nathanwolek.com

In January 2021, I started the second phase of my sabbatical from Stetson University by leaving for Aberdeen, Scotland to serve as a Visiting Professor at the University of Aberdeen for the Spring term. This extended visit (with my family) was made possible by a grant from the US-UK Fulbright Commission, my second time being selected for a Fulbright Scholar award.

Frankly, planning to move a family to the United Kingdom in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic was overwhelming. The immigration offices were working with a skeleton crew, an airline cancelled one of our scheduled flights, and the rules seemed to change every few days. Once we arrived, we were faced with the reality that Scotland’s national lockdown was far more restrictive than Florida’s equivalent measures. It meant that very few businesses were open and we were confined to the city limits. Although the many hours stuck in our apartment have been mentally taxing, we were thankful for the many spaces for outdoor exercise without leaving the city.

While here in Aberdeen, I am co-teaching their Digital Musicianship course (a required for all music majors) with Dr. Suk-Jun Kim and two doctoral students. My first lecture was about basic principles of acoustics and hearing, topics that cover frequently in my own courses (and with the Young Sound Seekers). My second lecture was a survey of instrument builders in the 20th century, which allowed me to revisit my love of electronic music history. To supplement that topic, I built a 43-minute playlist on YouTube and a 47-minute playlist on Spotify with examples that others may enjoy. In addition to delivering my own lectures, I have enjoyed working with the doctoral students to support their lectures and help them better prepare them for a career in academia.

During the lockdown, I have focussed my field recording efforts on Seaton Park, a public park close to the university’s main campus. It’s a park with a varied history that I am learning about through online and library resources, and by connecting with the Friends of Seaton Park. The fact that academic buildings and residential halls are on opposite sides of the park’s boundaries means that students are frequently found passing through its 67 acres. Even in lockdown, outdoor exercise is considered an essential activity, so many people have been using the park as a place to escape for a bit of fresh air. But it’s wooded location on the River Don close to where it meets the North Sea also means there is wide variety of birds that frequent the park, including swans and oystercatchers. The park also extends a short ways down the river to the Donmouth Local Nature Reserve, another spot where people can go to be in closer contact with nature.

Now that COVID numbers in Scotland have improved and the lockdown restrictions are easing, I have begun to explore additional locations that are beyond the city limits. If you want to follow my progress, I’ll be posting on Twitter and Instagram throughout my time in Scotland. However, I feel sure that Seaton Park will feature prominently in whatever scholarly or creative project results from my time in Scotland. We’ll see what the next few months brings!

Tags: fulbright, scotland, united kingdom • Posted in general • 2 Comments »