… another one bites the dust.”
Yes indeed.
I wrote earlier about my students canceling. Alas, another has canceled this week’s lesson. That’s six canceled students this week. Last weekend I thought I had fifteen students this week. I have two more students schedule this week. We’ll see if I actually get to teach them!
This week was a “get back to teaching” week; no conflicts with orchestra, no other issues. And four students cancel. Wouldn’t you know? This career of mine isn’t exactly predictable. Many private music instructors charge by the month and if a student cancels they either end up paying for nothing or, if they cancel in a timely way, they schedule a make up lesson. I haven’t done this because I really don’t want to “owe” my students a lesson should it by that I am the one who has to cancel. (I never have to cancel at the last minute unless it’s due to illness, so my students get my cancellations in a timely manner.) I get the majority of theirs that way, but this week was a bit off for that. And while my policies say I do charge if I don’t receive 24 hours’ notice unless the absence is due to illness or emergency, I rarely do so. I just hate doing that to people. But I do wonder sometimes … perhaps I should charge by the month so at least I know how my budget will be for the month. Hmmm. I wonder.
Then again, I just hate owing lessons to students, and my schedule doesn’t easily allow for make up lessons.
Meanwhile… with the extra time I had (MUST make use of free time, after all!), I decided to attempt to remove the wallpaper from our living room.
Bad idea.
My hands clearly aren’t happy with the job, nor is my back. (Using a spray bottle can really do a number on one’s hands after a while. So after doing a bit of work on the stuff, I called for help. Today I get an estimate. I usually do things myself; I hate paying out money for a job I should be doing. But this time I think I’ll opt for a professional’s help and blame it on Oboe Hands.
Painting by Kelsey Layos (yes, these are my hands)
oboe players do NOT smoke pot. Maybe english horn players. They’re a little off.
(For the record, I play both and have never smoked pot. But I do confess to being “a little off”.)
The Great Artists Series. The Art of the Baroque Oboe, Gonzalo Ruiz.
Gonzalo Ruiz, baroque oboe
William Skeen, baroque cello
David Tayler, archlute
Hanneke van Proosdij, harpsichordVenue: St. Mark’s Lutheran Church
Date: January 16, 2010 8:00 PM
City: San Francisco
Price Range: $25/20 subscription $70/$50
Tickets: 510-236-9808Additional Dates:
January 17, 2010 7:30 PM
St. Alban’s Episcopal Church
I found it here.
Violinist Hilary Hahn – a popular favorite in St. Louis for her appearances here with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra and in recital, and (oh, yes) a two-time Grammy winner and Gramophone Magazine’s 2008 Artist of the Year – will be the musical guest on “The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien” on Thursday, January 14th.
Hahn, 30, released her latest recording, “Bach: Violin and Voice,” featuring soprano Christine Schäfer and baritone Matthias Goerne, along with conductor Alexander Liebreich and the Munich Chamber Orchestra, on Deutsche Grammophon yesterday.
She writes, “I’ve spent many post-concert hours watching Conan O’Brien on late-night television. I’m thrilled to perform on his show this week. I can’t wait!”
Hahn will be one of the first classical music performers to appear on O’Brien’s watch. It’s to air at 10:35 Central Time.
Yep. I want it. 🙂
