Ouch!

So, I met the other district music teachers today, and everyone is really nice. It's great to have the support and all that. We had a few hours of inservice time, and we get all day Friday, as well.

On Friday, we'll be playing with instruments. Yay! That's always fun. But there is one problem. You see, when I screech on the violin, or fail miserably at the trumpet, no one will mind because I am not a violinist, or a trumpettist. However, if I walk in there with my fancy clarinet and then completely suck--that's not going to be good.

You see, I am a clarinetist who has neglected her poor little Buffet. I just haven't played it as much in the last few years as I would like to, for many reasons. I've been more on a singing and piano kick, I've been busy with work, school, moving to and from England, etc. The bottom line is, I burned out on clarinet at uni and I've been too lazy to make time for my clarinet sinc then. So now, whenever I play, there's...

Pain.

Tonight I took my beloved Buffet out of its case (Buffets are the best classical clarinets in the world, and mine is a professional, not student, model. I love that thing) and put it together while doing that old clarinetist trick of soaking the reed in my mouth. I got it all lined up and ready to go, and then came the moment of truth:

Just how bad is this going to sound?

Actually, not too bad! I still have good tone and I can still play my scales with decent speed and technique. But the first thing that goes when you neglect your clarinet is the embouchure--and man, do my poor lips hurt now! So after about 10 minutes, I swabbed it out and put it away.

I've still got it! Well, maybe not "it," but something! I won't completely embarass myself on Friday, which is so good to know.

Now I'm really wanting to find a place to play. This is a good thing! Maybe I'll regain some of that love I used to have for the instrument, instead of remembering the stress and frustration of never being able to live up to my college teacher's expectations of me. Maybe, just maybe, I'll play for the joy of it again, and not because I have to be in band as a requirement for a Music Education degree.

The very thought just thrills me.