Musical Meanderings

This is a blog centered around some of the musical encounters and experiences that I come upon in my daily life as a musician.

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Location: Alameda, California

Saturday, September 29, 2007

Summer is gone!

Well, I guess summer is gone! How did that happen? I spent alot of time trying to make it a special summer for Isabelle, who is five. It was the summer before she started kindergarten, so I thought it might be fun to spend the whole summer with her. No day care or preschool or anything. We did things like waterparks and ferry rides and carnivals and Amtrak to Reno and tennis lessons. We practiced her cello most every day together. It was a great summer. But gone in an instant. And now she is a big kindergartner!

It's funny, but this summer was not very hot. We didn't use her pool much. But in September, we have gone swimming almost every day. We are self-proclaimed members of the polar bear club, so even when it's cold, we jump in and bounce around and have lots of fun being polar bears. September has been an Indian summer, though.

But now, October! So soon! Lots of great scarecrows and fall leaves and pumpkins in and around our house. We love this time of year.

My students have been missing tons of lessons this summer. Hopefully they will be back to a more regular schedule now. Lots of interesting musical opportunities coming up. Vivaldi's Gloria on Christmas Eve in Oakland, which I love, some Vaughn Williams soon in San Mateo with the choir there, a solo cello classical concert in a few weeks in San Mateo also. My string quartet has been very delinquent with rehearsing. Bad string quartet! But we have a concert on Wednesday at the City Center Cultural Series in Oakland. It's a noontime concert and should be fun.

Isabelle has started cello lessons and group class at the Crowden School in Oakland, with Katherine Baird. She is a fellow free-lance cellist, and she is a fine teacher. I decided to switch Isabelle over to a teacher that is not me, as I don't want her to hate me, or the cello. This way, she can blame the fact that she has to practice on Katherine! It feels good though, to have others involved in her musical education. She is doing great on the cello. She performs once in awhile in Alameda, at benefit concerts, or old-folk homes, and she is almost all the way through the Suzuki book 1. So, I have to say, I did a great job starting her!

But, do I really want her to be a cellist? Well, if she is going to be a cellist, she's going to be a better one than I was...that's my idea of what I want for her. I had to struggle so hard! She won't have to, because she will have a very good foundation and a very young start.

Well, we have to practice! Bye!