Finding Creativity Across the Street
A look at non-GSB classes in arts & creativity
Andrew Hui
Issue date: 12/3/01 Section: Arts & Entertainment
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Taking business classes gets boring after a while. To strike a balance, many of us have ventured across the street for classes that are more creative or simply fun. Here’s a sample of these classes.
Mimi Brown, MBA2
Music 192. Theory & Practice of Audio Recording.
It entails learning about the electronics that underlie sound recording, as well as hands-on experience in a gorgeous studio with a huge mixing board up in “the Knoll” – an Addams Family-esque ivy-covered mansion on campus. You learn how to mike instruments, record and mix songs and just generally hang with hipster undergrads. You might now be able to enroll in the class if oversubscribed, but you can still audit and pretend you’re Rodney Jerkins or Missy Elliot in the studio (my favorite part).
Victoria Dimitrakopoulos, MBA2
Studio Art 141. Drawing II.
Mechanical Engineering 313. Ambidextrous Thinking.
The latter is a bit of a creativity class coupled with engineering. Loved both.
Laurie Hoye, MBA2
Music 65A&B. Voice Class I&II.
Taking voice lessons has been one of the most unexpected rewards of coming to Stanford. There are usually 7 people in each class, although in any given week a few people won’t come so you can almost always get a chance to sing. A lot of the people in my class were total beginners too – some of us could barely carry a tune! But by the end of the quarter I was amazed at how confident everyone sounded. Taking the lessons gave me the confidence to audition for the Symphony Chorus this year; so I (along with Sophie-Charlotte Moatti, MBA2, and Anne Rossmann, MBA1) sang Berlioz’s Requiem in Memorial Church in November. I can’t believe that someone like me, who never really sang before, has the chance to be a part of such beautiful music. The most important thing is that anyone who enjoys singing should go for it.
Andrew Hui, MBA2
Drama 120A. Acting: The Fundamentals.
Absolutely fantastic. The first half was mostly fun theater games to familiarize students with ideas such as movement, objective and communication. The latter half focused a lot more on scene work. Final is performing a scene in front of class.
Studio Art 170. Photography II.
Music 65B. Voice Class II.
Both are excellent. Former does require quite a bit of lab work. Latter is just purely relaxing.
Jake Moskowitz, MBA2
English 90. Creative Writing.
A group of about 15 students, mostly undergrads. Early in the quarter, there is a series of short writing assignments trying different methods, then the rest of the quarter each student turns in two complete short stories. Most of the work ends up being reading others’ stories, commenting and holding discussions about them. Most of the students are 19, majoring in something like Classics or English – completely different mold from MBAs. For that reason, the class is refreshing and a nice change. Warning: the class does not count toward graduation, since it’s listed below 100-level.
Music 65A. Voice Class I.
Meant for novices who just want to be able to carry a tune. Also mostly undergrads. Taught by an energetic lady with a great voice who genuinely seems to love teaching singing. The first few classes are spent practicing breathing and correcting singing form. Then you choose a song to focus on. For the last 6-7 classes, the first 10-15 minutes are spent with scales for practice, then each student gets 5-10 minutes of individual time to practice their songs with the teacher. The final is a performance of the song in front of the class.
Philip Reade, MBA2
Music 74C. Classical Guitar Class.
Guitar has been totally crazy – a lot of studying. The guy is making us read music and get into classic stuff – a little too non-beginning for a beginners class. (In the first class, I had arrived a bit late … so half way through, I interrupted the professor, apologized to leave since I had surely mistaken the class room number – I could swear that I had got into the intermediate or advanced class. He cracked up and assured me I was in the correct class.
Music 65A. Voice Class I.
Singing has been great. Not that I am singing well or anything, but I feel that I just did not have any understanding whatsoever about my body – I really feel that I have a new voice now.
Anne Rossmann, MBA1
Music 65B. Voice Class II.
We prepare two songs and then we perform them in front of the class. During the preparation phase the teacher, Claire Giovannetti, gives us useful advice on how to improve our performance. I enjoy this class very much. Claire is a great voice teacher and the ambiance in the class is relaxing.
Music 162. Symphonic Chorus.
We rehearse 2.5 hours every Monday evening. We warm up and then rehearse a piece for the next concert (one per quarter). I enjoy the rehearsals very much.
Chloe Sladden, MBA2
Communication 122A. The Documentary Tradition.
Taught by Henry Breitrose. It’s about half documentary master’s students, and half upper-level undergrads. We watch and discuss documentaries from the early 20th century up to 1960s. There is a term paper that involves analyzing a film’s visual and narrative structure. It’s lovely to watch fascinating films and observe the development of the documentary art form. However, there isn’t much discussion and not a learning-packed course. But I’m really enjoying it.
Jenifer Wana, MBA2
Athletics 64. Hip Hop.
