I haven't really spoken about music for some time now, and there is a reason for that. I talked about how my nerves got the better of me in a rehearsal last september, and despite any random pep talks I may have given myself, those nerves decided to stick around.Last night was our spring concert. My orchestra does 3 concerts each year (season) and we spend the prior few months rehearsing for each one. Two hours of rehearsal each week isn't really a lot when suddenly the big day is looming.And my nerves were really jangling.I didn't ever have this...
music and muzak
I haven't really spoken about music for some time now, and there is a reason for that. I talked about how my nerves got the better of me in a rehearsal last september, and despite any random pep talks I may have given myself, those nerves decided to stick around.Last night was our spring concert. My orchestra does 3 concerts each year (season) and we spend the prior few months rehearsing for each one. Two hours of rehearsal each week isn't really a lot when suddenly the big day is looming.And my nerves were really jangling.I didn't ever have this...
Because mothers are supposed to love everything their children do. Because the child-filter that is pre-installed on every mother makes it impossible for parents to find fault with anything that their child does. Because your own child's drawings make it clear that they have artistic potential far outstripping any other pigtailed snot nosed prodigy. Because your kids are better than anyone else's, and you know it. Which is why you smile angelically at your little darling as they lay the bow on the string, palm on the neck, fingers caressing the fingerboard, and then... They drag it over that cat...
Here is a wonderful photo that I've had to scan from the original 10 by 8 black and white print. It's the only one I have, and as I didn't take it, I don't have the negatives either. But it's a precious shot to me, as it shows me (far left, flute) playing with 2MD band in Victoria Barracks. After I left Newcastle university, and left my army reserve band, I played with 2MD for the better part of a year, as a "full time reserve". We were based out at Vaucluse at that time, as the new bandroom...
ok, so - it was the first orchestral rehearsal for the christmas concert last night. And frankly I was terrified. I won't be terrified on the day of the concert, nor the few weeks prior to that. I will be nervous for the first half term of rehearsals. But the first rehearsal itself - that's special, and only terror will do.Absurd, isn't it. I drove to the rehearsal - a half hour journey - feeling excited about getting into the music. But as I got closer, I felt my stomach turning to butterflies, then melted butterflies, and then just a...
Many years ago I connected my stereo to my mac, downloaded an audio converter, and converted one of my tapes to mp3. Thankfully, vanity prevents me from mentioning that the tape was Bananarama. Whooops. The result was less than mediocre. It was scratchy and full of hissing, and that was just the singing. The sound quality was poor too. And very very quiet. So the tapes got put back into the tape box and stuffed back under the bed. I didn't want to throw them out - there is a lot of music I love in that collection. But they...
