Colton J. Provias

Why is it that we give up on our dreams so easily? It could be that society is geared for mediocrity and thus we are expected to only do the status quo. Those that reach for the stars are claimed to be insane, idealistic, or idiots by the keepers of our society. Dreamers go further and face obstacles created by others that attempt to stop them.

It’s alright for a child to dream. It’s okay for a person of high social ranking to dream. But the others who dream will be shot down. As one thinks back to their childhood, they remember having large dreams for their futures. A lone child may dream of shooting into space in a rocket. They yearn to be able to walk hundreds of miles above the Earth, floating free of gravity. To explore the cosmos at which they look up to on a clear cold night.

As time passes, the dream falls apart. The child may learn that according to physics, there is gravity in space and that astronauts are constantly in free fall. They may learn that traveling through the cosmos is much more time consuming than they thought. And they may learn that NASA has a really low acceptance rate for their astronaut program. The dream has been ripped to shreds by reality. All that remains is a memory of a childhood spent in wonder and “worthless” dreams.

The lone musician attending college, wishing to score the next generation defining movie, is a dreamer. The courses teach the generally accepted structure, and he accepts it and uses the knowledge. Another set of courses teach melodic work, and he gladly learns it and starts writing based on this knowledge. By the end of his college career, he is writing music based on logic. He follows what was taught to him in college and has lost the pure creativity that was there before. The great composer that could have been has fallen to mediocrity. He no longer stands out and the dream has faded into nonexistance.

Randy Pausch had spoken on the idea of following your childhood dreams. And, after his passing, I raised a question to numerous people: what is your greatest dream? The answers I have been receiving from many people are roughly the same. Everybody in our society wishes to find a secure job, have a family, and retire without anything to worry about. This is not a dream, it’s a goal. Getting a job performing on Broadway is a goal. But getting a lead role on an award winning show on Broadway is a dream.

One must learn to go back to their childhood. Think back to when you dreamed your grandest dreams. Make the dream your goal in life rather than the status quo. Aim as high as you can and do everything in your power to make your dream a reality. And, when you find yourself to be truly happy, you will find yourself to be living your dream.

So, to close, I ask all of those who read my blog one simple question: What is your greatest dream?

So I’ve decided to start a vlog…

This past Monday, it was pretty much an average, snowy day here at Penn State.  I was sitting in on The Nooner, an 80s music program on The LION 90.7fm.  All of the equipment was working properly, so with nothing else to do, I found myself just fiddling with my laptop in yet another futile attempt to connect to the wifi in the HUB-Robeson Center (student union).  My cell phone’s notification light has been blinking it’s green LED for the past two hours in alert of an unread email.  With nothing else to do, I decided to check the email.  I was greeted with the following message:

Dear Colton,

Congratulations! You have been selected to participate as an Attractions Cast Member on the Disney College Program in the Fall Advantage 2010 Season.

…

The chair I was previously sitting on flew back about half a meter and luckily the microphones were off or a loud cheer would have been heard over the air.  I had finally been accepted.  This summer, I’m going to Walt Disney World.

The Disney College Program allows for students from across the world to work in Walt Disney theme parks.  They start doing roles such as attractions, merchandise, PhotoPass, Quick-Service Food and Beverage, Hospitality, Transportation, etc.  During the time they spend working at the Disney Parks, the company offers them countless opportunities to network and to build their resumes.  Students can return later to do professional internships with The Walt Disney Company or to even get a full job within the company.  It’s a great way to build experience and social skills while learning about other cultures, entertaining thousands, and having fun.

I applied to the Disney College Program last semester and, after failing to make it, reapplied early this semester.  In just over a week of doing my interview, I received the invitation to participate in the program and quickly accepted it.  Now to spend the rest of this semester getting things organized for the Disney College Program.  Also, along with many other fellow future cast members, I will be keeping a blog (well, a category) of the entire Disney College Program experience.  You can find the category here.

Now, I’ve gotta work on getting to Florida so I can earn my ears!

Also, THON was this past weekend.  $7,838,054.36 was raised to fight pediatric cancer and to support children with pediatric cancer.  My favorite THON moment would have to be Tucker Haas.

In the Eastern Standard Timezone, it is currently Friday.  This means that THON starts today!

For those not from Penn State, let me get you caught up really quickly.  THON is a massive student-run philanthropy here at Penn State.  Thousands of students work to raise money for the Four Diamonds Fund which helps children with pediatric cancer.  The money is raised throughout the year and the festivities include a 5K, events across campus, canning trips, and everything culminates in THON weekend.  THON weekend is a 46 hour dance marathon during which many students dance the entire time (no breaks).  At the end of THON, the total raised is announced (about $7.5 million last year).  Look it up on YouTube and you will get an idea of exactly how large THON is.

