Day 4

Day 4 held the threat of rain, but not much ever materialized.  While it was very foggy, it turned out to be a nice day temperature-wise.  Our group class started with a masterclass-style session by our instructors.

Unfortunately, my session did not go well.  I worked on the Bach Minuet #2, but was really, really unhappy with my performance.  Somehow, I started with my intonation off and simply couldn't get past that.  I stopped and started a few times and eventually got through it, but it was a horrible performance.  I'm not a good cellist, but i'm better than that.

The students and instructors were tremendously supportive and encouraging, as always.  After running through a few others' performances, I worked on my issues with my instructor. The main thing we worked on was having fun, trying to enjoy the music and express the purpose of the music.  The biggest frustration was that we had worked on those things before.  But, with the continued focus, I felt pretty confident I could remember those things when my Friday-night performance came around.

We also worked in our sectional pieces, both of which I enjoyed.  I do wish we could dedicate some more time to the sectional work.  We were squeezing it in here and there and I think it will turn out OK, but some more dedicated time to sectional work would be fun.  I enjoy playing with the entire cello section.

Thursday afternoon consisted of solo practice time and some extra practice time where I got together with my ensemble-mates.  By the end, I thought our ensemble piece was starting to come together.  It wasn't going to sound anything other than beginners trying to play an ensemble piece, but it was starting to show consistency.

There were some student performances Thursday night, mainly by pianists. However, I was unable to attend since I wanted to spend one night with the family.