I had the great pleasure of hearing Allison Miller perform with Ingrid Jensen at Twins Jazz Lounge. Last year I was lucky enough to get a lesson with Ingrid but I never got to hear her perform. It was fantastic. When I listen to her play I hear a musician who has a firm foundation and likes to take chances. Every phrase is a potential adventure. The great thing is she does it with complete control, good tone and extreme expression. She is a very expressive player. They played “Both Sides Now” by Joni Mitchell and my goodness… Ingrid totally captured the mood of the lyrics. It totally took my break away and left me humming the tune the entire weekend. It was one of those this is why I play the trumpet moments for me. After the first set she took a moment to sit to chat with me and my wife. She is WONDERFUL person whom I hold in very high regard. Thanks for a wonderful night Ingrid!
On Sunday I played at church with a small ensemble. We did very well! I’m hoping this leads to more playing opportunities in the near future. I’ve already been in touch with our minister of music to begin playing during moments of meditation again. I really feel like I need to get comfortable playing in public. Sounding good in the privacy of my own home is not going to cut it.
Yesterday I did something different when practicing my scales. I played them very slowly thinking about the names of the notes. I realized that there are some scales that I do not know as well as I should. Db and F# were particularly bad. I can blast through them without thinking but when I do – I have no clue what notes I’m actually playing. It was a real eye opener. Another thing I have begun doing is writing my scales out on paper when I’m away from the horn.
As an adult beginning player I sometimes get the feeling that I’m fooling myself to think I will ever get good at this. I especially question myself when I encounter young players or hear parents talk about their children’s musical accomplishments. Kids in college study music 24/7 and here I am devoting 2-3 hours a day at the somewhat ripe age of 37. I’m not a comeback player… even in my 5th year, this is still all very new to me. I have to constantly remind myself that it isn’t a race and I’m doing this because I love music. When I approach it from that context I feel better but I always wonder if this a realistic endeavor.