Wednesday 23rd November - Playing a baby cello

Today was the first time I tried using a baby cello (half-size) for cello teaching. I've borrowed it from the music dept stores for the duration; just one day of carting my full-size cello in its old-fashioned fibre-glass case was enough for me. I am teaching cello in four schools; in two of them the room is on the first floor (which, in commercial buildings, is more like a floor and a half-worth of stairs) and in the others I have to wend my way through corridors and up and down short flights of stairs.

By the time I'd made it to the music room I could hardly breathe, let alone teach!

I must admit I made a less than impressive noise on the little cello as I adapted to the differences. Where you put your hands, and the spacing between the fingers is all entirely different. Luckily the student ( a sixth-former) was amused by my horrible intonation, and occasional running out of bow (half-size cello, half size bow) as I played scales along with her in the lesson.

http://www.kennedyviolins.com/cello-rental/

Looking at this, I should be aged 7-11 and just over four feet tall. That could explain a lot!