They teach a different dance routine to hip hop music, twice a week, in Roble. Class is awesome. 200 people signed up and they had to create a new section. Lots of energy.
Mimi Brown, MBA2
Music 192. Theory & Practice of Audio Recording.
It entails learning about the electronics that underlie sound recording, as well as hands-on experience in a gorgeous studio with a huge mixing board up in “the Knoll” – an Addams Family-esque ivy-covered mansion on campus. You learn how to mike instruments, record and mix songs and just generally hang with hipster undergrads. You might now be able to enroll in the class if oversubscribed, but you can still audit and pretend you’re Rodney Jerkins or Missy Elliot in the studio (my favorite part).
Victoria Dimitrakopoulos, MBA2
Studio Art 141. Drawing II.
Mechanical Engineering 313. Ambidextrous Thinking.
The latter is a bit of a creativity class coupled with engineering. Loved both.
Laurie Hoye, MBA2
Music 65A&B. Voice Class I&II.
Taking voice lessons has been one of the most unexpected rewards of coming to Stanford. There are usually 7 people in each class, although in any given week a few people won’t come so you can almost always get a chance to sing. A lot of the people in my class were total beginners too – some of us could barely carry a tune! But by the end of the quarter I was amazed at how confident everyone sounded. Taking the lessons gave me the confidence to audition for the Symphony Chorus this year; so I (along with Sophie-Charlotte Moatti, MBA2, and Anne Rossmann, MBA1) sang Berlioz’s Requiem in Memorial Church in November. I can’t believe that someone like me, who never really sang before, has the chance to be a part of such beautiful music. The most important thing is that anyone who enjoys singing should go for it.
Andrew Hui, MBA2
Drama 120A. Acting: The Fundamentals.
Absolutely fantastic. The first half was mostly fun theater games to familiarize students with ideas such as movement, objective and communication. The latter half focused a lot more on scene work. Final is performing a scene in front of class.
Studio Art 170. Photography II.
Music 65B. Voice Class II.
Both are excellent. Former does require quite a bit of lab work. Latter is just purely relaxing.
Jake Moskowitz, MBA2
English 90. Creative Writing.
A group of about 15 students, mostly undergrads. Early in the quarter, there is a series of short writing assignments trying different methods, then the rest of the quarter each student turns in two complete short stories. Most of the work ends up being reading others’ stories, commenting and holding discussions about them. Most of the students are 19, majoring in something like Classics or English – completely different mold from MBAs. For that reason, the class is refreshing and a nice change. Warning: the class does not count toward graduation, since it’s listed below 100-level.
Music 65A. Voice Class I.
Meant for novices who just want to be able to carry a tune. Also mostly undergrads. Taught by an energetic lady with a great voice who genuinely seems to love teaching singing. The first few classes are spent practicing breathing and correcting singing form. Then you choose a song to focus on. For the last 6-7 classes, the first 10-15 minutes are spent with scales for practice, then each student gets 5-10 minutes of individual time to practice their songs with the teacher. The final is a performance of the song in front of the class.
Philip Reade, MBA2
Music 74C. Classical Guitar Class.
Guitar has been totally crazy – a lot of studying. The guy is making us read music and get into classic stuff – a little too non-beginning for a beginners class. (In the first class, I had arrived a bit late … so half way through, I interrupted the professor, apologized to leave since I had surely mistaken the class room number – I could swear that I had got into the intermediate or advanced class. He cracked up and assured me I was in the correct class.
Music 65A. Voice Class I.
Singing has been great. Not that I am singing well or anything, but I feel that I just did not have any understanding whatsoever about my body – I really feel that I have a new voice now.
Anne Rossmann, MBA1
Music 65B. Voice Class II.
We prepare two songs and then we perform them in front of the class. During the preparation phase the teacher, Claire Giovannetti, gives us useful advice on how to improve our performance. I enjoy this class very much. Claire is a great voice teacher and the ambiance in the class is relaxing.
Music 162. Symphonic Chorus.
We rehearse 2.5 hours every Monday evening. We warm up and then rehearse a piece for the next concert (one per quarter). I enjoy the rehearsals very much.
Chloe Sladden, MBA2
Communication 122A. The Documentary Tradition.
Taught by Henry Breitrose. It’s about half documentary master’s students, and half upper-level undergrads. We watch and discuss documentaries from the early 20th century up to 1960s. There is a term paper that involves analyzing a film’s visual and narrative structure. It’s lovely to watch fascinating films and observe the development of the documentary art form. However, there isn’t much discussion and not a learning-packed course. But I’m really enjoying it.
Jenifer Wana, MBA2
Athletics 64. Hip Hop.
They teach a different dance routine to hip hop music, twice a week, in Roble. Class is awesome. 200 people signed up and they had to create a new section. Lots of energy.
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