from fiddle to fog to fodder

January 18, 2007 at 6:48 AM

I came home last night and thought to myself, I'm tired, I've been gone over 12 hrs today and have spent that entire time either practicing, teaching or studying for my big final exam coming up - I'm going to do something that I want to do for a change! So what did I do? I sat down in front of the computer and began to respond to the multitude of emails I had received over the past couple of days that needed responding to and working on application stuff for university - wait a minute, do I really want to be doing this? No. So why am I? hmm....what has society done to me, or technology that says I can't have a half an hour to, oh I don't know, read a book maybe, have a hot bath, have I really lost the ability to think for myself and actually differentiate between what I want to do and what I do just because it's routine and it's the right thing to do in today's etiquette books (or is it?)? When did that even happen?

January has reached its middle already and the very real pressure of the university audition phase which begins all too soon is setting in around me. Luckily, I have coping skills or gigs, or playdates or....well you get the idea. I have two somewhat major solo performances in the last week of this month that will allow me to try out my full slate of audition repertoire for an audience, and in one case some of the audience will be not only musically educated, they will be my mentors and colleagues at work. No pressure. Not. But still, it's a chance to try out and debut some of this stuff in a lesson stifling setting than an audition. Never underestimate the power over the nerves you have that lie dormant through a performance.

Speaking of universities, where are they and what features do they all have? Well I guess within the next 5-6 months I'll know if I'll be living in the "up-with-the-times", very much in the 21st century, bustling city of Vancouver BC where my daily routine will include a caffeine fix on Starbucks, either that or because I can't afford the rent I'll just stand outside of the Starbucks and inhale the intoxicating fumes - why does coffee have to smell so good anyways?? If it's not that wet mass of land on the Canadian West coast, perhaps it will be the land of great seafood (did I mention my love for seafood ends pretty much at shrimp and scallops?) and everything wonderful there is to know about Canada in the bustling, stunning, historical city of Halifax Nova Scotia or the land of good drinking, or at least a lot of bars in the coastal community of St. John's Nfld. Wherever I end up, I am guaranteed at least 3 things. 1. That there is ocean. 2. I will only see that ocean in my mind most of the time because the rest of the year it's obscured by fog, rain, low cloud cover or blowing snow and ice! 3.There will be some awesome music making going on this year in all three of those places and I get to be one of those people who makes that music!

From jennifer steinfeldt warren
Posted on January 18, 2007 at 8:26 AM

Good luck in your solos this month, and hopefully you will have peaceful, yet stunning auditions.

Sals,
Jennifer

From Terez Mertes
Posted on January 19, 2007 at 1:01 AM

Ha ha, LOVED that first paragraph. I'm so guilty of doing that.

This entry has been archived and is no longer accepting comments.

from fiddle to fog to fodder

Laurie's Books

Subscribe