Music Flashback: You Oughta Know
I had made it into the last room for the day with my little printed schedule in my hand. I had asked for directions all day to arrive in my classes. When I had arrived at my new school this morning, I had been totally lost. There was where a group of kids gathered at the entrance, peeking at some taped lists at the entry but as soon as the bell had rung, they had all disappeared. "Where do we need to go", I had managed to ask the last disappearing adolescent "....Homeroom"
I had no idea what homeroom was, no idea where my homeroom was and I had to ask 3 more times for directions before I arrived where I had to be. But I made it to my homeroom where attendance is registered and announcements are made and afterwards I had also found my 6 classes of that first year. It is confusing to arrive as a foreign exchange student in a new school in an unknown country.
With my little printed schedule in my hand and my flute case hanging from my shoulder I entered the big semi circular band room in the corner of the school premises for the last class of the day. I was really excited to be able to play the flute at school. Music in Belgium is an extra curricular activity that you can take in high quality music academies after school but there's no significant music education in high school itself. I was a few minutes late, but the room was still in big chaos with kids running around up and down, screaming and chasing each other in excitement after not seeing each other for a full day. The teacher, with a grey pony tail sat down on a director stool but didn't call to order.
I sat down on the floor as did some others and waited until class would start. After a while it became apparent that there would be no teachings this first day. People were catching up with summer stories. Some of the other kids plugged in the CD-player and put in a CD that they commented on loudly and sang along with all the lyrics.
This was the first time I listened to Jagged Little Pill.
The music of this album has become a part of the soundtrack of my exchange year in Canada and my life at school there, as that album was "hot" during my stay there and omni-present. Often when I hear Alanis Morissette on the radio at an unexpected moment, I see us sitting on the floor of the band class again circled around the CD-player.
I had no idea what homeroom was, no idea where my homeroom was and I had to ask 3 more times for directions before I arrived where I had to be. But I made it to my homeroom where attendance is registered and announcements are made and afterwards I had also found my 6 classes of that first year. It is confusing to arrive as a foreign exchange student in a new school in an unknown country.
With my little printed schedule in my hand and my flute case hanging from my shoulder I entered the big semi circular band room in the corner of the school premises for the last class of the day. I was really excited to be able to play the flute at school. Music in Belgium is an extra curricular activity that you can take in high quality music academies after school but there's no significant music education in high school itself. I was a few minutes late, but the room was still in big chaos with kids running around up and down, screaming and chasing each other in excitement after not seeing each other for a full day. The teacher, with a grey pony tail sat down on a director stool but didn't call to order.
I sat down on the floor as did some others and waited until class would start. After a while it became apparent that there would be no teachings this first day. People were catching up with summer stories. Some of the other kids plugged in the CD-player and put in a CD that they commented on loudly and sang along with all the lyrics.
This was the first time I listened to Jagged Little Pill.
The music of this album has become a part of the soundtrack of my exchange year in Canada and my life at school there, as that album was "hot" during my stay there and omni-present. Often when I hear Alanis Morissette on the radio at an unexpected moment, I see us sitting on the floor of the band class again circled around the CD-player.
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