June 10, 2005 at 12:58 AM

Well, it is amazing how much practicing slowly and using a metronome helps. I never liked using a metronome before, but now I really understand how it can help me, and how it can help me to try to follow everything my private teacher says. She's been after me for a year to fix my bow arm, and lately, I have fixed it myself, and this past week she was amazed at how straight my bow was. I got a good chuckle out of it.

Well, I've made more progress on Lalo's Symphonie Espagnole the past few days than I have in the last two months. It's truely sad. I do listen to my teacher, but I don't apply it in my weekly practice, and lately, I've had the priviledge of practicing 2-4 hours a day (since it is summer). I want to be a professional musician after I get out of high school and college, and I've taken this summer seriously as a time for violin. During the school year, being in the magnet program and all, I don't have much time for practice, and the time I get usually isn't enough.

Anyways, a new topic: NPR. I have been listening to it for a few hours over the past few days, mainly because I have been bored with my CDs. I bought the Tchaikovsky, Siblius, Walton, and Elgar Violin Concertos; the first two by Perlman, and the last two by the legendary Heifetz. But, I've had them a week and a half and already worn them out. I listen to them when I'm not practicing, no matter what I'm doing, cutting the grass, watching TV, on AIM or the internet, riding my bike.

Anyways, I kinda like the variety of listening to Opera and Sonatas and Symphonies from NPR, rather than listening to my CDs, mainly because my CDs are almost entirely violin Concertos or Caprices or Sonatas, or Perlman's greatest hits.

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June 10, 2005 at 12:58 AM

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