I go to the woods, to practice deliberately...

I leave tomorrow on vacation to Maine and the Adirondacks to visit family, commune with tall trees, and avoid Gmail like the plague.  Hurrah!  And of course, I'm bringing my horn with me.  Too many things coming up in August and September to take even a couple days off, so off on an adventure we go!

Practicing in unfamiliar surroundings in front of different people can feel odd at first.  There are the positives ("you're going to practice AGAIN? Wow!!") and the negatives (cousins who sleep in past noon...), but in general, it's stimulating to be in different surroundings.  And I get to practice in the woods!  I love practicing outside, despite the bugs and the sunshine - yeah, brass instruments turn into those metal tanning screens outside, as my ghastly pale skin has learned the hard way.  Beyond just feeling like my sound is extra noble and majestic, I feel like I'm taking my horn back to its ancestral home, traipsing through the woods.  Plus, it's fun to have performances and mock auditions with family members who haven't heard you in a while and think you sound wonderful!  And who feel personally affronted when an orchestra doesn't hire me.  (Better watch out, NY Phil, my fam's coming for you!)

So off we go!  Etude books, excerpt pages, valve oil, and ukulele (just for funzies!) in tow.