Hits and Misses (February 8-14)

I suppose it's better to post late than to not post at all! So here's my look back at the week that was.....finally.....

HITS

• The week started with a bang as Brian Kuhnert and I presented our faculty recital. We presented an all-Mahler recital that featured the Kindertotenlieder. It was wonderful to share the stage with a gifted singer and to create luxurious sounds together. There were a lot of notes on the page......and I played some that were NOT on the page.....but the audience response to the program was very positive.
• The biggest event of the week was my first trip to TMEA. Music educators from throughout the state of Texas gathered in San Antonio to learn together and celebrate the accomplishments of gifted students. This conference was HUGE and a bit overwhelming at times. Now that I've survived my first one, I'll know what to expect in the future and think I'll really come to enjoy this time each year.
• While at TMEA, I got to spend a little time with Randy Walters. Randy and I were students at Pepperdine together and haven't seen each other since his graduation in 1995. Randy is now teaching middle school choir in the heart of Texas. It was fun to catch up on what has happened in our lives, remember past adventures, and just chat about music. I think Randy best summed things up when he looked at me and said, "You've grown up." Looking forward to re-establishing this friendship.
• While returning to Plainview on Sunday, I was hit with a ton of birthday wishes from people far and wide. As I get older, I wish the calendar wouldn't move forward so quickly, but I also enjoy hearing from so many friends in a single day.

MISSES

• Before leaving Plainview for TMEA, I had a series of rehearsals with instrumental students at Plainview High School for an upcoming competition. This would normally be nothing out of the ordinary. However, the ending of the evening was nearly all I could handle. A student came in to rehearse and things sounded HORRIBLY WRONG! I checked the tuning and checked his part to confirm everything was transposed correctly. That's when reality hit. This "little darlin' of a musician" came into the rehearsal with an Eb contrabass clarinet while reading from a Bb clarinet part. NO WONDER IT DIDN'T WORK!
• I had forgotten how much I hate attempting to park in downtown San Antonio. I lived this nightmare several years ago.....and immediately decided that the family vacation would have a hotel room on the Riverwalk! Lesson learned.....I'll be booking a hotel within walking distance of the conference next year.
• On Friday morning, I opened my wallet to discover that my debit card was not there! I made a call to the bank to freeze my account in the hopes that I would ultimately locate the card. After a day of searching everywhere and returning to the restaurant I had last used the card, you can only imagine my thankfulness to find the card in the back pocket of the slacks I had worn the previous day. The only thing I can figure out is that I didn't secure the card in my wallet and it fell out. It was an inconvenient weekend without the card, but I made it through. Now I'm just ready to get back to the bank (after the President's Day holiday) to get my card back in working order.