September 4, 2005 at 5:31 PM

I'm so tired right now. Our family has had a very hectic few days!

Yesterday we drove down to Ocean City, NJ for my viola-playing sister's first orchestra solo, with the Ocean City Pops. A family that we know from various youth orchestras in the past was there because they were soloing with the orch. as well. After the rehearsal we went to the boardwalk and did all the necessary things such as ride the ferris wheel and get cotton candy. We had a lot of down time before the concert, so when we got back I practiced a bit in a the hallway outside of the auditorium. My grandmother on my dad's side, my grandparents on my mom's side and my cousin on that side, and my sister's boyfriend came too. It was very late when we got back and I was so dead tired that I almost fell asleep with my nice clothes on.

This morning I was scheduled to play three unaccompanied Bach movements in my grandma's church (the second mvt of the B minor, the double, and the gavotte en rondeau and the gigue of the E Major). So me and my dad left the house at about 9, very hungry. There was no food in the house because we had been too busy to go shopping! So we got to the church and I warmed up, then the service started. I played my pieces okay (except my darn Eing SQUEAKED a couple of times!) but I learned a valuable lesson: never perform without eating first. Because for one thing, I was incredibly nervous for something so minor (I mean, nobody in the congregation were serious musicians) really nervous, like shaking! I believe I was just as or even more nervous for this than when I soloed with an orchestra in front of a thousand people last October! And I definitely shouldn't have been worried (I know those pieces like the back of my hand). And the performance was fine but I play them much better. We think it's because I had really low blood sugar. But, it's OK; I'd rather have learned that now for an unimportant thing than learn it later during an orchestra solo or something.

--alice

From Laurie Niles
Posted on September 4, 2005 at 8:20 PM

I can so relate to getting ridiculously nervous about something really trivial! I think those things sneak up. Taking good care of yourself before every performance, even the little ones, is a very good idea.

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September 4, 2005 at 5:31 PM

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