"It's My Life..." :)

For my final project in SSS I decided to make a flower to help show my journey before, during, and after this first semester at Converse. I began by cutting out some grass. On the grass I wrote a few of the main things that I stood by before I got to Converse. Those things were God, my family, my friends, and music. All of these things make me who I am and helped me get here in my life journey. Then i made a stem, and on the stem I put two leaves. The leaves represented my Mommy and my Daddy. I wouldn't have been able to get where I am today without the love and support of my parents. I am so grateful that I have two amazing parents that will support me in all that I do in life. They are the most amazing people in my life and I wouldn't have made it without them. When it came time to make the petals, I picked quotes of songs and people that best represented what I've learned while I've been here at Converse. They were mostly Taylor Swift quotes because she's my favorite of course! Below I will list each quote and why I chose it:

     "I'm just a girl, trying to find a place in this world." - I've realized that I'm just like everyone else in this crazy world. I'm just living each day trying to figure out what exactly my role is; what I'm made for.

     "Procrastination does NOT build character." - My friend Katie wrote a paper last year entitled "Procrastination Builds Character." This first semester at Converse I've come to find that statement COMPLETELY false. Procrastination only causes stress and major fatigue.

     "Stay Beautiful" - I've always told myself this really, but while I've been at Converse I've thought about it more and more. I know that no matter what situations I find myself in or what circumstances I'm dealing with, I promise to always stay true to who I am. I just want to be me. :)

     "Time management is key" - In college especially, time is everything. I've learned to plan my days out very carefully or I won't get my work done.

     "If you're lucky enough to be different from everybody else, don't change." - I've realized that I am a very unique individual. I have my quirks just like everyone else. And I've also realized that I love being me! I'm so glad God shaped me the way He did, because I am a child of God and that's an amazing thing to be able to say.

     "Appreciate the little things." - In college you learn to appreciate every little moment you have to yourself. Whether it's a fifteen minute nap or a stroll across campus, I've learned to really enjoy the "me" time I get.

     "Being fearless isn't being 100% not fearful, it's being terrified but jumping anyway." - This is something I'm still working on as we speak. I have a real problem with performance anxiety. I get really anxious when I know I have to play cello for someone. I start shaking and crying. Each day though, Im learning more and more about how to deal with this problem. I think Taylor Swift has come up with a wonderful definition for fearless here. I strive to be more and more like that definition everyday.

    "I had the time of my life fighting dragons with you." - This is on my flower to remind me everyday that I'll never be too old to be a kid at heart. I always want to be able to laugh and have a good time. I think that's a very important thing in life.

After completing the flower part of my project, I added dandelion seeds to show the things I want for my future. I want a great career someday. Something that I love, and hopefully that will be Music Therapy. I want a family of my own; a husband, and kids. I want people in my life that I can give back to everyday. And the last dandelion seed I made said "happiness." When I'm older and I look back on my life and the things I've done, I want to be able to say that I'm truly happy with who I was, who I am, and who I'm becoming.

I chose the flower theme for my project for one reason: I'm a beautiful creation of God that is blooming, and oneday hopes to give back to the world.

Pumpkins for Premies :)

I think that Converse should have a new tradition! If I was in charge of coming up with a new tradition for Converse, it would be a pumpkin patch party. The day before Halloween, anyone who wanted to could buy and carve a pumpkin. Then we would put all the pumpkins out on the Quad on Halloween. Halloween night we could put candles or battery-operated lights in them, and have a party! 
To take this tradition a step further and make it more interesting, we could make it into a contest. For instance, everyone would have to pay a ten dollar entry fee. There would be a panel of judges, presumably professors, or a vote box for the best pumpkin. The person or group that had the best pumpkin could donate the proceeds to the NICU unit of their choice.
This tradition could also be reoriented around a different charity, or be open to whatever charity the winner chooses to give the money to. I think this would be a great Halloween tradition, and a great way to raise money for a charity of your choice. I thought of Pumpkins for Premies because I'm really interested in working as a NICU Music Therapist. The babies in there need a lot of specific care, and that care is extremely expensive.

The Rhythm of My Heart :)

We all have songs we go to when we need a pick up, or just songs that we love to listen to. As a music therapy student, I know that music is very helpful with emotions. There are songs I like to listen to when I'm sad, happy, or just plain bored. I have a few in mind right now.

