OMEA Jazz Band Performance

Posted on February 26, 2013 by Andres

Walter White and the TU Jazz Band at the OMEA 2012 Convention

I don’t like to toot my own horn, but jazz artist Walter White sure does! Walter is a TU alumni who has worked with the Big Band Jazz program on and off throughout his career. This January he visited for a second time to play the OMEA, Oklahoma Music Educators Association, convention. I’ve been in the jazz band here at TU for only one semester and getting to play with a renowned jazz artist such as Walter has been an experience I never even fathomed possible. The concert was nothing short of spectacular. A high school band and UCO’s Jazz band, which consists of student’s getting their master’s degree in jazz, played in the concert with us. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a room more electric than that concert hall was. I only played congas in one song and I felt like a superstar to say the least. Of all the musical experiences I’ve had in my life I think this one touched me the most, and I have decided to stay in jazz band here for as long as I possibly can. TU jazz for life!

Finals, do or die

Posted on December 17, 2012 by Andres

One of the most feared aspects of the ends of college semesters are finals. Finals can range from papers, projects, regular tests, cumulative tests, or just a test worth more points than usual. It definitely is not someone to ignore. I found dead week and finals week pretty boring here on campus. Everything shuts down and people spend the days sleeping late and studying in their rooms or in the lobby. My finals were not that bad, but they definitely needed studying. Too many students’ college finals are something completely new to them. Most panic as they ruffle through half-kept notes and illegible worksheets that have become folded up in their backpacks, or flipping through the text books trying to figure out which parts of the book will be tested over. As an IB diploma student, I felt well prepared to study and found that I knew exactly what was going to be on each and every final. College studying is all about efficiency, and throughout the year it served me well to keep notes well-organized and do whatever I could to make it as easy as possible to review everything. Now I’m all done, and I’m very happy to have the rest of the month off!

Arkansas Game

Posted on November 19, 2012 by Andres

I went with the band for my first out of state college football game. It was a great experience. I’ve never been inside a stadium so big and the Arkansas fans were very dedicated to their team and their spirit was astounding. We did not let them outdo us though. Though we were not the full size band we played louder than their band, which outnumbered us at least 10 to 1. I’m so proud to be a Golden Hurricane! Despite the loss the game was great and I’ll remember it for a long time.

Spanish Missions at Kendell-Whittier

Posted on November 2, 2012 by Andres

I have a wonderful opportunity as a student of Conversational Spanish here at the University to branch out to the community and use my Spanish speaking abilities to help people out. My teacher is a firm believer in community service and so she has partnered with the local elementary school Kendell-Whittier, which has a large population of Spanish speaking families, to have her students help the school communicate with the parents. We have done reading sessions and parent teacher conferences with families who only speak Spanish. It was a major challenge to me as a student, but I’m glad I got the opportunity to learn and use my spanish in a real world environment. Spanish is hard, but I’m hoping with more practice like this I can really master the language.

Haunted Hall; Epic Costumes

Posted on October 29, 2012 by Andres

I can say without a doubt that Halloween is one of my favorite days out of they year, especially as I get older. About a month ago my friends and I decided that we should make our costumes correlate, and we decided Teen Titans would be the best option. It quickly caught wind and more people joined, we lost some in the tedious process of making the costumes, but overall it turned out well for Haunted Hall. Making the costumes was fun in it’s own right and then dressing up and seeing the surprised looks on everyone’s faces was priceless. Luckily this was just a test run for Halloween because some costumes, especially my friend’s Sebastian’s (who is Red X in this picture) were incomplete and almost falling apart. I’m looking forward to Halloween on Wednesday because I get to play at the TU men’s basketball game in full costume, and then my friends and I are hitting the town for some trick-or-treating. NEVER too old to trick-or-treat, you’ve just got to find someone who’s willing to give you the candy. By far one of the best Halloween’s I’ve had in years.

Booker T. to Tulsa U

Posted on September 29, 2012 by Andres

Buenos dias, Konichiwa, hello, my name is Andres. I am originally from San Antonio, Texas, but I have lived in Tulsa for 8 years now. I am a graduate of Booker T. Washington High School Class of 2012 and an IB Diploma Scholar. I’m currently a freshman here at TU and my major International Business and Language-Spanish.I have long been exposed to TU, as they have worked with me since I was a junior in high school. Truthfully TU was my first and only choice for a university once I nailed down what I wanted to do with my life, and TU did I fine job of assuring me that such was the case.

I’ve found myself completely immersed in campus life as well as other exciting activities. I’m a member of the Sound of the University of Tulsa (the marching band), a pledge member of Phi Mu Alpha, and Big Band Jazz. I’m sure you’ll hear more from me throughout the year. I’m looking forward to posting more.