Friday 8th November - Mugged by Music

I'm not going to have anything useful or interesting to say tonight. My brain is non-functional, my head is full of noise, my mind is concentrated out and totally out of focus. Why?

Today I have taught all day, from 9:45am through to 6:45pm. There have been a few short breaks; 15 minutes for lunch, 30 minutes for clearing admin and talking through issues arising from the lessons, and 30 minutes for travel home and make a cup of coffee.

9:45 through to 12:25 was exam practices, working with small groups of children, accompanying their music exam pieces and teaching them their aural tests. Oh, and it was "Wet Play" at lunchtime.

After lunch I taught the Recorder Ensemble - 20 children playing descant, treble and tenor recorders. We started working on "Silent Night" in readiness for the Carols-by-Candlelight concert early in December. It's a little way to go before it sounds beautiful - at the moment playing the right notes and  the right rhythms are the priorities.

Then a new samba group. Samba can bring out the worst (wild behaviour, egging each other on to be Very Silly) or the best (intent focus and concentration, listening and determination) in the children. This lot are looking, and therefore sounding, good already.

Finally four more recorder groups, including three young beginner groups crammed into a single hour, and I was grateful for a break!

Once I was home, I just had three more lessons to go; a talented young pianist working on Grieg's Notturno, (There are lots of recordings on youtube but this is a good one http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wpU-gnkIFRo).


Geirangerfjord, Møre og Romsdal
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fjord

Then there was a Grade 5 theory student who was reeling with tiredness after a hard week, and a violin candidate with his exam coming up very soon.

Each lesson demands total concentration; listening, watching, analysing, managing, encouraging, nipping trouble in the bud, strength of personality to maintain control in various proportions depending on whether I am teaching one mature student, or thirty lively youngsters.





SO I was grateful for my husband offering to buy instant food for supper - zip, zap and ping - and preparing it, and serving it, and clearing it away. What a lovely man.