I was in a school yesterday, helping a teacher salvage a crashing fishtank (mission accomplished, I think). The school runs a program where interested kids from all over the city come in by bus to get musical training, in a program connected to the provinicial youth orchestra. The first couple of lesson clarinets were firing up and hairs I no longer have were standing on end. It was great. Those little kids were working so hard.
On my way out I saw a kid looking discouraged, so I said I'd heard her playing and she was good, and I could tell it wouldn't be long before she was even better. It doesn't take much to encourage a kid, and when I was two steps farther up the hall she was already playing away again with heart. She sounded like a parrot getting dragged over a cheese grater, but that's a technicality.
On my way out I saw a kid looking discouraged, so I said I'd heard her playing and she was good, and I could tell it wouldn't be long before she was even better. It doesn't take much to encourage a kid, and when I was two steps farther up the hall she was already playing away again with heart. She sounded like a parrot getting dragged over a cheese grater, but that's a technicality.
Actually that was a pretty good gig for a few months. I cleared $175.00/week USD which was really pretty good money in 1974.
