Every since getting back from Spring Break I’ve been running myself ragged. I worked straight through the weekend with teaching, rehearsals, practicing, and performances, and this morning was the first time I was able to relax a little. In fact, more than a little since I woke up aching all over from yesterday’s 13 hour day (and 6 plus hours of playing, yikes!) so I’ve just done some paperwork (I count emailing, bill paying, check depositing, phone call returning all as paperwork as I don’t know how else to really explain it?), went for a little run (BEAUTIFUL weather!) and now I’m considering what I want for lunch before it’s time for “only” six hours of teaching.

It’s been a mess this month and a bit next month too with performances. It’s hard teaching so many students while trying to maintain a performing career too, because that means evening rehearsals on occasion, and lately that “on occasion” has been more often than I like, but I am playing so many fun concerts too, so it’s just a crazy time. I’ve been teaching 6 days a week, and some weeks ahead might be 7, just to keep up. On the bright side, I’ve gotten my taxes filed and paid, and my bank account is very happy even though my mind and body are less so. I have 5 performances in April, and 3 right at the beginning of May, so next month doesn’t really let up, though I have less evening responsibilities, luckily.

Here’s something that delighted and frightened me the other day: the mother of one of my students told me that my student wanted to be “just like me”. To be a teacher and play violin with different groups and play concerts. I was completely flattered and honored, and terrified that it’s a challenging life! But mostly I was touched that I seem like somebody that a middle school student wants to be like. I had a student earlier in the month tell me that I was a very nice but really picky teacher. I try to make violin FUN first off, because it is, but I also try to make sure they are doing their best and playing things properly with good technique. Practicing and learning violin is hard, honestly, but music is fun. It’s a challenge to insist that students are doing things properly without taking away the joy they have! Sometimes I fail and land more on the side of “fun” with some of them, and with others I’ll land more on the side of “tedious”, but I do try to strike the appropriate balance with each student. (Emphasis on try! But that’s all we can do, right!)

I don’t feel like uploading pictures from my phone today, so here’s an older one before Spring Break. Imagine that’s the world’s biggest suitcase 😉

And here’s a pile of animals. Who can even tell what’s going on??

One of my students showed up with a 2 by 2 Rubik’s Cube. I didn’t even know that was a thing. He showed me how to solve it in about two seconds. By that I mean, he attempted to show me how to solve it, but I still didn’t get it. Maybe with practice. But he solved it, repeatedly, in about two seconds. Maybe next week he’ll bring the bigger one!

My first student’s sister gave me a violin book that was evidently on my front steps. At first I thought, wow, that’s been there all night, but then I remembered that I did indeed leave the house to run errands earlier in the day. And didn’t remember seeing it. The book in question: I know the student who it belongs too, and she had thought she’d forgotten it the night before. Evidently she’d dropped it, but I wonder if she dropped it down the street and somebody saw it and knew I taught violin and that it might be mine, and dropped it on the steps for us? Either way, lucky it didn’t rain overnight!

My other students were fabulous in their own ways. My last student had a great lesson involving playing duets by Hindemith from the Doflein books (I’m trying them out on him and having a great time with them…I’m not sure he is, but I think it’s wonderful all the “modern” music in them…by “modern” we are talking early to mid-1900’s) and then a fun time with Brahms Hungarian Dance doing lots of “DRAMA.” I love when you get a student to the point that they can start making real music and teaching them how to show emotion in their playing. Not that you can’t do that, kind of, from the beginning, but there are SO many technical things to worry about.

Music is fun. And while I actually enjoy nerdy technical things while I’m playing and actually enjoy (sometimes!) practicing technique and thinking about all those amazing things in the Basics book especially in regards to bow technique, it’s especially fun to teach a student about rubato, and timing, and expressing emotion ( not necessarily YOUR emotion, but just emotion in general, like acting) in the pieces. That’s the most fun. Teaching beginners is so much harder for me!

