Today I had the pleasure of judging the solo and ensemble festival in Hartland, Michigan. I absolutely love to judge young flutists. There is so much good that can come of a very understanding and patient judge. I try not to be the kind of judge who is looking for perfection. I try very hard to be the kind that will give a second chance if need be. Working with a student after she/he performed is very rewarding, especially when you can see in their eyes the impact you are making on them. I had a couple parents ask my room chairman for my information so they could look into lessons. That is a huge compliment! I just feel so rewarded tonight after a whole day of doing something that I love so much. I am one of the luckiest people in the world, to be able to do what I love!
The drive home...that is a whole other story! What a treacherous drive! While I was judging, snow was flying. The highways had not had time to be cleared and so they were very slick and impassable. You had to guess where the lines were and hope for the best. Everyone was going 15-20 mph, except for the occasional jackass who had the 4 wheel drive and felt they could blow past you. For the most part everyone seemed to be watching out for others and letting people in as needed. At times you would be traveling in some previously made ruts and were ecstatic at that. Then in the blink of an eye the ruts would be gone and you would quickly feel the car not be completely stable. Everyone would slow down and start the "game" all over again. The drive from Hartland should have taken me 1 hour 15 minutes. It, instead, took me 2 1/2 hours! I kept thinking of my kids and how devastated they would be if something happened to me. It made me not worry about how long I took to get home, as long as I did it safely.
It sure felt good to wrap my arms around those two kids when I got home!
All in all I think I had a very productive and satisfying day.
No comments:
Post a Comment