Monday Nights = Youth Orchestras

First of all, my apologies that blog posts have not been as frequent as usual the past couple of weeks.  School has started, and we are adjusting to that schedule.  Also, there are lots of things happening behind the scenes here which means I have been caught up in all sorts of preparations.  I am confident that in just a few days I’m going to have a much better handle on things, and hopefully I’ll be back to posting a bit more.

Last spring YaYa auditioned with her oboe for the youth symphony, and The Banana also auditioned for a younger orchestra with her violin.  They both made it into the ensembles that they worked so hard to audition for, and rehearsals have started!  I am so proud of them, and so happy that they get to participate in youth orchestras.  They have both been loving it  so far, and a lot of practicing has been happening around here because the music is challenging.  Challenging is great, and I think that the orchestras are providing a very special experience of playing with others in an ensemble.  It can get lonely playing a musical instrument sometimes, and having a reason to practice, especially when that reason is motivation to play well so you are pulling your own weight in an ensemble, can propel you to new levels of musicianship very quickly.

On Monday evenings they grab their instruments and I drive them to a college campus nearby, where they get to rehearse in Tower Hall.  Tower Hall looks like a castle.  It is a beautiful, majestic building that just makes you want to pause when you are driving by in a car.  At night it is lit up, and as YaYa mentioned, it’s “the perfect kind of building to have a rehearsal in.”  There are all sorts of neat little places inside the building as well.  When you park at the bottom parking lot, though, there are a lot of stairs to climb!  First, stairs to get to the building from the parking lot down the hill.  Then stairs to get to the little veranda by the front door.  The Banana practices on the fourth floor, so there are a lot of stairs to take inside the building as well.  It’s like a mini workout with an instrument case.

YaYa’s ensemble is a group of dedicated musicians from all over the area, and they will be playing a piece by Tchaikovsky with the professional symphony this winter.  Very exciting!  At her first rehearsal the conductor handed her some additional music and an English horn for a few excerpts in one of the pieces.  Now I get to hear oboe and English horn every day.  I love the sound of both, but wow!  The English horn is so mellow and warm. It’s pretty splendid.    I’m so tickled that she has the opportunity to try playing one.