Very interesting about playing the classical composers their way or in a new, innovative way Karoline. I've never really thought about it before.

The first line of this is a veritable deja vu from nearly a year ago, I would say. I haven't bothered to look at your past posts, but I assure you, a nearly identical sentiment is there.

It's always fun to hear from you as a music student with an emphasis on performance. If I went into grad school, it'd be for composition, and probably in the style of early, early pieces. I have never had enough discipline to be anything near a concert pianist (all those rules would break my back from the start), and I'm not gifted enough to have a noteworthy (*ter*rible pun!) career as a vocalist. But I *love* studying the philosophies of music as you do, and in my case, I tend to integrate what I discover into my own creations. I hope to one day write pieces that I am incapable of performing. ;) Eh, Berlioz, right?

Okay, so perhaps I am completely ignorant in the realm of music studies. But I will say that taking something other than your main sphere of interest actually does help in other areas.

For instance--I am not interested at all in literary theory. I would never have taken the class if it weren't a required course offering. However, just halfway through the semester, I can feel myself growing more adept at what I love because of the theory class. I feel like I'm pulling more out of literature than I was before, and that my analyses are growing deeper and more effective. I still loathe the class, and certainly don't want to focus on it for the rest of my life, but I realize the value more now than I did in the beginning. Perhaps it could turn out to be the same in music schools?

And I thought that Chapel Hill offered a performance track. Or is that just for undergrads?