music ramblings

For disappearing acts, it's hard to beat what happens to the eight hours supposedly left after eight of sleep and eight of work. ~Doug Larson

Ditz does astonish me. I wasn't round to supervise her for much of last week so I was surprised that Jan, her flute teacher, was more than happy with the work she'd done over the past few weeks.

Meanwhile Dino wanted running round while Ditz was at choir so Liddy came over too & did the driving because after Easter, as soon as she has all her hours up, she can try for her P~Plates {provisional licence}. I'm exhausted so I was more than happy to let her do the driving though she gets a tad fraught with 2 people issuing her instructions. I can understand that.

We then dropped Dino at the boat & went & sat in on the end of Ditz's class, which always has Liddy in fits of the giggles. She can't believe the choir. She considers the entire choir to be completely & absolutely mad, Ditz not excepted. Ditz was a little ratty because Alison was late & whenever Alison is not around the choir behaves like unruly school kids. Why Ditz would ever think she'd enjoy regular school I can not think. She ranted on the way home about everyone talking & not doing as they were told. Mmmhmmm..

One of the things that has always astonished me about Alison is that she can get a bunch of unruly school kids to behave like professional musicians. Honestly. And she does it with good humour & in a fun way.

Having Liddy along is always amusing. She was feeling terribly sorry for the young man Alison has employed as accompanist. Little does she know the subtle art of revenge so when Ditz was free I got her to demonstrate the complicated rhythm clapping & introductory song said young man tortured the choir with. Ditz, whose sense of rhythm is wonky, can't do it. Most of the choir can't do it. Liddy just looked at Ditz as if to say, 'They're all barking mad.' Well, she is the child who's never had an imaginary friend either.

Next term sees a series of concerts ~ not big & important concerts so Alison's equilibrium should remain undisturbed. The exposure & performance keep the choir on their toes & used to working to a deadline ~ & they are usually fun as well, for the kids at least.

I don't think anyone in my house gets it. They all feel rather sorry for me lugging Ditz of to choir week after week & enduring 3 hours of sustained rehearsals but I have never felt sorry for me. I actually feel rather privileged. I get to listen to some of the most beautiful music ever invented sung week after week in close harmony by people with the voices to carry it off. I get to hear how the patten is loose & raggedly when they begin a new song but by the end of a few weeks it is tight & unbelievably beautiful. A concert to hear this stuff would cost me more money than I can afford but I get to hear it for free, week after week after week. I do take a book along & read but choir nights are pretty entertaining. See Liddy brought a book to read too. Within 10 minutes her book lay forgotten in her lap & she was sniggering away at the choir's antics. Better than any comedy on t.v! I think it does our Liddy's head in that there are so many people like our Ditz in this world.