Just listen folks....

I am always amazed at what teachers assign students to perform. Do they not listen to the student to ascertain if they are capable of playing the piece or do they just hear what they want to hear? There is a major concerto competition coming up with the auditions on the 24th. I am playing for 4 students. There is Adam that will do just fine, maybe fine enough to win a place and maybe not, but he will not embarrass me or him. Needless to say, he is my student, I started him with his first 1 1/2 reed and still work with him on Stamatz concertos. Then there is Zoe, plays a very competent viola but practices the art of Sorta-pitch when things get moving. Her teacher doesn't seem to notice that so I just try not to notice too. She should do well, probably getting a seat because she is a really good young violist, albeit a little pitch handicapped. Next we have Wyatt, not my student, playing the extremely fast Quantz Concerto. He is very good but he has not mastered the art of tonguing at that fast tempo. So would it not be better to play the slow movement and show off his remarkably good tone and control? Nope, we are going with blazing fast that shows off all his weaknesses (thank heaven's there aren't many). Lastly there is Jacob, a trombone from the north end. He really knows his instrument and he gets from note to note with speed and accuracy. Intonation is remarkably good too, but he has one volume and it is loud. On and on it is loud with no contrasts at all. And he is playing a transcription where the instructions so no transcriptions. We will see if they honor their own rules because he really is very good. And last of all, a mid-island clarinet that is trying to get some scholarship money from WWU. She is doing the slow movement of a Brahms Sonata and refuses or has no clue as to how, to count. The accompaniment offers no support to the solo and she is all over the place with her notes. It will never hang together unless I just throw the music out the window and improvise around her random notes.

So why do teachers do this to students and why do students do this to accompanists? No answer, only I hope I never do it to the students or to myself in that I do all my own accompaniment work. I think we get our egos too involved and somehow think that the student playing a more challenging piece makes us look better. True, but only if they can pull it off with authority.

Meanwhile I will continue practicing those hard runs and go out there to showcase those I am working with....and maybe guide the one young lady away from Brahms.

A Full Day

Sometimes I wonder why I do what I do, then I remember it is because I like what I do! That would be today. What a long day. Started off going to the gym for my average but brief workout. I figure it is better to go and do something than stay home and do nothing, so I go with that something in mind. Works eventually. Anyway, taught a piano lesson and then sewed with Avery for a couple of hours. Booked it up to Oak Harbor to teach some lessons and do some accompaniment work for the upcoming concerto competition. Came back to attend the WICO rehearsal (Whidbey Island Orchestra Organization) and now I am back at square one. I am tired but all in all it has been a good day. Avery learned the fine art of zippers, single flap and double flap. A necessary skill but not one that I find easy to instruct so I brought in Tarey to do the deed!

While up north I picked up stuff at Wal-mart and Albertsons. I figure that I might as well take advantage of the trip and do some shopping while out and about. I also discovered that you can not purchase a freezer in Oak Harbor, or the portion that I was shopping anyway. So it means I head off to the mainland tomorrow after my lesson and rehearsal to look at Sears. I figured Home Depot would have same, not a one! That came as a shock! But I am rather certain Sears will come through on this department. I will purchase same tomorrow (hopefully) and Larry will collect it on Monday. Will work for both our schedules I think. My chest freezer is not holding temperatures as good as it once did so it is time to get a new chest freezer for long term storage.

Time to decompress and head to bed. Tomorrow is another day, and it might even be a sunny day. That is an extra plus this time of the year. There was some nice sunshine today as I was locked in a practice room with students. Earning money can be such a drag but I am so grateful that I am able to do just that. There are many that have no income at all, I get to do what I want pretty much when I want. Not such a bad routine!

They always say that a picture is worth ever so many words....and this pretty much says a bucket. We had some deep snow just before Christmas and my one and only went outside to make a snowman, or snow pile or something, in his pajamas. No gloves, no boots and plenty of cleavage! Some families are known for their cleavage on the front side, some for the cleavage on the back side.....mine would be the latter. I would have thought the snow crawling down the obvious cleavage would be ever so cold but he stayed out there for well over an hour. I took the picture form the bedroom window. Heck, I am smart enough to stay inside where it is warm and dry, don't need to be out there getting snow in places snow has no need to be!

When he finally finished his project it was the tall pile of snow. I thought it was an igloo but it was just a pile. He then walked around to the deck and put the flag on the top of the pile. But that wasn't good enough....if you are going to be "poor white trash" you need to take the final step. He went and got some clear plastic and covered the pile so that it would not melt. So I ended up with a flag sticking out of a pile of snow covered with plastic wrap. Oh I was proud! Well, at least I was entertained! I sure hope it is more genetic than environmental. I would hate to think I have populated the world with more Cleavage baring snow piling, flag sticking, plastic wrapping off-spring! Ain't life grand?!