Winter quarter is always rough. Most of the stress and lackluster parts of winter quarter seem to be due to the hardest classes being offered then (second quarter of Theory II anyone?), and because no one has seen the sun in Seattle for about 4 months and counting. Add on graduate school auditions, and trying to figure out what in heaven's name I'm doing with my life, and you get even more stress. There's a reason I took hardly any classes this quarter (beside the fact that I'm basically done with my degree)...I don't have time to have homework!
This makes for an unhappy Allie, especially since it seems that both of my grad audition trips were/are in the middle of really important periods of time in my classes. Round one was during midterms; round two will be during the week/weekend before finals. Kill me now...
It's been really difficult since I got home from my first round of grad auditions as well. With all the stress and build up of January pushing towards grad auditions, I came home and found myself feeling without direction in my practicing, and overwhelmed by everything that needed to get done. There were loose strings everywhere in my life, from homework, to pieces to prepare for different performances, music to be filed in the library, a whole bunch of crazy stuff with family and friends, and to top it all off, I was jet lagged. There were many tears shed last week, and probably way too much time spent just trying to figure out how I was going to get it all done.
I found direction though! I'm excited to say that the wind ensemble parts for the concerto I'll be playing in the spring concert were shipped to us early last week, and I handed them out to the band on Friday. That being done, I've gotten my butt kicked back into gear. Nothing worse than passing out a piece to your peers and then fearing you can't play it yet to motivate you to go learn your piece backward and forward. Along that line also came the realization that I would have to schedule my recital jury for mid-April, which is only two months away! I only have half of my recital down so far, and clocking in at well over an hour's worth of playing, I have my work cut out for me. (I don't know how I keep having long recitals...junior recitals should be 25-30 minutes of playing; mine was 45. My senior recital should be 50 minutes worth of music, and it's currently pushing 70...sorry friends and family who are watching it!)
I also have wonderful, supportive friends who take care of me, and listen when I need to vent. I'm super blessed in that. Yesterday was registration for spring quarter, and I can tell you that all of us were freaking out, making sure we could get registered for all those last classes we needed for graduation. I think it definitely counted for the lowest point I've had all quarter, and two of my friends took time out of their busy schedules just to come and make sure I was okay.
So, after two hours of good practicing today, a completely full schedule set for next quarter, and the promise of an amazing meal tonight, I can say that I have pulled myself out of this stupid lurch I've been in, and am ready to move forward and do awesome things with the rest of this quarter.
Also, did you know that enthusiastic horn playing can break fingernails? New lesson learned today!
Allison
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