Lucky studio
Today I began moving into my studio. Though the school's renovation is still in progress, I found a corner room finished with plush brown carpet and gorgeous wood paneling. I began tacking up posters of great composers, a large advertisement for a concert I did in Germany a couple weeks ago with The Arcos Orchestra, and a violin poster.
The fellow who gave such a moving performance on Tuesday poked his head in the door. He recognized Tchaikovsky from one of my posters but hadn't heard of Debussy; as I unpacked my CDs, he had heard of Zeb and Haniya and was impressed that Cultures in Harmony worked with them in Pakistan.
He is motivated to the point of downloading videos of violin performances onto his cell phone. Before long, my violin was out and I was teaching him Yost shifting exercises.
Nonetheless, I realized I would need to start from the beginning. Yost proved challenging, since his bowhold still needs work. Also, as other boys gathered to watch, I realized I would have to make a supreme effort to ensure the girls were always included.
I apologetically asked the piano and guitar students to leave, and told them to tell all the violinists to come to my new studio, especially the girls. The girls arrived in a bunch, and after initial shyness, I realized they might actually be more confident than the boys. Still, the boys and the girls all act like the other group is not actually in the room.
A faculty member summoned me to meet some prestigious visitors: one of the three judges from Afghan Star and a maker of sarangis, ghichaks, and rubabs whose family has been making these instruments for 300 years. The latter fellow and I agreed that we will give him one of the bows to see how good of a job he does rehairing it. He normally rehairs sarangi bows, which are rather different, but hopefully he can figure out how to handle violin bows, so that the students can maintain their instruments in good condition.
At one point during a lull in their tour, I offered to play for both gentlemen. I confess to feeling a bit nervous during the Bach as I wondered which of his American Idol counterparts the Afghan Star judge would more closely resemble: Paula Abdul or Simon Cowell. Fortunately, his comments were very kind.
Soon, another group of visitors arrived from the US Embassy. I was thrilled to see fellow Americans, and they seemed much more likable and engaging than some State Department people I have dealt with. I hope that my Embassy will remain a strong supporter of my school.
One woman from the Embassy had kindly agreed to help me ship items here, so after they left, I unpacked the boxes I had sent about a month ago. My studio still needs a desk, but as I looked at my music, teaching materials, and the camel marionette studio mascot neatly stacked against the brand-new wall, I had a good feeling about this. And why wouldn't I?
The studio I chose is number 13.
The fellow who gave such a moving performance on Tuesday poked his head in the door. He recognized Tchaikovsky from one of my posters but hadn't heard of Debussy; as I unpacked my CDs, he had heard of Zeb and Haniya and was impressed that Cultures in Harmony worked with them in Pakistan.
He is motivated to the point of downloading videos of violin performances onto his cell phone. Before long, my violin was out and I was teaching him Yost shifting exercises.
Nonetheless, I realized I would need to start from the beginning. Yost proved challenging, since his bowhold still needs work. Also, as other boys gathered to watch, I realized I would have to make a supreme effort to ensure the girls were always included.
I apologetically asked the piano and guitar students to leave, and told them to tell all the violinists to come to my new studio, especially the girls. The girls arrived in a bunch, and after initial shyness, I realized they might actually be more confident than the boys. Still, the boys and the girls all act like the other group is not actually in the room.
A faculty member summoned me to meet some prestigious visitors: one of the three judges from Afghan Star and a maker of sarangis, ghichaks, and rubabs whose family has been making these instruments for 300 years. The latter fellow and I agreed that we will give him one of the bows to see how good of a job he does rehairing it. He normally rehairs sarangi bows, which are rather different, but hopefully he can figure out how to handle violin bows, so that the students can maintain their instruments in good condition.
At one point during a lull in their tour, I offered to play for both gentlemen. I confess to feeling a bit nervous during the Bach as I wondered which of his American Idol counterparts the Afghan Star judge would more closely resemble: Paula Abdul or Simon Cowell. Fortunately, his comments were very kind.
Soon, another group of visitors arrived from the US Embassy. I was thrilled to see fellow Americans, and they seemed much more likable and engaging than some State Department people I have dealt with. I hope that my Embassy will remain a strong supporter of my school.
One woman from the Embassy had kindly agreed to help me ship items here, so after they left, I unpacked the boxes I had sent about a month ago. My studio still needs a desk, but as I looked at my music, teaching materials, and the camel marionette studio mascot neatly stacked against the brand-new wall, I had a good feeling about this. And why wouldn't I?
The studio I chose is number 13.
posted by William Harvey | 3:59 PM
1 Comments:
Do you have to worry about being near any seismic fault lines in Kabul? I ask being a Californian and knowing that there are certainly some active faults on the border with Pakistan. Your local geography is impressive.
If so it is a good idea to consider where you store and locate your violin when it is out in the room. Mild shaking can dislodge books or items hung loosely on the walls.
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