The Conductors Institute: Week 1

This past week has been one of the hardest, most stressful weeks of my life. I knew this was going to be hard work, but it's a completely different level of hard. It's like knowing, theoretically, how to swim; knowing how to move your arms to control your body in the water, but never actually getting in water deep enough for it to matter. Then you're dropped in the middle of the ocean and all the things you think you know how to do leave you and you just wave your arms to keep from drowning, riding the current until you get back to land. That's kind of what it felt like this past week.

Apparently, this is normal for conductors at the beginning. It just means I need to work harder this week. Just get to the point that the movements are second nature and I don't have to think about them. So when the panic comes I don't have to think so much about not drowning, I can actually think about controlling the movement. Don't worry, I actually ended up doing ok this past week. I didn't drown... :)

It's intimidating standing in front of an orchestra. Especially, having sat in the back of the orchestra knowing what everyone thinks of bad conductors. I think a lot of it is just exerting your authority, making them believe you know what you're doing and convincing them to allow you to control what they do. I'm working on that.

And I don't mind the hard work. It's good for me. :) My favorite part of this whole summer has been being able to focus on just one thing, instead of 50. I'm glad I'm being overwhelmed by this one big thing instead a lot of little different things. And I'm not getting tired of the hard work but actually looking forward to it everyday. Who would have thought I would like studying this much...

Yesterday was my 29th birthday. Thanks to everyone that called and/or lefts messages. Sorry, I didn't call you guys back. This no cell signal thing is getting old... I never know when I'll have signal so please keep trying to call, and eventually I'll be able to call you back. hopefully.

We went to the restaurant in an old church in Rhinebeck last night (there's a picture of it somewhere on an earlier post I think). Then we went to see Wall-E at a tiny independent theater that only charges $6.50 for a ticket ($4 matinees) and ate ice cream at a little place across the street, where we got 2 cones and a small coke for less than $5. Apparently, it's the place to be on Saturday night because we had to wait in line outside for 15 mins to get into the place.

It's kind of refreshing to be in a place where everything is locally owned and there's not many chain stores. A place where you have to drive 20 miles away to find a McDonald's. A place where the towns don't run seamlessly into one another, connected by strip malls, fast food, car dealerships, and interstate exits. Here there's a town center and then nothing but fields, trees, and the occasional house, until you get to the next town center 10 miles down the road.

Well, time to get back to work...
-Jeff