My Spring Break

Yes, it was awesome! I slept, watched movies, went shoe shopping, played in the pit, got my grandpa's car inspected and registered, planned wedding stuff, slept, worked, attended a baptism, a homecoming, and Music & the Spoken Word IN THE TABERNACLE, besides playing in the pit. Did I mention I slept and played in the pit? Two of my very favorite activities. Not at the same time, of course! I did a little tiny bit of homework, might regret not doing more in the next 48ish hours but whatever. I needed that break so bad and I loved it! If I can get a nice recording of my one composition I finished I will post it at a later time.

Lastly, I need to say that the Tabernacle is so cool! It was my first time actually getting into the place itself for M&tSW. Totally beats the same show in the conference center, hands down. Gotta be the acoustics. Those come from the shape of the building, with it's nifty parabolic ends :-) Is it parabolic or hyperbolic? I wonder if I've got my conic sections confused... Anyway, there really aren't words to describe how amazingly awesome it was to hear the Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square perform in their very own home venue. No words. Yea for stuff! Good night!

I figured something out

I like being in the pit NOW because I hear the kids singing and see them dancing around me and I know that they wouldn't have as good an experience if I wasn't there. Then the people clap and cheer and I know part of that is for me. I'm happy because they are happy and I'm using my talents to bless others! In the before-mentioned experiences my talents hardly did much because of the poor equipment quality; so I couldn't share my full potential and wasn't nearly as happy.

In band, my professor got me to be in it and commit to going on a trip with them by expressing that he really wanted to use my talent. When he changed things around so I hardly got to do anything maybe you can imagine how I felt. I thought he wanted me and my talent there and then gives me almost nothing to do. How can I bless others by just sitting there? Which is why now I'm going on a different trip where I can appreciate other people's talents that bless my own life. Lucky for everyone the two trips are only an hour and a half away from each other.

Then, in my own piano studies, sure I have fun, but there's always times when I don't want to practice anymore. Well, I figure it's probably because playing Bach over and over again doesn't help anyone else. It just doesn't have the same draw. I study piano because I want to be in ensembles, I want to accompany people, I want to be in (surprise) pit orchestras. Well okay, I do have dreams of playing piano in lobbies or over dinners, that's solo stuff. But still. I can accept that the things I learn as a solo pianist I can apply to being an ensemble pianist. Although the super-nit-picky Bach stuff maybe not so much...

I've always known that when I don't feel appreciated I don't feel happy. What I figured out is that that fact explains a lot of my feelings from the past few weeks. It's nice for me to be able to sit and play and know that I'm helping others do great things, like senior recitals or high school musicals, or concerts, or auditions. In concerts though, it helps if I have a significant part (sorry, 1 out of 8 pieces doesn't provide for the happy to outweigh the not so happy, especially when I was expecting more). Does that make me prideful? I don't know, but when I'm using my talents to bless others, it's a wonderful feeling!

It's a good thing I like doing this

Woohoo! Pit orchestra is so fun! I guess maybe I'm over last Friday. Maybe. It makes a difference to have a good instrument when you do this. A huge difference, really. Since I signed my contract and I have my keyboard when I get there I can just enjoy myself now! There's even a spotlight on my head sometimes (LHS doesn't have a real pit) and it doesn't really exactly bring back memories, but it does makes me happy to be playing in a pit orchestra. I tell people that it's one of my dreams to play in professional pit orchestras. That's mostly why I'm doing this in the first place, right? I can't explain how I felt tonight in the dress rehearsal, it was just happy. And I have some experiences under my belt for the next time I get to do it, so all in all a valuable experience. Well, so far. I guess I should wait until the show is over 'cause we're still on dress rehearsals right now... but I'm happy. A good pick-me-up before I go do something that doesn't make me so happy...theory homework...ugh

The Friday BAD Story

Back story--I agreed sometime last October or November to play in the pit orchestra for a local high school which we will call "LHS" for short (of course meaning Local High School!), because 1.it's something I like to do, and 2.they're going to pay me to do it, and 3.I've always thought it would be cool to work with the theater director there, (whom we will refer to as "Mr. D") because he has an amazing reputation for being amazing. Well, NOW I don't know how Mr. D got that reputation, and please no one ever let me go do anything music-related at LHS ever again. I've had bad music related experiences there before and this is no better. Mr. D and the other keyboardist said they'd try to find a keyboard for me to play (they don't even have a keyboard, you ask? well, they do, but not one worth playing).

1st rehearsal: yeah, there's a keyboard, but that's all. No pedal, no amp, no cable, no stand. Basically a piece of crap too, once they found a stand, amp, and cable. No pedal, but I'm a good enough player that it wasn't a huge problem for a rehearsal only. The conductor then asks everyone for their contracts back. Great, no one ever gave me one! I tell them to get me a contract, and say I will ask around for a keyboard since they didn't. Am unable to get one.

