Monday, May 4, 2015

Hits and Misses (April 26-May 2)

Your friendly neighborhood blogger is finally returning to a normal routine after an extremely busy season. I have missed writing....and I hope you have missed reading. Without further ado, here's a look back at the week that was...

HITS
  • The past few weeks have been consumed with Union's production of Into the Woods. We weren't always sure how the show was going to turn out. Actors were missing from the final week of rehearsals. Music challenges unexpectedly appeared. Despite the frightening times, the show managed to be a huge success. Most of the six shows were completely sold out and cast and orchestra had a great time together. I'm really thankful that I got the opportunity to work on this great show again.
  • Even though the musical was consuming my time, other musical responsibilities continued as well. On Friday evening, I collaborated on the final recital of the semester at Union. The music was glorious -- violin works by Bartok, Brahms, Gershwin, and Bruch were featured -- and the rehearsals were always productive and enjoyable. On Saturday, three of my piano students appeared on Bartlett Music Academy's spring recital. All three students have only been with me for about four months. I was very pleased with their performances. Honestly, I thought some of my young students showed an attention to detail and understanding of the score to rival some of the recital's more advanced pianists. (I know I am probably biased on this topic, but I also know good playing when I hear it!)
  • My online section of music appreciation ended on Friday night as well. Now that I've calculated the scores, I'm amazed to observe that as many students earned F's as A's in the class. Come on! The exams were multiple choice and the answers were sitting in front of you! That just takes the definitions of "laziness" and "ignorance" to an entirely new level.
  • With the little down time that I had during this busy season, I found it very relaxing to complete a jigsaw puzzle. The 1,000 piece puzzle featured the "Great Composers" of classical music and turned out much nicer than I expected. I'm now investigating the best way to display the completed puzzle so I can hang it in my piano studio.
MISSES
  • I'm worn out! I try not to think about it very much, but the last day I spent without spending a significant amount of time on the piano bench was on Friday, April 10....and that was because of an injury.  As of now, it looks as though I'll get a break on May 13! I'm ready to spend a few days in bed with my hands soaking in a tepid bath. Ok....enough complaining....time to get back to work. :)
  • During the run of Into the Woods, I was able to take up residence in the Jackson area. It was great to settle in a single location for a long stretch, but I found myself getting sick of eating in restaurants. I'm ready for comfort food and simple sandwiches for a while.
  • I discovered this week that my summer and fall teaching assignments are going to be greatly reduced. MSCC is not offering a summer music course this year. Due to issues related to faculty load, it looks as though class piano will be taught by a full-time staff member at Union. Simply stated, that means my finances are going to take another hit. I spent a few days feeling depressed about the situation. Thankfully, I had a good friend advise me to shake it off and start looking for the next open door.
  • People can be insensitive and thoughtless sometimes. My niece got hurt when a man gave her a judgmental look when she attended church with temporary blue streaks in her hair. The man continued to make a snide comment to her sister. K is 16 and is not rebellious at all. (Case in point....she asked her mom's permission before dying her hair.) I've already ranted enough about this situation on social media as well as with my family. Suffice it to say that those Christians who are mature older need to learn to distinguish between what is of eternal, spiritual significance and what is a personal choice that is really none of their business in the first place (and is not a matter of sinfulness) before making potentially harmful comments to children and teens who are trying to grow in their walk with Christ!
PROGRESS REPORT
  • Great Expectations - COMPLETE! 
  • A Family Affair by Mary Campisi - p. 74 of 201 (74 pages this week)

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