Playing on the Boardwalk at Daytona Beach with our horn quartet!
Amazingly, everything came together so I could go. It was a bit tight, I honestly am still paying off those plane tickets, but it was so worth it to go! I got to have a one-on-one lesson with David Johnson (professor of horn at the Conservatorio della Svizzera Italiana, and founder of the American Horn Quartet) and got to know a bunch of really awesome horn players. It also was a big boost for my playing for a couple reasons: 1) I really was not very good in comparison to everyone around me, so I spent the week kicking my own butt to get all caught up, and 2) I got to spend a week playing side by side with professional horn players, listening to some amazing tone quality. I could definitely tell a difference in my playing when I got back here, and I just in general feel much better about my playing because despite the fact that I'm behind where I should be for my age and year in college, there's a lot of hope that I'll not only catch up, but maybe even do better than expected! I definitely appreciated getting shoved into being a small fish in a big pond, rather than the big fish in a little pond. I also got to play side-by-side with a student who is going into his sophomore year at Eastman School of Music...one of the schools I'm considering for graduate school. It was definitely eye-opening to see what a difference going to a music school makes.
Evening concert at a local church. Playing a Disney medley in this picture.
I definitely enjoyed my time there, and it was so worth it, but the story doesn't end with my flight home. First of all, said horn player from Eastman and I are still talking a lot, and have figured out an awesome trick of using the Voice Memo tool on our iPhones to send each other recordings of our playing, so that we can get almost instantaneous feedback. (Much better than dragging some unsuspecting musician into my practice room to get feedback lol) Also, David emailed me a few days after camp to inform me that he would be interested in having me study with him in Switzerland for grad school! So, unofficially, I've been accepted there!
A few other cool things have happened recently for me as well. I've been getting a lot more hours at Starbucks since I got back, which means I can start saving up for my new horn, finally (or really, for plane tickets to fly out to grad school auditions...but you know. Same difference, right?). The weather is GORGEOUS in Seattle right now. I'm outside in the sun as I'm writing this...and I've never been happier. The vitamin D does wonders! And, also super cool, I've been invited to join a local horn quartet of recent graduates that all live in the Seattle area. First rehearsal is next Saturday, and I've never felt so...cool. Honestly. That, and they found out about me because my private teacher recommended me! There's hope I may just make it in this crazy business!
On a completely different note, my participation in the Tour de Fleece definitely didn't happen as much as I hoped. Going to muggy Florida killed any inspiration I may have had to spin because there is nothing worse than dealing with wool when your hands keep getting sweaty :P I'll keep working on my yarn though, now that I'm home.
The Olympics start soon, and therefore my next big project begins! What used to be the "Ravelympics" (google Ravelympics if you're curious) is now the "Ravellenic Games" and I'm still participating. I'm doing what's called the "modular relay"...my goal? Knit 100 hexipuffs over the course of the Olympics. Goodness. I'm hopeful though, and I am really excited to see some more big progress on my quilt :)
I'm so happy to be home, to feel driven and inspired again, and to have fallen in love with horn all over again. Life is beautiful, and I'm so glad I have so much of summer left! Just over one month down, two months to go!
~Allie
