All-State: After Auditions

If you have not yet read the previous post, do so before you read this please.

So I auditioned on my cello this morning. Overall I thought I did very very well. I felt I could have done a better, and I was pretty dissapointed by that, but everybody says they could have done better at anything they do.
I waited and waited for the call backs to be posted. I was assuming that if I made call backs that all was good. If I didn't, I assumed I probably wasn't in. The list was posted and my name wasn't on there. I started feeling really down and just knew I didn't make it. My good friend Sarah and I talked about it and I talked myself into the mode of being ok with not making it, that all-state isn't everything, and there are plenty of other things I will audition for that I will make, and over all I should just be proud of what I did.
About 5 minutes after saying this and finally believing it, the final list was posted, and my name was on it. I made all-state orchestra. For a good 10 minutes all I could say was "Oh My Gosh!!!!" and squeal. I cried.... I was so happy. I'm STILL so happy.
This has been the longest day of my life.
I'm ready for bed.

All-State: Evening Before

For the past year I have been preparing myself for the all-state auditions tomorrow. I got the 5 excerpt pieces (2 of which I will be required to play-they will tell me which 2 to play) back in July and have been learning them and perfecting them for the past few months. The excerpts are of the 3 songs that will be played in the All-State orchestra (one of which is on the playlist-"Overture to Candide" by Bernstein). I also picked a solo to play in July. For the last year I have been practicing my scales. My audition tomorrow will be: My solo (which has a time limit of 60-80 seconds-no shorter or longer), two 3-octave scales in 16th notes at 88 bpm (pretty fast), and 2 of the 5 excerpts.
Last year, I totaly bombed my audition. The excerpts were lousy, my solo wasn't very musical, and my scales-ugggg horrribbblllleeee. This year however, I have learned SO MUCH, and I've grown more than 10Xs in the last year, I almost can't believe it. I'm a much more confident player. I feel that I have improved in every aspect of playing the cello in every way a LOT. It is my dream while in high-school to make the all-state orchestra. While I know that it is very possible that I won't make it, I feel I have a far greater chance this year than I did last year by FAR. I'm totaly prepared. Every single scale, every note, every bowing, every dynamic level of every excerpt, every emotion in the music is ready. I'm very nervous. But it's good to be nervous. I'd much rather be nervous like this than scared and freaking out from not being prepared.
Please pray that I'll do well at my audition if you read this in time.. my audition is in less than 12 hours at 8:30 in the morning (central time) in Oelwein, IA. Call-backs are posted at 9:30. The final list of those who made it will be posted at 11:00 at the very latest.
I should head to bed. I need to wake up at 4:45 am in order to get ready and get to school by 5:30.
If I make it, I might cry I think... haha. If I don't, I'll be a little dissappointed, but my over-all goal is to do my ultimate best ever in that audition room and to walk out of there at 8:35 proud of what I've accomplished.
Lately, all of my hard work has been paying off. I've been working very very hard, and in the last 2 months, harder than I've worked all year. Maybe my hard work will pay off again. Just maybe...

To Have Patience... Boy Wouldn't Life Go Faster?

All around, I guess I could say that I'm very happy. Things are going great, I'm excited for 2 of my cousins (one from my mom's side of the family, the other from my dad's), both of whom are getting married, and both of whom are rather fresh return missionaries. I think one has been back for almost 2 years, but still... about time! hehe :) But I'm very very very excited for both of them and can't wait to meet their future wives (and my new cousin-in-laws!). :)
However, I am no longer dealing with Crohn's Disease, but rather a new and equally frustrating "disease". I have caught "senioritis", and I have it bad. I'm so eager to get out of highschool, Dubuque, the midwest, live life on my own for a while. Meet new people, have some independence, work towards my goals in a new environment. I really want to major in music education, and maybe get a degree in conducting. (I think there might be a more formal name for that, but whatever it is... I'd like to conduct orchestras/symphonies and earn my degree to be able to do that.) However, I need to spend a year at Clarke College before I can go anywhere else. 1) I get free tuition at Clarke (can't pass that up), 2) if I get sick with crohn's again, it'd be best to be at home, and 3) my parents say it will be good for me to ease into college this way, stay in the same environment yet transition into a new school environment. I know they're right, I'm just being really impatient. And eager. :P But once I'm done with at least 1 year at Clarke College, I want to head out west and go to, of course, BYU Provo. I have family out there who I can stay with and it's a great place to go to college I've heard. (oh and I'll just say it.. I kind of really want to get married within the next DECADE, and I'm sure I'd have a better chance of finding my man out in the mormon bubble than I would in the midwest. I know I could be wrong, but I'm not going to sit here and wait. I'd rather explore the world and be wrong than sit and wait and be unsuccessful.)

I wrote a song about senioritis last night. It goes to the tune of "Take Me Out to the Ball Game". It's very cheesy, but it works, and it's accurate.

Get me out of highschool
Get me out of here now
Graduate early or skip a grade
Find a good college then I'll have it made
But until I get that diploma
I'll sit and try not to pout
For just ONE MORE YEAR out of 12
Until I'll be out!!!

I have 31 weeks left of school.
I really should be more patient.. and try and enjoy what I have while I have it.