Mom

When I was little, my mother was my world.
In elementary school, I thought that things had changed, somehow.
In Junior High, I knew that she didn't like me very much.
In Senior High, I no longer liked her.
In college, we spoke occasionally.
After that, we hardly spoke at all.

After I moved out of state, and thanks to my Lord and Saviour, we reconciled. There were no admissions of guilt. Just an understanding that things shouldn't be the way they had been in the past. We spoke. We loved. She was my mother again.

And now that she's passed away, she is once again my world.

Practice Every Day

When it comes to learning, especially on an instrument, I have long been a proponent of short practice sessions on a daily basis rather than one long one.

Let's take two student examples. Jimmy plays six days out of seven for 15 minutes per day. Johnny returns home from his lesson, puts his instrument in a corner and then waits all week to put an hour and a half in just before his next lesson.

They've both put the same amount of practice time in. However, Jimmy will come to his next lesson confident and prepared and with a greater understanding of what the lesson was all about. Johnny will play as if he's not practiced at all.

The constancy of daily practice goes a long way toward evolving your playing from point A to point B. Your brain has time to absorb, sort and calculate all of the minute activities that have to happen to make your performance consistent and available at a moment's notice (i.e., the day of the concert!!!).

Practicing only just in time for a lesson only exhausts you. (And your teacher.)

The bigger question really is: how much do you really enjoy playing? Think about it!

Lake Area Strings

By the way, this is my adult string ensemble, the Lake Area Strings, collectively. We are currently preparing for a concert on the 18th of May.

We are also guest appearing on a concert for the benefit of Medical Missions for Christ on the 19th of April.

Top left is Paul Morrison, viola; bottom left is Lyn Hoeft on violin with Penny Williams across from her on the right. Top right is Mike Nichols on the 'cello and that's me in the middle.

Not pictured here is Dr. Thomas Hoeft who joined us regularly after this photo was taken.

E-mail me at fiddlin1@gmail.com if you'd like to be on our mailing list for future concert information.

For Samantha

I love to take things apart and put them back again.

I'm getting ready to work on a violin and potentially do some things to it that I don't really understand just yet. You know, you'd think as long as I've been around these instruments that I would know a little more. The technical stuff is usually left to the experts, though, so I've always taken my violins to someone else to have work done.

I have to cut a bridge and possibly move a soundpost. And new strings, of course. I hope the thing still plays when I'm done with it.

Samantha is waiting....

I Could

I could organize my scrapbooking supplies.
I could practice my violin.
I could clean my bathroom.
I could exercise.
I could fix this old violin.
I could organize my Strings music.
I could do laundry.
I could go to Wal-Mart.
I could fly to the moon.

I could!

Lessons in Lessons

I give violin lessons. Lots of them.

Kids never cease to amaze me. Their ability to learn. Their ability to do as little as possible. Their ability to exceed their wildest imaginations. Their ability to be adults.

Teaching a child and seeing their eyes light up at a new thought learned or a new skill developed is just about the most awesome thing I've ever witnessed.

I'm blessed beyond words to be able to experience it over and over again.

Blogging

I love diaries. Well, blank ones at least.

It always starts with the best of intentions. "Every day," I tell myself, "I'm going to write what I've done so I can look back some day and remember all the tiniest details." Then after three whole days of loyal diligence, I skip a day, then a week, then a month and then the point seems to get away from me. I think I'm just busy.

Well, this time it will be different. This time I have a reason to keep going. Now I have to learn how to diary...er...um...blog.....because of my job.

I hope they know what they're getting into.