Hello, my name is Journey Mohn! I am a freshman violin performance major. I am living in Maddox this year, and I’m from St. Louis, Missouri. I have been loving my experience at Cedarville so far, and while it’s been busy, I’ve had so many amazing opportunities. Come with me to experience a pretty typical Tuesday in my life at Cedarville!
I began my day by stopping by Rinnova, the student-run coffee shop in the lower SSC, with my friend Alex. I don’t have any morning classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and I really enjoy using the time to catch up on homework, get some early practice in, or just spend time with friends, like I did today. I love Rinnova’s current Valentine’s Day drinks, so I ordered an iced raspberry mocha with oat milk. Alex and I sat in the Dixon Ministry Center to catch up while we finished our drinks, and it was a relaxing start to my busy day!
In chapel at 10 a.m., we heard Dr. Bobby Lewis speak on Numbers 21:4–9. This message spoke strongly to me, as Dr. Lewis warned about what happens when we try to live our own way instead of following God’s will for our lives. I thought this was a unique insight into this passage, and it encouraged me to trust God with every aspect of my life and to follow His plan for me instead of my own.
After chapel, I headed to Chick-fil-A for lunch with my sister, Abigail. She is a sophomore English major, and she’s not only my sister but also my roommate this year! We like to get lunch together as often as possible, but we’re both so busy during the day that it doesn’t happen too often. It was really nice to spend time with her today.
Once we were finished with lunch, I went to the Dixon Ministry Center to practice a little before my 1 p.m. class. As a music major, it’s important that I get as much practice in as possible, but it’s often hard to find long periods of time where I’m free. I’ve learned that it’s a lot easier to practice for shorter periods of time more often in a day than trying to do it all at once. Today I practiced scales, etudes, and the piece I’m currently working on, which is the fifth movement of Symphonie Espagnole by Edouard Lalo.
Around 12:45 p.m., I went to the Center for Biblical and Theological Studies, or BTS, to get ready for my only class of the day. I’m in the honors program, so I’m currently taking Making of the Modern Mind, the freshman honors course. We cover philosophy, history, and humanities all in one five-credit course. It’s a lot of reading to do, and the content is difficult, but I’ve been learning a lot. It’s expanded my perspective on the world and strengthened my ability to think critically. Today, we discussed the philosophy of Emmanuel Kant with Dr. Gilhooly.
At 2 p.m., I had a rehearsal for the octet I’m in this semester. We’re learning Mendelssohn’s String Octet in E-Flat Major, which is a really fun and intricate piece. Performing in chamber ensembles is one of the things I love most about playing the violin, as it challenges me both in my technical skills and my ability to play in an ensemble.
I had a short break after octet rehearsal before orchestra rehearsal began at 3:15. Today, we had sectionals, meaning each instrument gets together separately and rehearses their specific parts instead of playing as a whole orchestra. I’m in the first violin section for our orchestra’s performance of Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 5. I absolutely love dramatic, romantic-style music, so I have really enjoyed learning this symphony. While it’s challenging, it’s been totally worth all the practice as the different parts all come together to create a complex, lyrical piece. We performed this piece on Saturday, March 22, and you can find the recording here!
Every other week around 5.p.m., the music department has a general recital where students can perform pieces they have been working on for the whole department. This gives us a chance to practice performing and share the music we have been learning with other musicians. I performed my first solo in a general recital two weeks ago, and while I enjoyed the experience, I was grateful to get to relax and listen to other performers this time. Tonight was the second general recital of the semester, and we heard a combination of brass, vocal, and woodwind performances.
After the general recital, I went to get dinner with some friends and other music majors. I really love the tight-knit community of the music department. Everyone is so welcoming and friendly, and it’s always a good time hanging out with other students who share my passion for music! After dinner, I met with my Discipleship Group, or D-Group, which is studying Galatians together. I have been loving going in-depth in this book, and I really enjoy our discussions as a group; everyone always has something to share that broadens my perspective.
I ended my day with a little more practice before heading back to my dorm early since I have an early start on Wednesdays.
Thank you for joining me for my day as a Cedarville music major! I hope this gives you a little insight into what it’s like being a Cedarville student!
Major: Music Performance
Year of Graduation: Class of 2028
Tags: #academics, #cedarville, #college, #experience, #major, #musicperformance, #personal, #studentguide, #studentlife
Posted in: College Life, Student Guide, Student Life