Climbing the Ivory Tower
The Adventures of Two Women of Non-Traditional Age
by
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One day, while diligently listening to tapes in the sound room, someone accidentally locked me in. While frantically banging on the door, knowing that I would be late getting home, I wondered again if I was taking on too much, too soon. Someone finally heard me and found the key. After I was rescued I sped home and was greeted by the heavenly aroma of brownies. Our youngest son had put two packages of frozen brownies in the dryer to thaw them out. He left the clothes in too so that the brownies wouldn’t break. The load of clothes was white, or had been. It was hard to get angry, for I had cautioned him against using the oven. In fact, thawing brownies in the dryer seemed rather inventive . I was very nervous on the day of the orals; I particularly worried that I would fail to recall pertinent facts. The committee was very kind, however, and soon I relaxed. When the exam was over I was dismissed while the committee conferred. I paced in the hall, dreading that I would not pass. Upon being called back in I knew that all was well when the committee thumped on the table (a German tradition), signifying acceptance. I was flying high; an important milestone had been completed. Little did I know, but the worst was yet to come.
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About the Book
This book is about two women in their early fifties who decide to return to graduate school to work toward a Ph.D. in musicology. They don't know one another, they don't have any idea how taxing it will be, and they have been out of touch with recent scholarship. One of the women has five children and the other has two, but all are frisky and imaginative kids who keep up their antics to their mothers' despair. Their tales of adjustment to academic life, their interaction with the professors and classmates, and their attempt to survive confrontations with their children are sometimes hilarious and sometimes tragic, to say nothing of the medical obstacle that bars their path.
About the Author
This book is really an autobiography of a ten-year period in both of our lives. Although from very different backgrounds, we both shared this experience and approached with a deep love of music. Kathy English lives in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania with her husband Jim, a labor lawyer. They have five grown children and three grandsons. She has a PH.D. in Musicology from the University of Pittsburgh and is the Music Minister/Organist at St. Louise De Marillac Parish, a large suburban church just outside Pittsburgh. She also teaches private piano, organ, and theory and occasional classes in music history and theory. Sara Casey lives in Sewickley, Pennsylvania with her two sons. She is a vocalist and harpist and teaches both singing and harp to private students. She also earned a Ph.D. in musicology from the University of Pittsburgh and is working on several articles on Irish chant and Irish saints. She teaches a class at the University that deals with women in music.