My Solo Debut

Exactly one week from today I will be making my solo debut for the first time with me and the trusty, slight off tune, violin. I'm not so sure my neighbors are so thrilled or scared as I am. In fact every time I start playing the violin in my apartment, I suddenly hear the upstairs and downstairs neighbors start closing their windows with a bit of overdone foot stomping. I think I would be the same way, as I have been playing the same two songs for a month straight with only a slight improvement from day to day.

In the concert I am part of, I will be playing two songs. A Minuett by Joseph Bodin de Boismortier. Haven`t heard of him? Yeah, me either. This is my solo song though, to be played entirely by myself in front all the rest of the parents. I`ll explain the parents in a second. The second song is dance of some sort, in German known as Mückentanz, or the Mosquito dance.

Last Saturday I showed up at the one and only rehearsal where all the violin players play together to make sure we know the Mückentanz very well. I was a little surprised by the turn out. I mean I knew some of the violin players were kids, but I didnt know all of them would be kids. There is about four 5-year old kids, a couple of ten year olds, and then two teenagers about 14 or 15. I knew I would be the oldest, but I didnt think it would be by 15 years. So the practice was a humbling experience.

Despite being the oldest, I certainly wasn't anywhere near being the best. In fact, once during the practice, the instructor stopped in the middle of our group song and asked who was playing so badly out of tune. One of the 10-year olds had no embarrassment about pointing straight at me. The instructor even looked a little shocked at such boldness. It made me laugh outloud actually, with the old feelings of awkwardness--just like grade school had come back to me for 10 seconds. The little brat.

So next Wednesday I will take the solo stand in front of a confused set of parents, wondering why this grown man is in the beginner group with all the young kids. When the time comes--a few seconds before the song begins and all my nervousness is climaxing like the moment before a head on collision, I will be wondering what I am doing there too. But at least my neighbors will be glad. I finally be finished with those two songs for awhile. The time is right to start working on those xmas songs.