Concert Season

Concert season is in full swing: had the Beethoven's 5 concert last Saturday, which went fairly well. And my fantastically wonderful boyfriend was there to support me (it was so nice having him there) then took me out to my favorite pub for dinner and drinks. We tried hooking up with a friend, but it fell through. :( In any case it was nice to hear from him, if briefly.

Tuesday night I had a school performance, which also went pretty well, however I had an altercation with a janitor. Long story short, I will be penning a crisply worded letter to the facilities supervisor regardignt he conduct of their employee who verbally accosted me following a simple yes or no question. Maybe that guy forgot his meds that day, maybe he's just got a chip on his shoulder the size of Texas, maybe he has hemmorhoids and diarrhea, I don't know. I DO know that he should mind his tongue and filter his comments before vomiting them out on innocent people. The question I asked him was "Can you open the copy room for me please?" This was followed by a spate of inarticulate mumblings, then a series of thinly veiled insults about people who bother him, his job, women, and I think I heard something about the rent being too high. JK on that last part.

Last night was my younger kids' school performance- oh my. Beginning orchestra is painful on the ears sometimes, but last night it wasn't a total disaster. I actually think it was far better than pervious years. I did a ton of talking on the microphone- public speaking is kinda (in a way) what I do each day, but usually not to a crowd of 300 or so parents, teeachers, students, etc. Anyway, I think I managed to sound fairly articulate and intelligent. I did mention one thing I felt very strongly about: I personally don't feel that the effort my students are putting into their practicing is nearly enough, and I know for damn sure their practice cards aren't reflecting what I'm hearing. I said to the audience, If you've enjoying tonight's performance, give another round of applause for all the hard work these students have put into the show. (wait for applause to die off)... On the other hand, if you think tonight's performance could have used a bit more polish, reflect on your child's practice habits and see if what you hear is matching up with the work being done at home. I'd like to remind you that the expectations for practicing are 230 minutes per week, and that the practice card is due each Monday during your child's class. Their grade depends on it.

I got an interesting response to that statement for a variety of people after the concert. Some felt it was rude, some said THANK YOU for calling them out on it, and others said it was a little gutsy but appopriate. I think it needed to be said. I wasn't thrilled with my groups' work, and I certainly am not happy with the lack of effort in their practicing.

Anyway, enough about work. So Matt is positively wonderful.... he came to all my concerts, helped with the kids last night (organizing them into sections, holding doors for the bass players, etc), and then took me out after to celebrate. I always am on this major concert high for an hour or so after events, and he used it well. :) We had pumpkin ale from BJ's Brewery (my new favorite beer) and then went home and celebrated a little differently. I like having a boyfriend whom I have regular access to. :) This weekend we are planning to spend on his couch, watching scary movies (ok, me listening to scary movies with a pillow over my face when it gets too intense), eating popcorn and junk food, and then having a nice dinner out while all the families are out trick or treating (i.e. no small children at restaurants to disturb the peace). :) He's been so fabulous to me, I can only hope I live up to his expectations and keep him happy. It seems I have a hard time with that, making people happy. I'm trying though!