Bronwyn Schuman, Collaborative Pianist | A Week in the Life

This summer, incoming master’s collaborative pianist Bronwyn Schuman wrote to ask about the possibility of writing for the Journal—so we put her to work right away, asking her to chronicle her orientation week, August 24-31, and provide us with a few highlights. Bronwyn, who’s from Calgary, Alberta, received bachelor’s degrees there in music and English. At Juilliard she holds the Arthur Gold and Robert Fizdale Scholarship and the Bernard P. and Leigh M. Seder Scholarship.

Friday, August 24
8:15pm Having just arrived at Juilliard, I pull my three suitcases through the doors of the residence hall, where I hear talking and laughing. The Orientation Leaders and Residence Assistants are in the lounge welcoming international students and serving us boba tea. I’m so thankful to be greeted by friendly people right away.

8:34pm My new roommate, percussionist Yibing Wang, brought me earrings from China as a gift! We talk about our families, our homes, our pets, and our school experiences. Now the important question: do we get a mini fridge?

Saturday
1:12pm Making my way through a crowd of incoming international students, I sift through a pile of paper flags and take a Canadian one. I walk through the Glorya Kaufman Dance Studio, nodding and waving to the new friends I’ve met yesterday and today, and we pose for a picture with our flags.

8pm The cheering gets louder and louder as new resident students continue a big game of Rock, Paper, Scissors in the Juilliard cafeteria. There must be a lot of singers and actors in here, because their vocal projection is tremendous! I make it to the very last round—only one will win—Rock... Paper... Scissors…

Sunday
4pm I’m slowly recovering from my loss last night in Rock, Paper, Scissors. As I hum along to “Fly Me to the Moon” played by Juilliard students in Paul Hall, the dancers and actors begin our new student kickoff with a lively performance, and President Woetzel shows us a dance move that he learned this summer.

Monday
3:14pm I walk out of my Ear Training placement exam and give a friendly nod to the student who’s next. While I think the exam went better than I'd expected, I already feel mentally exhausted. I realize that feeling exhausted will not be anything out of the ordinary while I’m here. I take a deep breath and head to the Rose Building's weight room.

Tuesday
8:48pm It’s my move—not too fast, not too slow, or the whole tower will collapse—it’s Board Game Night, and my friends and I are playing Jenga with different rules each round: fast removal, if you touch it you take it, use your nondominant hands, and so forth.

Wednesday
10:38am I just finished my registration meeting with José García-León, associate dean for academic affairs and am feeling motivated. Collaborative pianists have an incredibly full course load, but I’m looking forward to getting textbooks, meeting my professors, and starting classes. Being here has felt mostly surreal this whole time, but my vision of this year is beginning to take shape; it’s becoming real! 1:24pm I grab a Starburst from a table at the Work Study Fair and write my name and email down for a potential job this semester. 4:36pm I call my brother, Philip, in Canada, and he happens to be with our mom. Even though I’ve only been at Juilliard for a few days, it feels like I’ve been away for weeks, and it’s so nice to chat with my family. We talk about many things, but one topic that we keep coming back to is our cat, Squirv. Despite his scholarship offer, Squirv just couldn’t leave mom to come study dance at Juilliard (Cats Division).

Thursday
8:35pm “I’m hooked on a feeling/I’m high on believing/ That you’re in love with meee.” I hear tenor Michael McDermott singing his heart out as I sip my mocktail in the student lounge. It’s Karaoke Night! Juilliard students from all divisions perform songs by Beyoncé, Queen, Whitney Houston, Bruno Mars, and more.

Friday
9:03am I’ve just completed my first Workout With Darryl [Quinton], and I can’t wait to get to the shower and then get breakfast. Darryl’s class is really fast-paced and energetic, and his teaching style is fiercely encouraging. I learned this morning that smiling helps take stomach cramps away!

8:24pm I’m running up to the fifth floor with Tyler Cunningham, a fourth-year percussionist, and we can’t stop laughing because we’re about to win the carnival scavenger hunt. We find a poster with Paula the Penguin. We take a selfie with Paula, and head back downstairs to claim our prize.

11:47pm Having been at Juilliard for exactly a week, I now feel ready to start classes: I know my way around, I understand more about how my degree program works, I’ve made so many new friends, and I feel so thankful for this week of amazing activities. I turn off the light and rest up for all that’s ahead.