Solo and Ensemble

 Guess I forgot to mention Solo and Ensemble.
That was last weekend on Saturday in Prairie du Chein Wisconsin.  I had 6 events to play for.
My students worked very hard in after school practices and at school practices.  Had to do a little counseling with several students, simply because they were psyching themselves up for failure.
One freshman girl kept telling me she didn’t know why she sang the song without holding some of the notes like it was written.  I told her that if she sang it that way the judge would count it off and then talk to her about it after her performance.
One of my band freshmen kept telling me he couldn’t get the music right.  I had to really find a way to tell him yes he could.  His piece was very hard for a freshman alto sax player.  He took Handel’s Sonata #3, movements 3 and 4 for his solo.  The music is exceptionally hard for the best of the best.  He kept saying:  "I can’t".  Finally 2 days before contest, I looked at him and said:  "listen to me!"  First, I can’t play this piece without you, and you can’t play this piece without me.  We need each other.  We are 2 peas in a pod."  Then I took his music and drew a pea pod with 2 peas in it with smiley faces and mine had hair sticking out.
At contest that afternoon, after warmup, we went to the site and we were waiting for the door to be closed so he could begin.  He looked at his music and smiled and then I whispered in his ear:  Dude, we are on American Idol and no one hear has ever heard a piano-sax duet before.  HE GOT A 1ST PLACE.  YEAH!!!!!!!

In all my students received 4 First places and 2 Second places.  These students were from my church, so I know them very well.  In fact I think it made it easier for the kids.  

One day at practice with the sax player, he asked me if I was as old as his mom.  I looked at him and said that I was older by about 10 yrs.  He said he thought I was younger because I’m always with the college kids or the HS kids at church.  I looked at him and said:  "for years I worked with the senior citizens and people more my age.  Now it’s time to hang around with the younger generation.  Since I’m getting older, I’d rather be with the younger ones, they keep me young at heart.

Even though none of my 6 are going to State Solo and Ensemble on the pieces that we did together, several of them are going to State because they were a part of other groups.  So on April 28th I will be going to the Univ. of WI-Platteville, 6 blks from home to listen to the students perform again.  Parents, grandparents, friends, family, get out and support the Arts.