I can’t quite believe 2016 is here. But it is, and I’ve decided to make it the year that I do things that I’ve always wanted to do, and never quite had the time/energy/mental space to do. Here are the things I’d like to achieve in 2016, and the ways in which I hope to achieve them:
- Learning to play Baroque viola: excitingly, this one is already underway, as I have been lent a baroque viola by a friend! I can’t quite believe my luck as baroque violas are pretty rare beasts, and this one seems to be exactly the right size for me. I already possess a baroque bow (more on the differences between modern and baroque set up here) so now I just need to learn to play the instrument – harder than it sounds… This is all so that I can hopefully participate in the new Kellie Consort Easter project which is Bach’s Mass in B Minor – TBC following auditions later this month.
- Doing more chamber music with friends and colleagues – I have a half formed plan for this forming at the back of my mind but this needs a bit more time and energy spent on it. Watch this space (and my facebook page!)
- Improving my (very rusty) piano skills – this is a big one, as my confidence on the piano has never been high, despite piano lessons through school and achieving grade 8 aged about 16… I would like to be able to accompany my younger pupils in lessons and possibly even exams, but at the moment my lack of confidence is holding me back. I think I may try and get a few piano lessons from one of my many pianist friends…
- Doing more singing and playing for pleasure – after about 18 months of doing almost full-time teaching, my own playing has taken a bit of a back seat and I’m trying to get back to the balance of playing and teaching that makes me happiest. I’m playing for a good friend’s wedding in April which I’m really looking forward to, and hopefully other fun opportunities will present themselves during the year. My husband and I are also both wanting to get back to singing regularly in a choir, as we met in one back in the day and miss it!
- Taking up new and exciting opportunities – I’m quite open to new experiences, and I have been asked recently to write for the British Viola Society’s newsletters, which was very flattering – they published a short article about me in their December newsletter which you can find here. I’m also revising a post on this blog for their Feb newsletter at the moment. A few other exciting things may be popping up this year as a result of the BVS collaboration – I have signed up for a workshop day with Martin Outram of the Maggini Quartet in Feb, which will hopefully be amazing 🙂
So here’s to a musically exciting 2016 🙂 If you’ve got the January blues, check out this Pinterest board with viola-related loveliness! (My fav is, of course, Keep Calm And Play The Viola!)
A viola player writes... 