Music

I went to a pre-production meeting for this years’ musical this afternoon. We’re doing West Side Story. I probably ought to Netflix it and watch it again, since the last time I saw it I was in it. (And that was…mumblesixteenmumble…years ago.)

Actually, I have a funny story about that. I was cast in the chorus (and as “A Girl”, who sings the “There’s A Place For Us” solo) as a Puerto Rican. I’m rather fair-skinned, so I had to put on brown makeup all over my face, neck, arms, and anywhere else the costume didn’t cover. The tub at home was stained brown by the end of the week. Plus, they teased my hair and put black spray-in dye in it. Ugh. It’s a miracle I didn’t have to shave my head by the end of the week, I literally broke a brush trying to comb it out one night.

I’m looking forward to doing the musical again, but scared to death about what this accompaniment is going to look like. Is it too much to hope that the piano player does more snapping than playing?

I think I need to bring my horn to the repair shop. The trigger that switches from the F horn to the B flat horn isn’t working properly. I thought it was just that I hadn’t oiled the valve recently enough (though I knew I had) but my band director thinks it’s actually something mechanical about the valve. Sigh. I really hope it doesn’t cost too much, but it needs fixing for sure – there were a few times I was scrambling to use a different fingering since the valve just wouldn’t work. That’s fine for slow passages or notes that I have a rest before playing, but not so great for eighth-note runs!

And speaking of band, we got our music for the June concert tonight. And we’re playing my favorite song of all time again! (You really need to read that last sentence with a healthy dose of sarcasm.) I think at this point I can play Stars and Stripes Forever with my eyes closed. Heck, I can even play it with only three out of four valves working on my horn!

The show went really well this weekend. I’m proud of all the kids, and will miss all the seniors graduating this year. I can’t wait to find out what show they’re doing next year (and I hope they invite me back!)

The producer gave all the adults that worked on the show a thank you gift of an edelweiss pin. Edelweiss isn’t exactly the prettiest flower out there, but it was very sweet of her to thank us like that. She also gave us seeds so we can grow our own. I’m afraid I’ll mess them up though, and I’m not sure we have the right type of soil to grow them in. We’ll see.

There were a bunch of funny moments from the show – the director allows (small) pranks for closing night. One of the best pranks was when one of the guys in the male ensemble dressed as a nun for the wedding scene. He sang falsetto and actually had the vocal part down completely. It was hysterical!

And then at intermission last night someone (who also has played piano in a pit orchestra) came up to me and complimented my piano playing. After the show he gave me another compliment and asked if I was graduating this year. I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt, as it was dark, and assume he wasn’t hitting on me and genuinely thought I was a student. :) (And I’ll admit being mistaken for a high school student 13 years after graduating made me ridiculously happy…)

You know someone must have touched many, many lives when an entire auditorium goes completely silent at the announcement of his death. My piano teacher from many years ago, who also worked on the musicals I was in during high school, passed away two days ago. He had moved across the country a few years ago, and so we only found out this afternoon.

The concert grand piano I play for the shows was his, there’s a piece of masking tape with his name on it in sharpie on one of the bottom rails- he had let the school borrow it, but then gave it to them outright when he moved. The director dedicated tonight’s show to him. The kids outdid themselves, putting on the best opening night I’ve ever seen. It was a fitting tribute.

Gary, you will be missed.

Jenny has passed me a musical baton. I answer these questions and pass them on…

Total volume of music files on my computer:
5.13 GB

The last CD I bought was:
The “Spamalot!” soundtrack.

Song playing right now:
I wasn’t actually listening to music, but I just put my entire iTunes library on shuffle and hit play and it came up with “Opus 10 – Air (Dublinesque)” by Billy Joel, which, incidentally, is one of the few songs from that album (Fantasies and Delusions) that I can actually sort of play on the piano.

Five songs I listen to a lot, or that mean a lot to me:
“Ch

Carolyn’s music library is pretty big already – she has three Baby Einstein CDs, a Veggie Tales CD, two lullaby CDs given to her by the cast of Anything Goes, and two more lullaby CDs from my parents. One of the CDs from my parents, The Planet Sleeps is absolutely amazing. We play it every night as part of her bedtime routine, and sometimes before naps as well.

I don’t think I could ever tire of this album. When I’m rocking Carolyn to sleep and it’s playing, I think of all the other mothers around the planet rocking their babies and singing them lullabies. It’s a common thread in this world of differences, the desire of mothers everywhere to provide peace and security for their children. It’s too bad we can’t always see past our differences to realize that.

My love of the album doesn’t stop me from making up my own words to some of the songs, though. The first song, Chi Mi Na Mr-Bheanna – which is one of my absolute favorites – ends up becoming something else entirely when I have to stumble down the hall in the wee hours of the morning: “Oh, jeez, it’s four in the morning now; oh, jeez, it’s four in the morning now; oh, jeez, it’s four in the morning now, why won’t you go back to sleep?” (Actually, those words were a collaborative effort with Denis. Just to give credit where it’s due. And to share the blame for using “jeez” in a song.)

Anything Goes is done! It was fantastic! I skipped out on the cast party though – I think I’m getting too old to stay out that late… Besides, the fewer adults there, the happier the kids will be, I’m sure!

I’m so touched by all the little gifties I got from the directors and the cast. I’m really going to miss the kids – and a lot of them were seniors, so even if they ask me back next year I won’t see them again. I don’t think I could take being a teacher, because I became quite fond of them over three months of rehearsals – a year of daily classes and I’d get really attached.

Now I think I need to go rest my hands. We did the show twice today, so my fingers are tired!