Anyway, today is officially the start of THON weekend ‘10.  I may not be dancing, but I will still be involved with it.  I’m presently getting ready to do a live broadcast of THON from the Bryce Jordan Center with The LION 90.7fm.  Meanwhile, I may even be on the floor at THON to do some juggling.  And don’t worry, I’m taking my camera with me.

If you want to watch THON live, starting at 21:00 GMT today, you can visit The LION 90.7fm’s THONcast.

If you want to learn more about THON, check out THON.org.

And there is yet another winter weather warning in place now. Wow, we in the northeast are really getting battered. I’ll see if I can get some pictures or video of this storm.

As some of you already know, and some of you probably don’t, I am writing a musical about nerds. Recently, with changes to the plot to make the show less predictable, I found myself needed to make changes to the music. It was at this point that I discovered that my original plan of having a synthesizer do the string and brass parts was too restricting. So, to take advantage of Sibelius 6’s feature set and to give myself more room to breathe musically, I killed the synth and replaced with a brass section and a string section. Anyway, here is the rewrite of the Overture, opening song, and the play-off for the opening song.

[MP3]

Also, I tend to update my Facebook Page with music-related updates more often than I do here.

I am slightly behind on the project but is still going. Today, expect several more videos to appear, mainly from juggling club.

After I finish the rewrite of MusicHostr, I am reviving a previously dead project.

Then again, zymio never really died.

With 40,000+ students here at University Park, one common misconception rises. People entering Penn State believe that you will rarely run into people you know around campus.

As a second semester Penn State student, I would like to say that this is a load of hogwash. Everytime I travel around campus, I run into at least one person I know and recognize at least three others a distance away from me, all in the timespan of a minute or two. During my walk from physics to math this morning, I counted 28 people that I know the names and majors of walking past me on the sidewalk, one of whom is a girl I like but can’t quite find the time to try and get anything started with her.

Even when walking around campus, I am constantly recognized. I hear shouts of “Colton,” “Provias,” and even the occasional “CJ.” It happens to me about twice to three times a day. Unfortunately, I sometimes fail to connect face to name or to where I know them from and simply respond with “Hey…uh…”

So in short, you will recognize people quite often at Penn State. It’s not quite the sea of faces people think it is. Heck, I know many people here and many people know me.

Although, I think I might be a little too involved here at Penn State.

Nah.

When somebody talks about fitting in, it is assumed that they are referring to changing themselves to better fit in. But when I came to Penn State, I was worried more about if I could fit by being myself.

To those who don’t know me and are just starting to follow me, I’m a person who hacked MIT and then got rejected from there. Of course the rejection and the hack are not related except for both being related to their admissions deparment. I had tried to make myself into more of a computer science student to get in. When I entered Penn State, I didn’t know if I could survive being myself.

I have always enjoyed entertainment in many forms. Whether it be live performance or a recorded show, I find myself pining to get out of the audience and to help put on the show. Computer programming is not my love in life, but merely a tool I use to bring entertainment and social interaction to others. MusicHostr was not created for me, but rather to give other composers a method to much more easily entertain a larger audience. My real love lies in the art itself, rather than the tools used to create and distribute it. There is not a day that goes by that at least ten melodic themes arise in my head, just to go unwritten and fade into less than the faintest memory. I look everywhere and see many things in one: mathematical patterns, physics, nature, geometry, and subjects for art. I capture many scenes across campus in video, but even that video fails to go anywhere.

As I walk into Fisher Hall during one of my weekly attempts to gain a chance to play the piano, I find it taken by another young pianist who is crafting their art to no audience at all. The work they are producing in many cases is doomed to go unheard by many ears. But, as a sign of encouragement, I don’t walk away. Instead I sit and observe their work, listening to every tone. And when I hear something strong enough, I do take leave but return with my own saxophone to join in with the artist behind the keyboard. The music may only be heard by us, but at least it is being produced.

I dream of being able to push a new song out every few days, to be able to finish my musical, and to work on a film. But I am never in a prime position to get this done. My class schedule keeps me away from my tools from dawn until midnight. And after returning, I find myself exhausted and spending more time doing homework. My tools go unopened, but hope is not lost.

While walking out of a room in Innovation Park, a few miles off campus, I realized that I do fit in much better to Penn State than I thought. I may not be the computer science nerd that I tried to be for MIT, but I am something better: myself, the entertainer and artist. At Penn State, I broadcast music and sports entertainment via radio at The LION 90.7fm through a transmitter that can be heard on radios for miles. I do work on television broadcasts to campus through PSNtv. My equipment is getting use in Second Floor Studios to bring comedic material to the internet. I even do stand-up comedy infront of live audiences with Second Floor Stand-up and juggle with the Penn State Juggling Club. And when I get a chance, I sit down and play the piano until another pianist walks in, whom I will gladly give up my seat at the piano just to watch them get a chance to perfect their art.

I have finally fit in. I’m not the mindless drone of a programmer that I tried to be in my past. I am a distributer of art, performer of art, appreciator of art, and a creator of art.

I am Colton J. Provias. I am myself.