Summertime Highs Concerto Lows

It seems to me that Calvin is having a pretty good summer.  Perhaps I should lay off giving him the business about spending too much time on the computer.  He's been working hard and playing hard.
After a week of taking trains through Switzerland and two Suzuki institutes a little train of thought is probably okay at this point.

Bill introduced him to the Blues Brothers movie Saturday night.  They laughed themselves silly. Mostly about the car wreck pile-ups. Only the Blues Brothers can swear in rhythm and make it seem innocent and funny.  It's true there was a heckuva lot of foul language in there.  As was there--in the Adele live video we all watched Friday night.  I looked at Calvin and he already knew what I was going to say--if I hear those words coming out of your mouth it's not gonna be nearly as funny as it was in the movie. . .

So I countered with two whole days of Alicia de Larrocha playing Mozart piano sonatas over and over on itunes.  That should cleanse the palate.  I'm also trying to put them on while Calvin is playing video games.  There are no studies of what happens when you play Minecraft to Mozart.  Hmmmm. Too late for a master's thesis.

Calvin's practicing his concerto.  Against his will.  He's so sick of it.  We have 13 more days.  I offered to pay him for perfect repetitions of sections but I think we're beyond even that.  I totally get it.  We have all had our moments of being totally ready to ditch a piece of music.  Flush the handle on the way out of the concert hall.  So we just keep going--slow repetitions, little snippets, hands alone. . . with funny rhythms, with staccatos, with our eyes crossed. . . .well not that far.  I'm operating on faith.  Faith that when those 12 string players play the downbeat it's all going to be worth it.  I hope so.  For him and for all the kids who are playing.  The goal with the concerto event is to give these kids an experience that most pianists never get to have--to play their concerto with a small orchestra without having won a contest.  That was my goal. We are almost there. It's not going to be Carnegie Hall.  It's just supposed to be a good experience.  If I have to beat him senseless to make it a good experience it's not going to BE a good experience.

I wonder if those olympic gymnasts were sick of their routines by last week?  I just would love to be a fly on the wall with those kids and coaches and parents.  Truly.

Stay the course.  There are all kinds of situations in life where you have to keep going a little farther even after you have had enough. As my dear friend always said--they could be working in the farm fields all day in the sun and heat.  It's Bach not manual labor.  It's only an hour a day. Call child protective services if you need to.

In the end I guess that's why you have to really love it.  The gymnast who won had a smile on her face during the fiercest of competition.  Her love was honest and genuine. The girl who lost pouted off and snipped at her coach.

I'm writing way too much.  But as I write, I'm resolved to making the next two weeks exciting and fun, for Calvin and for all seven of the concerto kids.  I want to see those smiles more than I want perfection.  The concert will only take 35 minutes for all of them, but they will be playing piano all their lives.