I was with my students Thurs, Fri and today at the ALL WEST TN Jazz Band clinic....both were in different bands (there are 2, made of the top students who audition). Ben played bass trombone in the second band and Caleb played trumpet in the top band. They combined with kids from several other schools in West TN under visiting directors and after two days of working had the performances this afternoon. Both students did really well and both were awarded several solos and got VERY high nods from the directors, as well as several of my colleagues! I was very proud of my students! It makes for 2.5 LONG days of just sitting there through rehearsals and such, because if a director has even just one student participating, they have to be there. I LOVED the music the Orchestra was doing (though I had no students in that group) so I sat in on a lot of those rehearsals as well. Most of us directors use the time to catch up on school work on our laptops...I know I sure did!
Anyways, it gave me great pride to hear my students play so well and know they had a great experience! In two weeks, I am off to downtown for the Jr/Sr HS Band weekend...I have 4 students in that and I have also been honored with being a chairperson for one of the Sr HS Bands and will be in charge of making sure it runs smoothly and helping the guest conductor with whatever he needs help with. I'll stay in the hotel right across the street from the convention center where everything is taking place.
SO...some family updates. Abbi has vastly improved her behavior and we are very hopeful that she has learned her lesson. She is still grounded from several of her favorite things, and will be for a few more days. It has been tough for her, but that's life.
Abbi lost her third tooth this evening, right before dinner. Are kids supposed to lose 3 teeth on the bottom first then move to losing some of the top teeth or what? This is the 3rd tooth in a row on the bottom. This kid is not afraid of yanking her own teeth out, and probably before they are really ready if the truth be told. Because over half the root came out with this tooth, she wrote a note to the tooth fairy and we are keeping the tooth to show the dentist. When I looked in her mouth, one of the teeth growing in for the first one she lost is rather big and it may have actually pushed the baby tooth she just lost over and helped create what we saw with the tooth...who knows.
SO, the tooth fairy gets to make another visit to our household!
Dave and I were lucky to have a chance to go out to dinner alone last night, it was parent's night out at daycare (they open back up from 7-11 pm). We went to a great Mexican restaurant then spent some time browsing through BEST BUY. We had a gift certificate and my laptop needed a new wireless card. Those of you who have never tried to browse through Best Buy with two young children should try it sometime...you will learn why that is NOT a great idea hehe. Actually browsing anywhere with young ones is very hard. The grocery store is fine with just one of them, but both of my girls...almost a sentence similar to detention! Anyways, it was very peaceful as we looked around the store for an hour, not having to rush, not having to take one of them potty, or not having them want everything they see then getting mad when we say no.
Daycare does the parent's night out evening one Friday a month, it is $15 for BOTH girls to attend for the entire 4 hours...not too bad at all in my opinion, and they adore the daycare teachers so they love going.
Dave spent the afternoon with several other guys from our neighborhood...they are part of the Homeowners Association Board and they were making a visual of every part of the neighborhood to make note of people not in compliance with the covenants and such and checking on the common areas to see how they are. I am told the girls got a nice workout walking all afternoon :)
It's back to work for me on Monday, well back to school. It will be good to be back and working with my students on contest music. I have pretty much narrowed down exactly the pieces they will do for contest, removing the ones i feel is the toughest and they will just perform it at the May concert. SO, for contest this year, they will perform FIRST SUITE in Eb by Gustav Holst, As All the Heavens Were a Bell and Flight of the Pegasus. On Monday and Tuesday, I have seating placement hearings during class. This is NOT my favorite part of the business, because some students ALWAYS disagree with how I place them, but they do get over it. I will be starting to teach a big Music History unit to my general music classes, so that will keep them very busy. On Wednesday, I have my very last principal observation for my yearly evaluation. It will be during my Jazz Band class, I will be happy to get it over with.