2nd rehearsal: use the crap keyboard again after having to find all the necessary other equipment again. The cable picked up a radio signal the whole time. Still no contract. When the others were wheeling the "keyboard cart" back to wherever it came from after the rehearsal, all the crap keyboards fell off going up the ramp. I give the other keyboardist my email and phone number because he's going to see about getting a keyboard, just in case he can't get one and we just have to use mine, but I don't really want my keyboard sitting at a high school. He emails me Tuesday saying he can't get the keyboard so what is my address and he'll come get mine Friday afternoon. I reply on Wednesday and spend Thursday night clearing my keyboard off so it can be taken out (I had previously explained to Mr. D that I have a keyboard, but it would be very inconvenient for me to bring it).

Friday evening BAD story--I am ready well before 6 with my keyboard and everything to go to LHS. Rehearsal is supposed to start at 7 so we need to be there before then to get set up. So I'm super freaking out by 7:30 when no one has come, emailed or called! What makes me the most angry is that I don't think anyone even tried to contact me. I certainly tried to contact them! I did! I was frantic and super angry. Dad tells me to just go so I do, and there's everyone, having a happy little rehearsal. Did they miss me? Hard to say. They at least took the liberty of setting up the crap-keyboard for me . . .

Afterwards we grab some guys to come help get my keyboard and bring it back. But I tell Mr. D I'm not going anywhere until I see a contract first. He finally gets me one, we bring my keyboard back, and as we're lowering it into the pit, Mr. D says "I think that's the same model keyboard I have." WHAT THE HECK! And the other keyboardist's excuse was he can't read email on his phone anymore. So, what, do you not have access to a computer? Does your phone not make calls? Or send texts? I didn't ask. Super angry. SUPER SUPER angry.

The show opens next Thursday, so the next 2 weeks for me are shot again. I hope it all goes better than it has so far but seriously, please don't let me do anything musical for LHS again. And probably not for Mr. D either. I don't like to be angry!

They brought up journals again

Monday--I did yoga at another ward's FHE. Super fun! Then me and BFF wrote names on certificates and tried to find places in the world hotter than 32 Celsius (the current temp in Manila). Great game for geography, as iPod weather doesn't recognize countries, only cities. So we'd think of a country that gets hot weather, and then have to come up with cities in that country, as not all cities are recognized, either. We had fun. Bangkok was the only winner.

Tuesday--nothing exciting

Wednesday--also nothing exciting. Except I actually got up early and did music theory hw, then stayed up late doing piano festival stuff.

Thursday--got up early again for piano festival stuff. Then 4 of us pianists had a large argument about whether or not we should go to class at 9:30 . . . we ended up going but it was amusing the way we got there. My mom bought me dinner at Red Robin and I got a sweet little orange cone out of a quarter machine that says "out of order." I wanted to put it on my head so bad I drove to the mall and got a headband with a matching orange bow. Back at Weber I asked the secretary for a rubber band and I found a box of giant orange rubber bands! I totally tied the cone to the headband and I've been wearing it since. There was a band concert and it didn't make me happy. I was happy when I was playing but that's it. Bad night. Stayed up late again clearing off my keyboard.

Friday--class, piano festival stuff, class that was cancelled. Band professor tells me he's changed his mind yet again and we are going to play "Give Us This Day" in Chicago. That made me happy, but I have made my plans to go to Milwaukee instead. But that will make the one-day side trip to Chicago for me more enjoyable (i.e. I get to play TWO songs instead of just one on the concert). Evening was BAD... Details will come in a future blog post. Stayed up late again, I forget why.

Saturday--up early again for the Piano Festival. I set FOUR alarms so I would be there on time. Most everything went well, actually! The worst was in the morning, not everyone else was on time. As I was trying to figure out how things were going to work so we could START, my fiance starts texting me too. Worst possible timing. All I could say was "I'm busy now, please stop sending me messages" and the poor guy was probably thinking, "whaa? oh man what did I do..." That was my only blow-up though. Everything did go pretty well, what with my people having to help with the string festival too; it all got figured out and was a successful day! Lots of compliments on how well-organized it was :-) Dr. Yang bought us all ice cream afterwards, and I had a sweet bath in the jetted tub that night.

Sunday--Sunday School teacher mentions journals and how we should share what we learn in class or at least write it down. So, it was about "Come unto Me, all ye that labor, and I will give you rest," and "the Son of Man is Lord also of the Sabbath." Both great topics. I labor and need rest, and I do notice that like, when I go to institute or something (coming unto Christ), I feel so much better afterwards. Also, I like that Sunday is a day of rest, and I strive to keep the Sabbath Day holy. Following the commandments is definitely a good thing--it bring blessings :-)

more ways to handle stress

-try not to think about it
-do something for you
-stay up really late
-complain
-cry. again. and again.
-pray more
-go out in the cold with no coat
-talk to yourself
-throw things. or not.
-count your blessings instead