I love December as a musician. I explained it in my last blog. But being engulfed in December makes me feel even better about it. I know many musicians can't wait for the holiday season to end...but not me.
I've just had a lot of really great performances so far. The Saratoga Orchestra did their annual Peter & the Wolf and Christmas Concert, complete with instrument petting zoos, giving kids a chance to play different instruments of the orchestra. I felt like I played really well for these concerts, and my wife played in my section, so it was awesome. My horn club and brass ensembles had their winter concerts, and all did very well. I'm so excited to have my brass ensembles play at Solo & Ensemble this year, because they just keep getting better!
Yesterday, though, was a very unique day. There was a big windstorm in western Washington, and the entirety of Whidbey Island was without power all day. We had scheduled a horn club performance at this little church in Coupeville, which we actually went ahead and went through with. It was dark and cold, but stand light, head lamps, and lanterns became very useful. But that isn't the thick of it. We decided for this performance to utilize most of our members' abilities to play multiple brass instruments, and using my flexible Christmas quartets book, we basically had a different instrumentation for every song! What an experience it was for our audience and for us, hearing a different timbre and color for most every song! And we played really well, too! And we didn't even rehearse this...We were basically playing most of these for the first time. What a fantastic display of talent, flexibility and true professionalism my group displayed, and it just goes to show that players can play multiple brass instruments and still play at a high level!
So there's one more Christmas performance left on my plate, and I'm very excited for this one. In an effort to relive my days of playing solo horn in front of Salvation Army Red Kettles for the holidays, I have arranged for a group of my students, as well as local teachers and professionals, to play as a brass choir in front of the Oak Harbor Safeway! We are going to be using my flexible Christmas quartets book once again (quite a handy book, isn't it!?) so we will be able to accommodate everyone. And all brass players are invited! So if you're local and want to join us, we will be at the Oak Harbor Safeway tomorrow, Dec. 22nd, from 10am to 4pm. Come at any time you wish/can for as long as you wish/can!
Phew!...Now, to the main topic of this blog.
I typically received several gifts from students at Christmas. I got one this year that was incredibly meaningful. It was from a 7th-grade trombone player, which had baked me some cookies and written me a note. Here's the note:
Isn't this an incredibly thoughtful note? It is always nice to know how the students think I'm doing, because I'm always worrying about how I'm doing for them as a teacher. Am I making it fun for them? Am I helping them improve correctly? Am I addressing their needs? And so on. That worry is actually what drives me to be my best as a teacher. And it's nice to know when they feel like I did well.
So, I just wanted to share that with you. I hope those of you who teach have had similar reassurances.
Take care and value music.