May 1, 2012

It's SPRING! When the world is puddle-wonderful and mudluscious, as eecummings says in his poem "in just spring". We are winding down the school year, practicing feverishly for the recital May 12. Well, I don't know how feverishly, but I am trying my best to motivate the students to be as prepared as possible. The goal is for each of them to have a positive experience performing, and while there will be inevitable mistakes, we're trying to make them few and easily overcome. Practice does NOT make perfect, right? PERFECT practice makes perfect, and that is an impossibility. We can only strive to do our best. Myself included. I'm planning on playing a composition this recital, and am realizing how long it's been since I have played in a performance setting. It gives me a good idea of what the students face every year. Yet another reason to keep it light and fun. How many adults remember terrifying performances as children, and how often those contributed to either not wanting to perform, or even quitting the instrument altogether?  I see the value however, in the end of the year recitals, as last year I was sick with pneumonia and lost the entire month of May, plus the 2 recitals. There was no closure, no show-casing their talents to friends and family; the year just sort of petered out.  

I have been on a course of antibiotics and other allergy-fighting medications, and the "bugs" just seem to come one after another. At any rate, May 12 will come, ready or not, and we will make it through somehow.  More details to follow in weeks ahead...hopefully some video links to youtube performances as well. 

Break a leg, folks, just not any fingers! 

L