As my days of holiday vacation are waning, now is probably an appropriate time to discuss the age-old blessing/curse of a question for most musicians-Vacation Practice: Fight or Flight? As dutiful readers of this blog (meaning my mom and sister, let's be real) can probably surmise, I've been a Vacation Practice Fighter. I lug my horn with me wherever I go and insist on not only practicing daily, but tackling big musical pieces and being super-humanly productive as Christmas carols waft down from other rooms of my childhood home.
Now, it's about even odds whether I actually accomplish any of my end-of-year practice goals, but there is one absolute given- I will whine about it. While the rest of the year, I accept that practicing is just a part of my daily life and hell, it's way better than almost any other job I can think of except celebrity cake decorator, around the holidays, I turn into a petulant 9-year-old version of myself.
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| If I could choose between playing a note-perfect Mahler 3 or making this cake...I would hesitate. |
"Woe is me that I have to practice the same damn orchestral excerpts while there's a Gilmore Girls marathon on TV! And no one else in my family has to work, I have to sit here by myself, not playing with my dog, not eating the obscene amount of salty snacks that always appear in my parent's pantry, not utilizing HBO OnDemand...what a terrible cross to bear." So, yeah. Holiday spirit in da house.
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| Did I mention we like tall trees? |
But this year was different. *Cue angelic choir* This vacation, though my sisters were just as fun and though the holiday cookie situation was at an all-time high, I went down to the basement, practiced and actually enjoyed it. I've been thinking a lot about what changed this year because I was like 68% less obnoxious than usual, and that should be investigated. And I think what changed is that now practicing is actually my job. Well, ok performing is actually my job, but still...horn bringing paychecks is what is different. And, here's the cheesy holiday bringaround, I am beyond grateful that I get to play Mozart, Brahms, and Messiaen all day every day for a LIVING. (A very meager living, but nonetheless). So many of my musician friends don't get to perform on a regular basis, but I do. Ergo, I should just shut up about having to practice on Christmas morning cuz actually my life is amazing right now and I have one clear, really-not-that-difficult daily task. So happy holidays to everyone, and to my wonderful supportive family that probably didn't even notice I had a much better attitude this year because I compensated by being annoying elsewhere--you're welcome.
