jill.musick

This week was a week of insanity in the music department. All private lesson students play a scale and 2 pieces in front of their private teacher and another music teacher. The other music teacher then gives constructive feedback, both encouraging the student to continue the things they are doing well, and giving technique tips or advice on improving their piece.

This meant that we each saw approximately double the amount of students we normally teach. I was involved in 39 juries; Marit had somewhere around 45! Both of us found them to be helpful – not just for the students, but for us as teachers. Having an outside perspective on a student is valuable. There were several “Aha!” moments during juries where the adjudicating teacher pinpointed that one thing the student needed to fix a problem or polish a performance. Marit and I came up with all kinds of new ideas for each other and for our own teaching. For example, we coined the phrases “The mighty bow” and “the power of the eyes” in playing with good tone and keeping the bow straight. It is so fun to have the opportunity to bounce ideas off each other and to see our students flourish as we implement these techniques!

The students usually walk in looking somewhat tense and apprehensive. At the end of most sessions this week, the students looked relieved – and many had smiles on their faces! One particular cello student said, “Aw, I’m kind of sad my jury is over. I learned so much!”

On Thanksgiving Day, Viki Payton invited a group of people over to her house for a feast. We each contributed something different; I brought rolls, and Emily made some amazing cranberry sauce.

We didn’t have the day off for the American holiday (since not all of our students and staff are Americans), so it didn’t feel quite like Thanksgiving until we spread the table with delicious smelling food and gathered around with thankful hearts. Viki has a tradition of placing 5 corn kernels at each person’s place; during the meal, we each say 5 unique things that we are thankful for – no repeats allowed! We have all been blessed in many ways.

After the meal and pumpkin pie, we watched the Charlie Brown Thanksgiving – another of Viki’s traditions!

Pardon the blurry pictures… more pictures of the people at this meal should be showing up on facebook soon!

“Eew! Tyler’s blood is on my shirt!”

“We were plucking like chickens!”

“And we pray for the bathroom, that it will come clean!”

“What is the world coming to, that we’re praying about toilets?!”

“I feel like a cricket on the verge if a trash can!”

“I need to practice! What if my jury comes up and I’m not ready? What if I turn into a fish?”

“If I were a kitchen item I’d be a corkscrew because I’m so funny!”

Today was my second Thanksgiving feast, and a feast it was indeed! My WorldVenture family (we’re not just a mission – we’re like family) got together to celebrate and be thankful together. We each brought a dish to share – I brought sweet potato casserole! After dinner, we all said a few things we’re thankful for, then prayed together. This group of people is so supportive and encouraging!

Friday was our 2nd Evening Recital of the year. Once again, it was well-attended due to Marit’s poster campaign and the promise of coffee and tea after an evening of music.

Marit opened the evening with a charge to the audience to listen to the music in a special way: to hear it as a space in time that allows us to ponder the Creator through the creativity of composers and performers.

My role in the evening was stage-handing. Between performances, I raised and lowered the piano lid, removed chairs, and moved a music stand around. Yet during each piece, my ears were given a real treat! The evening was something special. On Tuesday, many of the same students had performed after school in an informal recital full of nerves and mistakes. On this evening, though, nerves were turned into excitement and musicality. Mistakes were turned into “That’s the best I’ve ever played this piece!” As a teacher, it was rewarding to hear the students’ success. As a musician, it was thrilling to be moved with the emotions of the different pieces. As a Christian, I was loving the opportunity to hear God being glorified in the music, in the beautiful notes played by these excited students.

The first performer was my cello student, new this year to BFA. Despite being dismayed to find that she was the first one up, she pulled together a solid performance.

You’ll have to imagine the rest – I didn’t have that much battery left on my camera!