In less than 12 hours, I make my debut at the new church playing with the orchestra. I am beyond excited! I have come to the realization that I need a new flute....ok, well I knew a few years ago I needed a new one, but that was about the time that I got this teaching job and basically quit playing with every musical group that actually put challenging music in front of me to perform. Now that I am back in the heavy duty playing, I was quickly reminded that I have reached my full potential on my flute, a normal part of the playing process. In college, my parents had to buy me a new flute early on because I outgrew the old one. There comes a point that nothing you can do will make it sound better or allow you to move to the higher level of richness in sound and response. Let's see, what can I equate this to in non musical terms??? It is sort of like the horseback riding I used to do. I started riding very reliable old horses who never were going to cause and problems and were considered safe (enough to not kill me). These are called trail horses, since most people who climb aboard have never ridden and need a horse who already knows what to do or will respond with the very basic of its rider being told what to do (kick to go, pull back to stop). OK, after progressing some, I had to move on to horses who were a bit more challenging, that were better trained to do things your typical trail rider wouldn't do. These horses are taught abit more refined and allows the riders to also learn more (cantering, correct leads, etc). The rider has to pay more attention to the horse and learn what to do with their own body in order to have the horse respond and for the overall look to seem that horse and rider are working together instead of rider simply sitting on horses back plodding along. Now, bump it up even a higher level. When I was at my top showing days, in the area of dressage, we used horses that ONLY advanced riders were permitted to ride. Their level of training was much higher, so we could do fancier moves and higher level things and we often taught the horses themselves new moves. Along with this also comes a wider variety of temperament in the horses. The higher trained, the more temperamental and set in their ways the horses seem to me. Think of it this way...aren't some of the top actresses or actors in today's world a bit PICKY and temperamental about the way they act or want things done??? This makes them harder to deal with at times because they are so advanced in their craft. OK, so horses are the same. Some of the best trained horses I have ridden I had to constantly stay on my toes because not paying attention could end up hurting me or result in me getting run away with or thrown to the ground. Beginners or trail riders are NEVER placed on upper level horses because they cannot handle the animals and can actually undo years of training done with the animal because the refinement it takes to get the top moves and results. Nicole Kidman having to do a play on par with your less than average high school play would probably quickly kill her talent level and bore her...forcing her to begin lacking on her great acting because she is no longer being exposed to it.
So, a beginner rider cannot function with an advanced horse in most cases, and in most cases an advanced rider cannot get the results out of a trail horse that they are accustomed to getting out of a well trained animal. The higher the training, the more expensive the animal (and the lessons to ride it) become.
In flute...I despise having to play on student model beginner flutes, they feel different, they do not sound at all as nice as my own flute...you get the idea. Now, my flute is indeed a professional level flute and does sound great...but it is a low level grade professional flute and I have reached the point where I cannot make it sound any better...it is as good as it gets and to the average person sounds fine..but I know differently. I have played on other instruments higher level than what I currently have, and WOW! It is time to begin the move to the wow part.
The only "bad" thing about this is what I am looking at costs about $5000-$7000. I could probably sell my current flute for about $1000, but refuse to even begin to do so until (and if) I ever get a new one. I want this a lot, but am going to have to dream. Having taken some cuts in pay at work (some extra funds I used to receive are no longer given to me via the school...new policies, certainly not anything I did to have it taken away lol) I cannot right now think of doing this. For the past 4 years it did not matter, since I had given up my heavy duty playing. I even forgot about it for the most part. But now that I am back with it, after just one evening of playing challenging music, I am reminded that I need something better to sound the next level.
SIGH.....I can hope and dream only. Bills and covering our girls' activities (dance mainly) depletes all of our extra funds. I may want things every so often in my life....but not like I want this new flute. Playing flute is like breathing for me. The next flute I get, it will be the last because after it there is no reason to get higher. The next level of flutes past what I want is truly for the professionals, people who play in symphonies or those that do nothing but play all day as their career. I wish I could get this new flute. I wish I knew someone who could get it for me or help me get it. I wish I could afford it myself. Tis rare in life I want something with this much desire.....
For now, I am thrilled to be playing in a new setting tomorrow. It will be cool to play in the main sanctuary (it must seat 5000 or so people and is about 4 or 5 stories tall)! Right now, I have no idea if they will use a microphone on me...I think they will. I cannot wait to see what I sound like in the church and I cannot wait to get with all the choir (over 100 people I can imagine) for the first time. Maybe I am getting way too excited, but those who know me well know that I am at my best when playing my flute and sharing this gift with others. For several years now I have put myself second to my children and my students....this is for me and the people I touch with my playing. There is no greater joy than music coming from my soul and to the listeners and the heavens. This (along with my children) defines precisely who I am and what brings me the most peace in life. I am quite sure my mother will hear me tomorrow and I know just how proud she would be (once she overlooks that I'll be in a Baptist Church, being a Catholic gal lol).
GEEZE...I assure you, I am not under the influence of any drugs or alcohol and I am most certainly not going crazy (yet). I am giddy at getting the chance to really play again. I did not mean to ramble, but it is rare I gush about ME and something that makes me this happy. We all have dreams...and mine is for that new flute. A dream come true would be to find it one day before I get too old and feeble to play anymore. BUT, one dream is coming true tomorrow of playing in a huge church (plus they broadcast on tv, sometimes nationally...check out your local "Jesus channel").
On that note, I should get on to bed before I get deliriously tired and ramble even more. 9 hours until my debut! I'll let you know how it goes!
:)
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