Today the Goodyear blimp flew right over our house.  Thank-youuuuuu NCAA Final 4 tournament

So we went to our dress rehearsal today for the Atlanta Wind Symphony’s concert tomorrow and a few things were said there that have been sticking with me ever since.  During rehearsal the conductor, Paul, said:

“You know guys, you should be very proud of playing this Claude T. Smith piece as well as you are.  There are people out there that do this same kind of music like us with just as high of a caliber such as Jerry Junkin and Eugene Corporon, and you should be very proud…”

Our guest conductor for the First Suite in Eb (Holst) said the following after his piece:

“I’ve been privileged to have talked with Fred Finnel several times and he always said he could not imagine a world without this piece in it…”

Well, those two sayings alone in a rehearsal wouldn’t make that much of an impact on me, but as I sat there I realized that these great men that they talked about I had actually in college been under the direction of at some point in time.  Once, Fred Finnel in his elder age came and conducted this piece that he wrote, and I sat there under his baton not even knowing who he really was until after I went and looked him up.  That’s right, I was conducted by Fred Finnell on a piece he wrote… and I didn’t even really appreciate it until now because the people who conduct the AWS were talking about Corporon and Finnel like Gods, as if they had once touched them…

… And I’ve been under those men’s baton.  For a few moments there I became extremely grateful for my music schooling and experiences, probably the first time in about 5 years that I’ve felt that way - and you know what?  It felt pretty damn good.  I felt like a real musician again.

And a damn good one at that.