Newsletter One: My first semester at Interlochen
Happy New Year and I hope this letter finds you well.
As my school semester finished, I finally have the chance to write. Thank you all for believing in me and helping me get to Interlochen Arts Academy.
I am happy to share this website and write these newsletters and updates of my life at Interlochen. This will help me to stay in touch with many more people.
In my newsletter, I will be writing about my future, musical studies, and achievements, the experiences I will be having in the United States, and ways I will be continuing to support Afghan women, music, and basic rights in Afghanistan. You can follow me here or on any of my social media pages!
Here is my first newsletter and I hope you enjoy it!
It was always my goal to study at Interlochen not only because it helps me grow stronger as a musician but also the environment that I'm surrounded with helps me to grow as a strong and independent woman.
The first month of my studies was interesting. I joined orchestra and chamber ensembles, met all my academic and music teachers and, the best part is that I got to know other students, not only music majors but other majors like dance, creative writing, and theatre.
One of my best academic classes, which I look forward to every day, is Agricultural science. We grow our food in the Greenhouse and serve it in the school cafeteria. We learn about soil, composting, and aquaponics. I love this subject because it is all about living creatures, the earth, and the future. Learning about soil and how we can keep soil healthy helps us understand the value of small creatures around us that we might not notice. As I say/think “ Healthy soil, healthy food, Healthy creatures, Longer future.”
In the second month, we started our performances with String Quartet and orchestra. My string quartet performed the first movement of the Haydn String Quartet in G minor, Op. 20 no. 3 for Interlochen students and in a masterclass for artists from Cleveland Institute of Music (CIM). The last week before winter break we had performances of The Nutcracker the entire week. It was a new and wonderful experience working with dancers and playing in the pit.
I also joined a group called the Asian infinity group. In this group, we talk about our culture and what we love about our country, but at the same time, we talk about the challenges and problems that our people face. We also talk about the ways and solutions that we can do. In this group, I met kids from Japan, Korea, China, and Thailand. We talked about their country and I talked about Afghanistan and everyone was so interested in knowing new things about Afghanistan.
One of the best moments in Michigan is the snow. It looks super beautiful and perfect when you're inside the house but when it comes to walking and going outside it's a different story, Super cold.
Recently I just learned how to play basketball and it is super great. Not only that, but I also learned how to ride a bike. Being able to finally experience all these things that I always waited for feels awesome.
My favorite part of the week is when we have a masterclass with the cello studio. Every student gets to play the pieces that they are working on and the teacher and other cellists would give ideas and suggestions. I believe masterclasses prepare students to be able to perform for larger audiences in the future.
Overall my first semester in Interlochen was wonderful with a lot of new experiences. I worked hard and got excellent grades. I’m looking forward to the 2nd semester.
With Love,
Meena
