than the other places on this list, its novelty is well worth the drive. It contains the world’s largest collection of bunny-related items, such as bunny sculptures, stuffed animals, rose parade floats, and much more. They even have real bunnies that roam the museum!

Address: 2605 Lake Ave, Altadena, CA 91001

Shop at the Oddities Flea Market

This market is usually held at the Globe Theater in early October. It is for lovers of the macabre and contains vendors selling abnormal decor, jewelry, and much more. This is a great place to check out if you want to get some unusual accessories or buy a unique gift for a friend.

Address: 740 S Broadway, Los Angeles, CA 90014

Attend a free class at the Hypnosis Motivation Institute (HMI)

Founded in 1968, this college trains students to become licensed hypnotherapists. If you want to get a taste of what students learn there, you can attend one of their free classes. These classes are only two and a half hours long on a weekday evening. They offer several free classes each month. They are on unusual subjects, such as energy healing, dream therapy and self-hypnosis.

Address: 18607 Ventura Blvd Suite 310, Tarzana, CA 91356

Photo by Clem Onojeghuo on Unsplash

Visit the Museum of Death

This is the perfect place to visit in October to get into the Halloween spirit! That is, if you can handle its rather disturbing content. It is located right on Hollywood Boulevard and contains a collection of artifacts and art related to death. Among other items, it contains taxidermied animals, crime scene photographs, and letters written by serial killers. It isn’t a traditional museum experience, but it is definitely an interesting activity to fill your day!

Address: 6031 Hollywood Blvd, Hollywood, CA 90028

I hope you enjoyed learning of some of these suggestions for new things to try in LA. While these activities may not be for everyone, there is always some attraction or place to visit in LA that will appeal to your interests!

Featured Image by kaleb tapp on Unsplash

Rachel is a recent USC graduate who studied Film and Television Production. In her free time, she enjoys public speaking, volunteering, and filmmaking, particularly documentary filmmaking. She was born and raised in Southern California, but enjoys traveling and has been all over North America and Europe. She spent her first semester of college in Paris and has been studying French for a number of years.

Rediscover Your Future Prospects

By Iric Hong

Edited by Natalie Grace Sipula

[3 minute read]

With the outcome of the COVID-19 pandemic still relatively unknown, it has become harder and harder to predict what the future will hold. With that in mind, it is equally difficult to plan ahead, whether your plans are for schooling, job prospects, or even something as personal as one’s own health concerns. Especially with the current status quo of American politics, it is very difficult to formulate a game plan to tackle future obstacles. While the future has in the past been a lit street with diverging paths, this same future is now a foggy street with low visibility and there is no one to rely on but yourself and your ingenuity. How can you take advantage of the resources around you to light your path?

Some things that I have found that are of great value during this time did not seem like an option for me during less stressful times. But now that most outside activities are prohibited, the only thing people can do is utilize the online resources we have at our disposal. The first thing that I found very helpful in relighting my future path was Linkedin Learning. Previously known as Lynda, this has been a resource that was available to anyone who seeks it; the only issue was the amount of time we had on our hands. Now things are different, and we do have the time to manually relight the path to our desired future. 

Photo by Mimi Thian on Unsplash

Linkedin Learning is available through your USC account and comes with a myriad of courses that ranges from business skills to creative design, and even more technical computer skills. So whether you had your eyes set on one specific goal or you had no tangible goal yet, there are many concepts that can be explored on Linkedin Learning. As a matter of fact, the resources on the platform could very easily help you narrow down your desired path. I, for example, had the opportunity to explore various types of computer programs that I would have not had the opportunity to explore from just my core courses alone. Therefore, not only can you find new resources to explore personal interests, but this tool can also help give you some direction and skills to follow your desired career path.

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