Teaching Session

The Advantages of Music 🙂

My lesson is about the impact of music on one’s life and their brain. Music is a extremely powerful. There are plenty of advantages to playing an instrument, and even listening to music actively. It has the power to heal different diseases, help people gain confidence, boost people’s attitudes, increase productivity, reduce steps, and many more. I plan on talking in depth about the field of research, Neuromusicology, and their discoveries on music’s impact on the brain, and people’s lives.

Homework:

Please write a paragraph about what music means to you, what you know about the advantages of music, and you’re favorite songs.

Is it possible to live life in the continuous and constant pure happiness, pure bliss?

Sometimes, a rush of feelings hits me like a harsh wave, and I am wrapped around with a feeling of overwhelmingness. Do you know those moments, that are just so perfect, you’re afraid of it slipping away from you? Those moments when you’re truly and really happy, whether it be when I am with my friends or family. It’s pure bliss, pure happiness, pure carelessness, and you feel so young and wild and free and so on top of the world, so sure of yourself and your purpose here on earth and it is everything you want it to be. Just perfect. These moments are so rare, and it makes me sad that it doesn’t come around more often. But I guess that is why these memories are so special.

I wonder if some people feel like this all the time. If they do, I envy them. I live in a world full of chaos, where everyone is racing to get to the finish line that often I forget to sit back, laugh, and observe the world pass me by. I forget to appreciate all the beauty in this world, and be grateful to those who I choose to surround myself with. I forget to be truly present, and live in the moment. I’ve realized that I waste my time on unimportant things that prevent me from enjoying myself. I care so much about what people think, and how the media portrays the way a women should look and act, when in reality none of us should give a flying fuck about that. It doesn’t matter and it sure as HELL doesn’t make us any happier.  Taking risks have always been hard for me, but I should learn to take it. Because no one knows what the future holds, if there even will be one for you. Everything in life is so uncertain.

Matt Killingsworth, a man who gave a TED talk, stated exactly what my argument has been. He said that “happiness has a lot to do with the contents of a moment- to- moment experiences. It certainly seems that while are going about our lives that what we are doing, who we’re with, what we’re thinking about have a big influence on our happiness.” This is exactly where the perfect moments root from.

So I guess my question is: is it possible to live life in the continuous and constant pure happiness, pure bliss?

People

No one can really help you find happiness, you need to find happiness within yourself. But Stella Wohlfarth, the doctor in campus can be helpful.  So can Veronica Hess and Maryn Bartoletti.

Other Hyperlinks

 

 

Most Memorable Project

The most memorable project that I ever participated in was my  benchmark project in my senior year of high school. Quest was a year- round research project, with countless typed up annotated bibliographies, and summaries on our research. I did my research on Child Homelessness in America. I learned a great amount from this project.

I gained insight on the how children became homeless in the first place. Majority became homeless because they ran away from home due to their parents drug addiction. Many children claimed that they had been abused, physically and verbally, when their parents used drugs. I discovered the different programs homeless shelters created to make sure that these children’s needs are met. Many programs included tutoring clubs, help balancing finances, guidance with future careers, and many more.

It was mandatory to find a consultant and get twenty hours of volunteer work. I was fortunate enough to find an amazing consultant and be able to volunteer for Abode Services, a homeless shelter. I went on Wednesdays and Thursdays and played with the kids during play- time. We’d take on different art projects, like building structures with obstacle sticks, making different animals with origami, and decorating a christmas cookie.

At the end of the project, I had to give a twenty minute presentation, discussing everything I had learned about child homelessness including why children were homeless in the first place, the programs homeless shelters created to help children, the laws passed by the government, and my volunteer work. In addition to gaining knowledge about an increasing issue in today’s society, I also gained the confidence to talk to a panel of four teachers about my project.

 

What I Want to Learn From College

Coming into college, I thought I knew what I wanted to do. My plan was to major in Chemistry, and head to med school to become a pediatrician. However, after spending six months in college, I realized I wanted my educational background to be diverse. I don’t just want to major in Chemistry, but I also want to combine that with possibly public health, child development, psychology, business and music. I am interested in multiple things, that it is difficult for me to choose which majors I should combine into one. My question that I want to learn how to answer is which majors can I combine together to make the perfect one major?

Another question I’d like to learn how to answer in college is how to remain calm and remain put together when obstacles crash in my way. When problems arise in my life, I start panicking, and I get anxious. It takes me a while to force myself to sit and think straight. I tend to turn to my friends to advice me on how to deal with it. Although I have true friends to lean back on when I have a problem, I want to learn how to be independent, and not turn to them as much. I want to learn how to think through situations carefully and take action depending on what needs to be done to solve the issue.

My last and final question I’d like to know how to answer is how to properly time manage my time? Being in college for six months has taught me a few hacks and tricks of how to force myself to complete my work. I learned that going to a coffee shop and sitting there for a couple of hours helps me concentrate and complete my work. However, as soon I rid myself of the coffee shop environment, it is a constant struggle of forcing myself to finish my work in a timely manner. I would like to learn how to manage my time, so I could have time to do multiple things throughout the day, like practice singing or working out.

Hello world!

My name is Anjali Thakur, and I am currently a freshman in Whittier College. I was born and raised in Northern California.  I plan on doing the WSP program and combining business, chemistry, public health, and music, because I want to either be a pediatrician and eventually open up my own clinic. I believe that music could be a substitution to medication. There have been plenty of cases of comatose patients waking up to the sound of their favorite sound. I would like to use music’s power to help around the world.

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