There Are Worse Things I Could Do

I was delighted to be invited back to Pewsey Vale earlier this month to perform in the band for Grease and to assist the musical director. Having worked on the previous shows, Annie and Bugsy Malone it was wonderful to be back in the school working with the kids. The vast majority of this cast were new faces but there were some familiar ones in there too looking incredibly grown up and making me feel old. Well, older. With a relationship with this school that dates back to 2006, the return visit has prompted me to really think about how I have changed or grown as a musician or a freelancer in the last 4 years.

Looking at the kids it is easier to tell how they have changed; they are taller, look older, act more mature and more confident, but for me I suppose it is more difficult. Firstly, I can tell the difference in my sight-reading and my flute playing generally. In previous years I would probably have had to at least hear the music before being able to sight-read it but now I can confidently play from sight and this is obviously a great advantage in my line of work. Secondly I think my technique is better and I am not shying away from some of the more challenging sections working the upper part of the top register. All those years in wind bands like Beenham Band where the flute music is about playing high and playing fast has paid off. I’ve noticed a change in the way I work with the kids. My client (and now friend) remarked that I am a lot more confident when I direct them and that I am less self conscious and I care less about what they think of me. Again these are good things and perhaps this is because I have learnt to trust my knowledge and my judgment a whole lot more.

What I found most refreshing about the production week was that for the first time in a very long period I have not been an HR guy. With a full time 9-5 HR role (albeit at the most amazing conservatoire and arts centre in the UK) and the part time masters, it is easy to forget that I am also an instrumentalist and a freelancer. This has been particularly true with my exams in January which meant I was revising constantly after full days of work.

2010 Already

Yes, this posting is a bit late...

As I sit alone in a courtyard near Tate Britain on a rather mild Saturday evening watching the installation of coloured lines that switch and change creating new pathways unexpectedly, it strikes me as the perfect metaphor for 2009 and how I feel about 2010. The lights provide much excitement for the children who run enthusiastically down the lines until they turn off causing them to bolt to the next line. Adults are more reserved. Is that what growing up does to you? You no longer get excited about a prescribed path and not really that eager to rush down it? And when assured paths suddenly disappear, do we race to get back on track?

The objectives for 2010 as follows:

WORK

It is perhaps surprising that this is my top objective given that the 9-5 has always been my way of making a living and staying tapped into the industry. Writing, composing and freelancing have always been superordinate goals for sure, but I have to be realistic that these things take time...if they happen at all. 35 hours a week is a long time to spend standing still, not achieving or progressing at something you enjoy. So my objective here is really to make the most of my experience, take every opportunity to learn and to develop my skills while at the same time enjoying the wonderful education the Barbican offers me.

MUSIC

The second objective is very broad. I have a rough idea of what I want to achieve musically this year. There are unfinished works and plans for future ones but a key focus for me is action. These pieces will be finished and then realised and promoted - getting people together to get a product together that can get out. My work needs to get off my hard drive and into people's hands.

BODY

2008 and 2009 really showed me the results that can be achieved if you set your mind to something. At the time of writing, I have lost 4 stones of flab - 2/3 of my body fat to be precise, but this has left me slim, and not much else. Don't get me wrong, I'm not ungrateful but the plan now has to be acquiring some definition so I don't continue to be shapeless.

FINANCES

Bout time I got my house in order on this issue so I can buy a house in future! It's time I looked at saving and sensible spending. The whole point of moving to London was to save money.