Yesterday I played for combined ballet classes. At least I played for part of the class. The chair invited a young exchange student from Spain to teach the class “salsa.” I played for the warm up which Julie the instructor led. It was extremely unclear how  much I would be needed for the rest of the class. The student of course was off balance since she was teaching a room of her peers in a second language. I don’t think she wanted to use me at all. But  I ended up playing for her while she taught parts of the combination which was not salsa but Flamenco.

Evidently, my attempts at replicating Maleguena type music did not reassure her enough to use me for the combination since she ran out to get her computer to play the music after teaching some basic moves. I was a bit disappointed, but not disappointed enough to hang around and find out what kind of music she ended up using.

I have been feeling like I’m running into a lot of negative energy lately. I certainly don’t blame a 24 year old exchange student for feeling funny about working with fuzzy old me. But I was slightly disappointed.

I have recently acquired an adult organ student. She is a pretty accomplished oboist who wants to learn organ. Her second lesson was yesterday. She told me several sad stories about her experiences a  musician. One in particular stays in my mind.

She was drinking with students and teachers in Europe (France? I know she lived in Germany for a while). One of the teachers confided in her that she (my student) was too much of a word person to be a musician. In fact, that she wasn’t a musician.

My response was to say that I have heard so many stories of academic musician assholes discouraging student musicians. Of course this woman IS a musician. Also, I think that music is an activity which involves more people than the player and the composer.

My Mom has been found on the floor a couple mornings this week. One day she said she “slipped” there. The other time she fell on her way to the bathroom. They are testing her for a urinary infection which sometimes produces disorientation. I hope that’s what it is. Eileen and I will pay her a visit today. I usually go over on Saturday and get her books, take them back to the library and get more for her. I’m interested to see if she got any reading done this week because I know it’s not been a good one for her.

I did have what I think of as Mom time yesterday. I had an appointment with her banker to transfer some funds around. He was late. Somehow we got to talking about my job. I found myself chatting a young conservative Christian dude up about acoustics and congregational singing and pipe organs.

I seem to have found myself up against a lot of negative energy lately. This must be part of what drives me to chat up disinterested parties about acoustics. Ahem.

I found this website in the AGO mag. Very cool. It’s a Norwegian publisher which offers a discount on music that you download (as opposed to purchase through the mail). This is what I’m talkin’ about. I only hope I can find something to download and that it’s any good. I really think this is the way to go with this stuff.