Sweet rehearsal

When I started typing Sweet in the Title line, it brought up a couple of other "sweet" titled postings I'd done. Sweet's a word I like associated with playing my trombone because it is a sweet thing. It is a sweet sound when it is what I want.

It was really interesting playing tonight in student symphony rehearsal.

1. I liked my sound (when I hit the right notes, of course). You know, I've said that my jury's out on my new instrument still, I still am not real sure about it, but tonight, playing it there in the church, I liked what I was hearing on my end and I could hear myself blend. It sounded good to me. It made me want to record myself on my new instrument and also on my Yamaha and listen to myself. I liked the sound there and I have been a little bit worried about it here in my apartment.
2. I thought in rehearsal about something I read on the Trombone Forum, I can't remember who wrote it or where I read it, but it was about performance anxiety. It was about putting our focus on the music and the time. Subdividing the time and putting all of your mental energy on that, that if you do that you don't have any room left for anxiety. I focused on that tonight. It's true. And it is also true that anxiety and fear of failure crowds in all the time and you just have to frigging ignore it.
3. I sang stuff in my head before we played it as much as I could and it works.
4. I was bold and courageous as I could be and pushed myself into the notes and passages.
5. I love playing in student symphony because I don't feel intimidated by all the good musicians around me, so I can be bold and courageous.
6. Jared's a really good little musician and he is just plain fun to play with. He really, really likes music and likes playing and likes his instruments. He is bold and courageous, and interested. So if I can play in this pops concert and help in whatever way to support his growing musicianship, what better additional reason for playing?!

OK, that's enough for tonight ... it was a good rehearsal.