The first weekend of the new year is traditionally a time of reflecting on the previous year and planning for the next. Although many in the arts have found their work interrupted, this was not the case for me. After starting off the year teaching 100% online, I gradually moved towards a hybrid model of teaching both in-person and online interchangeably. I'll be writing about how I manage the constant switching in the coming weeks. This was also a busy examining year for me. All told, I probably examined around 14-15 weeks out of the year in 2021, hearing close to 1000 online exams over Zoom.
My father's health took a turn for the worse midway through the year, and one of the ways that we were able to connect in his final months was for me to take him in his wheelchair for walks around the neighbourhood of his nursing home whenever weather permitted. The exceedingly warm weather this fall helped, and as the temperature gradually cooled off mid-October, one day I realized that this would probably be the last time I took him out. A few weeks later he lapsed into unconsciousness, passing away at the end of October.
I took an extended hiatus from blogging for the second half of the year. My major writing projects of the year were for periodicals, including This Isn't the New Normal in the NATS Journal of Singing, examining the correlation between the Tambora climate disaster of 1815-16 and the development of lieder as a viable genre, and The Diverse Career in ORMTA Notes, where Amy Boyes interviewed me about various aspects of musical life. My favorite performing project of the year was HBD!Project's May Your June Be Proud.
2021 was an unusually active year for reading, and I got through 36 books. My resolution for reading in 2022 is to read perhaps less books in total, but read them more deeply, as well as rereading some of the books that I found most meaningful in previous years. Non-fiction about learning and neuroscience, getting through sizeable novels, and exploring poetry are my main interests right now.
Here are some articles from around the web to help you get 2022 underway in an auspicious manner:
- How to read canonical Western literature - If you're going to make it through major works on your reading list, you might as well do it right. Rereading, reflection, and building context all go into this excellent guide by Tyler Cowen. Also read Nate Meyvis' response.
- 22 Possible Goals for 2022 - This short guide from Nicholas Bate lists the essentials, starting off with small habits that can go a long way.
- How to measure meaning in life - We're all on the hunt for more meaning and satisfaction in life. But how can you quantify it? Anne-Laure Le Cunff takes us through the basic questions of the Meaning in Life Questionnaire.
Best of luck to all your endeavours in 2022! Although we're starting out the year with a high caseload nearly everywhere, I'm still hopeful that things will return to normal in the coming months, whatever that might mean.
As always, please feel free to respond to these newsletters any time. You can find me on Facebook or Twitter, and you're always welcome to hit respond and tell me what you're up to.
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Wendy's latest Tiny Delights #52, 53, and 54 (Lava Series) have a temporary home in my studio, but if you would like these three beauties to grace your own walls, you can purchase them on our website.