Creating a Personal Language

It seems that as we travel through these years in the educational system, both reading and writing progress in order to prepare us for the next step in the ultimate plan of what lies ahead. Often times, we are taught specific lessons that are said to be “right,” and it is then our responsibility to accept this truth and apply to our literacy careers. These uses of language are generally taught in order to create a standard, so as to create a learning community in which everyone is able to participate on the same level. Teachers make sure to teach language through a means which is conducive to this kind of learning, whether or not it serves to be helpful as our journeys through the educational system progress.
In primary and secondary schooling, teachers often have students get into groups to work on assignments. At least, I remember this was my experience during these years of my life. We would get into a group and be given a task which generally included some sort of reading, writing, and speaking. We would read a text, that was assuredly considered a part of the canon, in order that it show us the use of language in the most traditional of our texts. From here, we would discuss, using our own language, what it is that we perceived when reading the language of the text. Following this, we would combine these reading and speaking skills into writing a summary or response of what had just occurred within our group.
This was all good and great until I got older and realized that every teacher asks something different of their students. There was no right and wrong. It came down to what the teacher wanted to see and how we would apply this to our work in order to get high markings in the class. In the end, it really came down to use realizing that we just had to appease the system. That sounded easy enough, and for the most part it was. But then things became a bit confusing. Which teacher liked commas and which took five points off for every comma you used? Which teacher wanted you to use the jargon of your subject in order to convey your message better and which was only interested in seeing Standard American English? It was up to us to make these distinctions and try to figure out how to run with them in order to receive the grades we were hoping for.
While at the time this all seemed so difficult to keep track of, as a college student, I am now thankful for all the different perspectives I received when learning to read and write. As a student, it became my responsibility to apply all the techniques I had learned throughout my education at that point and create a style of my own. And now that I sit back and look at it, I do not believe there is a right or a wrong when it comes to language and its usage. There may be what is “standard” and what is “accepted,” but these are only meant to be used as guideposts. It is up to us to adapt and create our own personal meaning out of what has been given to us. In this, it is obvious that all the rules and regulations laid out at the beginning were useful in that they gave us the roots for which to allow our personal style to grow. Now, in college, it seems that we are able to apply a style of writing that we see fit in order to convey our message in the way that we, as authors, deem most appropriate.
Primary and secondary school throw as many ideas at you as they possibly can, and for this reason, often consist in throwing you off. But had I never been exposed to all of these concepts, I would have never known how to create a language and style of my own. It is my belief that personal style is the true essence of language. People fall into different categories and cross over varying dichotomies. But at the end of the day, language is how each individual makes use of what they have been given, and from there, turns basic writing into a work of art by creating rules and regulations of their very own.

The Language of a Jazz Musician

“Hey, play that d-diminished sharp five chord again.” I’m not sure that many people would be able to decipher exactly what this means. It probably has something to do with music, since the words “play” and “chord” are used. But unless you were a true jazz musician, this would probable sound like absolute gibberish. Yet if you do not know this in the world of jazz, no one will ever call you a cat.
I am a member of the jazz community and for that reason, when I have a saxophone in my hands, someone may refer to me as a “cat.” While generally this would be considered a mammal of the feline persuasion, the way it is used here is actually a sort of compliment. To be a cat, you have to know the lingo. You have to know that if someone says you sounded “bad” on stage last night, it actually means you played incredibly. If someone says you “totally killed it during that set,” you have to know they mean not many people have ever played a bunch of songs in that order the way you just did. A cat is a jazz musician. A set is a grouping of songs, generally lasting for about an hour, which an audience sits and listens to. And if you kill it, you are among the greats. A cat stands on stage with an instrument in their hands and plays a set that the audience can all agree they totally killed.
But that’s just the basic lingo. Then you have to know the names of the greats and the way the music works. John Coltrane. Miles Davis. Charlie Parker. However, it is rare that you hear someone refer to these cats by their full names. More often than not, John Coltrane is called Trane, Miles Davis is called Miles, and Chalie Parker is simply referred to as Bird. If you do not know these name simplifications in a circle of jazz musicians, you may as well walk away. And once you know their names, you have to know their music. Miles Davis played the blues. This is a twelve-bar progression of major and minor chords, with a two-five-one turn around at the end. Wait… What? Was that English? Exactly. This is the most standard form of a tune that any jazz musician can play. I means certain sounds fit together and when you play certain notes, everything will fall into place. Common sense, right? Well for me, yes, but only because I am a cat. But you have to be a member of the group to know just what notes to play in order to kill it.
There are certain words, people, phrases, and ideas that a jazz musician must know in order to be a member of this circle of people. Laymen may pick up on certain words and ideas, but a true cat can turn around and make sense of them in order that they totally kill their set.

My Memory Vignette

I had been waiting to walk through the doors of Denver School of the Arts ever since I received that letter in the mail. It came about two months after the audition and as soon as I opened the envelope and found out that I had been accepted, I knew this was the beginning of a long musical career. My backpack was filled with school supplies and I had just bought new reeds for my saxophone. But what I didn’t know was that as soon as I walked into that band room, I was going to be in for the surprise of my life.

I had a student model saxophone and had only been taking lessons for a few months. The kids in that room had thousand dollar professional horns and were all sitting around comparing stories from the summer. They all looked up when I walked in and gave me a look that made me cringe and want to walk away. All my life, I had always been the best saxophone player everywhere I played. But suddenly, in this group of musicians, I was the ugly duckling and I was worried that I would never grow into a beautiful swan.

That first day was the most disorienting I ever experienced at Denver School of the Arts. I was thrown into a situation that was completely foreign to me, and I feared I would always be the odd woman out. Luckily, as time went by, I learned a lot of skills from the people who looked at me funny that day. And best of all, the next year I got to see the next batch of ugly ducklings hatch out of their shells. Only this time, I got to be the beautiful swan who took them under my wing.

This is the start of something good...

Don't you agree? My name is Amy Krivel and I am a junior at Colorado State University. My major is English Education and I am minoring in history. I am beginning my teaching courses this semester, so we'll see if this is what I really want to do very shortly... I plan to be a high school English teacher and pass along the knowledge and passion I have gained for this topic to all those who are also interested, or not yet interested, in this art. I suppose that is all I need to write for now, but as I learn to use this thing, I will be sure to say more.