My youngest student today kept requesting activities during her lesson. Granted, they were different activities than the ones I was suggesting, and probably easier, but I love when they suggest their own activities. It also reminded me that I need to do the easy fun activities more often with other students. Sometimes I forget and worry that they are going to want to learn more new stuff and get bored…when I need to focus on continuing to improve what they already know. Another student worked diligently on a c sharp minor scale and didn’t even complain it was too hard, which was amazing.

I should write more about the good stuff. Teaching is exhausting many days, but today I feel invigorated. Of course, I had two day off cancellations and my last student wasn’t coming either, so it was a shorter day…maybe that’s why I feel better about it. But maybe it was just a good day, where I feel like, yeah, these kids are all right. People like to complain about kids these days and how they aren’t as smart, or strong, or hard-working as “we” used to be. I would disagree. My students are generally remarkable and give me hope for the future. And they are, as far as I can tell, pretty normal kids.

This article from the Washington Post was going around the web the other week. Nothing in it surprises me in the least, but maybe it would be of interest to you. I like the line, “We shouldn’t be surprised we can train the brain.”

I think I’m nearly at the point of not accepting any more students. I have a few more I’m talking to that seem to fit into my schedule, but I think I’m almost at my breaking point. I wanted 20 hours and I think I might be past that, or not quite there, or perhaps I can’t do the advanced math required to figure out how many hours I’m teaching? I have over 30 students, that much I know.

I’m teaching out of a house for the first time in awhile and it’s wonderful. I like not worrying about bothering the neighbors and I like the big room I’m teaching in with big windows that make it feel like I’m a real person. For many years I have taught in small rooms with no windows and I’m never going back. And even though I’ve had good experiences at some of the schools I taught at in the past, I’m never going back to that either. Teaching privately at home is the best. I’m glad I was forced to take the plunge the other year. This is my second year of teaching only at my house and it’s working out better than I could have dreamed.

It’s a busy rehearsal time as well. I was thinking this morning how much fun I’m having with performances coming up. I’ve got 3 quartet concerts, a million band concerts (I will tell you more soon), a solo (well, with piano!) recital, and MORE. Basically, I’m busy but enjoying life, and feeling accomplished and like I’m really working on improving myself and going places, even if they are just small places!

Wedding…

Recording session

Oh, and jury duty was fine. It took longer than it should have and ended with a mistrial before the final jury was selected. Luckily I only missed part of a few days of teaching.

I took this moments before my number was finally called to be on a panel. 

Flowers downtown at lunch break.

Isn’t the arch lovely this time of year?

How are you doing this fall? Feeling overwhelmed, accomplished, or some combination of both?

Well, no, not really.

But today I only have teaching in the MORNING and then the rest of the day free!

Summer teaching is a mess. During the year I have a regular schedule and students show up every week. During the summer…I’m rescheduling all the time. I am okay with this because the options are either to have no students at all in the summer…or to be really flexible and let them come when they can. Obviously the second option is best for my studio, both financially and musically. So each day is a little bit different, and I have been spending hours of time trying to figure out schedules and communicating with parents, and honestly, I think I’ve basically got June worked out, except for a few days. Well, I think I have this week figured out at least.

I also think I generally have my summer worked out. Teaching, a few concerts, an opera, a recording session, a bit of vacation (destination still nebulous, but the time is set!) and a lot of work around the house. I played for approximately 9 hours of weddings over the weekend and this thought occurred to me: much of the winter is spent scheduling and filling weekends for the spring and summer. That’s the fun part…dreaming about the paychecks and having your bills covered during the hard months. But then you get down to the actual work required to get those checks, and WOW it can be a lot. This weekend was pretty crazy…people ask how was my weekend, and I just look at them blankly. What, it’s Tuesday already?

I took a little trip out of town last week to see my youngest sister Carrie graduate from college and visit with family. It was nice to get out of town!

The proud graduate standing in between my parents. Next stop: New York City! (Well that’s not entirely true as I believe there are many stops in between, but come fall she’ll be in New York.)

I’m having photo trouble today so that’s all you get. I’ll get some more up later 🙂 I know, I know, needs more cat too.