I love to listen to country music. It's what I grew up listening to. There is one song by Randy Travis called "Forever and Ever Amen," that I can never seem to get out of my head. It's such a sweet song and it's actually a lot of fun to sing along to. Whenever I hear the song on the radio or listen to it specifically, I think about my family and friends, and all the people that I love. Not only is it really cute, but it's also true. If I love someone, I'm going to love that person forever. I don't think there has ever been a person in my life that I just stopped loving. I also feel that if you love someone you should tell them. Tell them that you're going to love them forever. Tell them that you'll love them "as long as old men sit and talk about the weather," and "as long as old women sit and talk about old men." Anyway, the song is just a wonderful song and I really enjoy it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sgJXbIP83A8&ob=av3e

Another genre I love is pop. As you ALL know, I love Taylor Swift's music. I think she's more of a pop / country cross over artist. I like listening to her music when I'm sad, happy, mad, excited, and basically all the time. I swear one day my roommate is going to kick me out for it. (Sorry, Hannah.) I think what appeals to me most about her music is that it's relatable. She writes about love, relationships, forgiveness, anger, sadness, happiness, etc. All these things are things that we experience every single day. She's such a real person, and it comes out in her music. I also love that she has morals. She doesn't dress like a prostitute or say outrageous things. One of my new favorite songs by her is "Never Grow Up." I think sometimes we all wish we could never grow up, and just be innocent and cute forever. I also love that this song encourages not being embarassed of your parents. I think so many kids take for granted that their parents work so hard to give them what they need, and sometimes they are still embarassed by them. This is a very peaceful song to listen to.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JggpwTy0jIM&feature=related

I'm pretty sure that of all the male artists out there right now, my favorite is Gabe Bondoc. He's really big on Youtube, and his music is incredible. He plays guitar and sings, and boy does he do a great job. He's got this soultry voice that will melt your heart, and he performs with such emotion. It's amazing! I think it also helps that he's cute. One of his new songs, "You're It," is one of my favorites right now. It's about loving youthfully. I like listening to this song because it's super happy. I get the same feeling listening to this song as I do when I finally perfect a part in my music. This song just has that effect on me I guess.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uFW7haf9iS8

Whether you listen to my songs or not, make sure you take time to think about what you like in each song you listen to. It's good to know what songs make you feel good, and which ones throw you off balance. Music is powerful. Use it to your full advantage.

Lowering the Drinking Age...DON'T DO IT!

In the debate on whether or not the drinking age should be lowered, I strongly believe it should not. Let's imagine the drinking age was lowered to, say, eighteen. I think that the government would want to be sure those individuals were responsible enough to handle that privilege given to them. From experience, many people my age are not responsible enough to turn in their homework, much less drink responsibly. Some people would argue that many eighteen year olds drink anyway, so why not make it legal, but then the government would just be enabling them to make stupid decisions. It is true that eighteen year olds are permitted to vote and go to war, but even those things bring up issues. From talking to people and knowing a ton of eighteen year olds, a majority of them don't research the political candidates enough to make a wise decision when voting. That seems to me to be showing that they don't really care, and that they're just stabbing in the dark. They sometimes just listen to their friends, and what they see on tv, which isn't always true. Also, some eighteen year olds that decide to join the army are doing it because they don't have the money to go to college or even just for the sign on bonus. Speaking as a young adult, these other actions show that eighteen year olds clearly are not responible enough have these privileges, so I don't think they should have another privilege added if they aren't ready.

2012 & My Turn As a Big Sis :)

If it were 2012 and I was asked to come to the SSS class to talk about things my little sister class should know going into their freshman year of college, I would say something like this:

