And the Band Played On

I have now been to several band rehearsals, as they call the classes. I am also continuing to take lessons from Alex Pena. We have increased the time of each lesson from forty five minutes to an hour at Alex’s suggestion.

The band rehearsal is not for the feint of heart nor someone not skilled in at least the rudiments of Music. Without the weekly lesson, I would not be able to accomplish anything in the band class. As it is I’m hard pressed to keep up and really don’t. Alex is really a great teacher, not just for the violin, but for music in general. I am learning a lot from him; if I can only remember it.

My task now is to decide how far I want to go with this band thing. Some of the ladies I talk to at the class say they have been in Beginning Strings since 2001. That’s 16 years! I don’t think I can do that or even want to. So, what exactly do I want to do with my hopefully, soon to be learned violin skills? Or, for that matter, what do I want to do with my dulcimer playing skills, such as they are. What genres of music do I want to concentrate on? The pieces that we are working on in band are fine, but difficult for me now. They are: Dance of the Tumblers, El Toro and Shoe Symphony. If I don’t play with the band, what outlet will I have for music. Perhaps I should look into Fiddlers of the Genesee.

The Music goes On & On

The music goes on and on, but the blogging sure takes a lot of rests. Dulcimer classes are finished until Fall. Our class in History of Western Music is finished. It was more work than Anne and I thought it would be, but it was worth it. We both feel that we learned a lot and want to keep learning.

Never content to leave well enough alone, I decided to sign up for the New Horizons Band beginning strings group. They call it the "Green Band." The New Horizons Band is a concept that originated here in Rochester and is primarily for older players who would like to participate, even if they don't know how to play. This is play the violin, which, of course, I don't know how to play. So, I also signed up for private lessons at Eastman with an instructor, Alex Pena. I have been taking lessons (6 so far) to get ready to meet the band in September. I will take four more lessons over the summer and then at least seventeen weeks more in the fall. This is in addition to continuing with the hammered dulcimer. Maybe I need medication. Anyway, I wanted to get something down for the record so I will know how all of this started.