MUS200 Blog#1

My name is Brianna Wassillie and I am a sophomore with the University of Alaska Fairbanks. I'm taking online classes from my hometown, Nunapitchuk, Alaska. Growing up I never had siblings but plenty of cousins to treat me as a little sister. I have a dog named Rio and a pup named Nala who take up most of my time. My hobbies include reading, writing ,playing the piano, and baking during my downtime. I'm usually found outdoors whether it be for camping, berry picking, hiking, swimming, or walking my dogs. I was raised by my single mother and uncle, who I thank for giving me the opportunity and support while attending school.

Music came into my life at a young age. In high school, I played the recorder, which was not my choice of instrument. I have long since given up on it. Singing is something that brings me happiness. I am a soprano and hitting high notes with ease took me a while to learn, mastering the lung capacity took longer. As a child attending church was not something I enjoyed. When I sang higher notes than the rest of the churchgoers couldn’t, the only sound that filled the church was my voice. For weeks everyone stared at me as if I was an alien.  I’m still not the best at it but I have come a long way since then. The one instrument that has been my outlet is the Piano. One day I overheard my mother playing the piano, from that day on I was hooked. From begging  her for months to teach me until she gave in to promising I would do all my chores for the week by tonight. When she finally did give in and teach me, would play every day after school until my fingers hurt. I still play the piano in my free time, by sheer willpower I even surpassed my mother. To this day I believe the piano is the instrument that chose me. For my 13th birthday, I was given a baby grand piano which I love dearly, but I still go back to the electric when I get the chance because it has more options for types of sounds the keys will play. I am a huge fan of opera music, classical, and acapella. One of my favorite groups is Straight No Chaser with their smash version of I'm Yours/Somewhere Over the Rainbow. I also dabble in Pop, Reggae, Metal, Rock, and a little bit of Reggaeton. If by chance I come across a snippet of a song that I found catchy, I will search apple music and buy it. In high school, we had open mic nights and an event called Riffon Hook. I enjoyed watching many talented students perform their acting skills or drum solos. It was really a sight to see. The instructor and the one to get it all together is a talented singer. I have her album in my music Library, her name is Natalie Joy and her album is Leaving Wonderland.

I found the story of Carmen to be really interesting. In many paintings, she has depicted an innocent gypsy. Whereas in the opera she is anything but innocent. She lured Don Jose away from his soldier duties and the woman he was meant to wed. The story of Carmen is a famous Opera created by French Composer Georges Bizet. The song many have heard over time is the Habanera, which I recommend because it is beautiful piece of opera.