"Hey guys! Just to give you a little background information I'm Mackenzie Cox. I'm a junior here at Converse, and I'm double majoring in Music Therapy and Psychology. If you leave here today forgetting everything I've talked about, the one thing I urge you to remember is this: TIME MANAGEMENT IS KEY. Coming into my freshman year of college I carried the four year habit of procrastination. Knowing that I had to eliminate this problem in order to be successful in college, I decided that planning was extremely important. I use an agenda to write down every assignment and activity. In the front of my agenda I keep a copy of my class schedule so that I always have it handy. When I know I'm going to have a busy day I write down everything I have to do on a piece of paper, and assign a certain time to complete each task. Remember, though, that scheduling some down time is just as important as doing homework. If you don't allow time to relax and have fun, you will most likely be stressed to the max and feel extremely overwhelmed. Trust me. Also, sleep is non-negotiable! Some of you probably think you can run off three hours of sleep per night, but I promise you will crash and burn very quickly if you try that. Your body needs sleep to function. Lack of sleep affects your memory of material, your level of concentration, your ability to retain more information, as well as many other important things. And coffee is by no means a substitution for sleep. When you get to a certain point, even coffee won't help. So please remember to get in enough sleep. Another good thing to know is that your professors aren't out to get you. If you need help in a class or just need someone to talk to, you can go to them. Make friends with them, and don't hesitate to ask questions. I think the most understanding of all your professors will probably be your private instrumental teacher. Sometimes I'll feel overwhelmed and need to vent. I know that when this happens I can go to Mr. Law and let everything out. He understands me best because he also plays cello and has been through a lot of the same things. He's very understanding, and he doesn't freak out when I cry, seriously.
Don't be afraid to be all that you can be. Shoot for the stars, and remember three key things: time management is extremely helpful, sleep is non-negotiable, and your professors are there for you. Good luck!"

Time management skills, or lack thereof... :/

     I believe I am one of the world's worst at time management for several reasons. Reason number one is that I am addicted to listening to music, mainly Taylor Swift, and learning all her songs on guitar. Some people (ahem Caitlin) would say that this interest is classified as an obsession, but I think it's more of a hobby. Although I thoroughly enjoy playing guitar, I know that it is a hindrance that must be avoided sometimes. I find myself picking up my guitar to play one particular song, and it turns into a full on jam session with Caitlin, Emma, and Hannah. I believe that this could be easily avoided if I waited until after all my homework was done to play my guitar at all.

     Reason number two is a common problem among high school and college students alike. Actually this problem can occur for anyone who has access to a computer and is a registered Facebook user. Facebook, in my opinion, is one of the twenty-first century's most addictive fads. Sometimes I will get on Facebook with the intentions of only checking my comments and an hour later realize that I have been chatting with a friend the whole time. I've found that this problem is more likely to happen when I'm on my computer researching something online for a paper or even typing a paper on Microsoft Word.

    The most problematic of my time management issues is that of procrastination. This dirty habit has been in my system for far too long. I can remember times since middle school when I've waited until the last minute to start working on something. Although procrastination can cause problems and perhaps prohibit me from finishing some of my work, it can sometimes be beneficial to my work. Putting emphasis on the word "sometimes," I sometimes find procrastination enhances my creativity. I know I shouldn't strive to procrastinate, and I don't, but in some instances it almost seems unavoidable.

Questions....hmmmm... :)

Hi, I'm Mackenzie! :)

1.     I came to college because I've always believed in the power of a good education. I want to become a Music Therapist one day, and I know that I'm not prepared for that now. Hopefully after four years of formal education in a college setting, I will be ready to venture into the real world as a Music Therapist. My Mom has always told me that a good education is something that no one can ever take away from you. I think that's really true, although people take advantage of that a lot.

2.     I chose Converse College to be my home for the next four years of my life for several reasons. One reason is that there are only two colleges in the state of South Carolina that have Music Therapy as a major. Those colleges are Converse and Charleston Southern. I decided to visit Converse first since it has the shortest travel time for me. As soon as I stepped on campus, I knew that Converse was the perfect place for me. I could feel the warmth and hospitality in the atmosphere. It was an amazing experience!

3.    I have always had an amazing love for music. From the time I was in diapers, I was dancing in front of the television to Barney songs. I've listened to my Dad play guitar all my life, and heard my Mom blast Bob Dylan through the house. When I was eleven I started playing cello and fell in love with it. From then on I've been playing music. It's a passion that I had to continue here at college.

4.    If I had to give up either cereal or sandwiches for the rest of my life, I would choose to give up cereal. I think I would choose to keep eating sandwiches rather than cereal because they provide more nutrition than cereal. They include more aspects of the food pyramid. Plus, you can pretty much put anything between two pieces of bread and call it a sandwich. :) Yummmmm!