The Rotary Music Festival is such an interesting, dynamic, and complicated experience. Organizers, teachers, students, performers, accompanists, adjuticators, and volunteers all come together with a common purpose: to make music. The logistics of an event like this seem huge, even impossible; the preperation seems unmountable at times I'm sure. Teachers and students prepare in advance for days, weeks, months, and even years.
I never participated much in music festivals when I was younger (more about that at a later time perhaps), but I am now participating as a teacher and accompanist. It is only the second day of the festival, and so much has happened. I had a huge day today: accompanying 13 kids, warm-ups, lessons, three choir performances. Lots to ponder. I like lists; they organize. Here are my Rotary Music Festival Day 2 lists:
Failures:
- Putting one of my students in the wrong vocal class and almost getting her disqualified. I guess I wasn't paying close enough attention - you live, you learn - won't make that mistake again.
- Wearing dress shoes all day long. I have the sorest hips in town.
- Being an ass in Grad school and then having to own up later. The choral adjudicator was my old prof. I wasn't a good student in Grad school.
- Judging a book by its cover. Always somewhat emberassing when you catch yourself pulling this one...
- 0 for 2 winning roll-up-the-rims
Successes:
- Watching a trio of voice students flabbergast an adjudicator. Kids who don't know their own talent amaze me.
- Witnessing a student cram, with all her might, all the French diction possible into her head to prepare, forget some of it during performance, but still finishing with a smile and a positive result
- Making a few extra bucks playing the piano. (but I've had to practice)
- Changing.
- Having the Children's Choir mezmorize the adjudicator with energy that bubbles over, and voices that sing uninhibitedly
- Hearing the adjudicator speak to the parents of the choristers: "Please continue to support your children by keeping them in choir. They are learning, growing, and experiencing a much more valuable form of music than what a finger and an iPod can bring."
- The Girls' Choir got the highest choral mark of the day with their performances.
- Trusting in the natural leadership abilities which have lay dormant in each choir when the conductor can't be there to help
- Getting the Adult Choir out of their comfort zones a bit, working hard, performing at festival, and being succesfull.
- Having a beer with my old prof and apologizing.
- Enjoying the overwhelming feeling of pride that all my students bring me.
- 0 for 2 FREE roll-up-the-rims.
And thats only day two.
~Brad
