Back to Work ... and blogging

Today, after nine weeks of varied activity and travel, I finally return to teaching my wonderful students. It seems like an age since I have seen them. I'm sure all the young ones will all have grown like mushrooms and some of the older ones will look more mature. It's amazing what a difference a holiday makes.

Will they have practised? Some will, most will not. Is this a good thing? I think it is in some ways. There seems to be some process that goes on in the brain when you take a break from playing. As a child, I rarely practised in the holidays. Sometimes I did, but I think that was probably when I ran out of other things to do! And it did me good. I remember coming back to pieces that I had struggled with in the previous year, and, miracle of miracles:  I could play them! It intrigued me, and still does, as to how a break affects one's playing.

When my children were born I had an even longer break from playing. I had four children in the space of 6 1/2 years - there was really no time for much playing for me, especially as we were home-educating as well!

So, 10 years later, I started teaching and also playing again. Yes, 10 years! It was hard at first. My brain knew what I wanted my fingers to do, but my fingers refused to co-operate. It was hard work. My muscles got a bit sore - not just fingers either. Arms, shoulders and sometimes my back, all complained at the "ill-treatment". But I kept at it, and I started remembering things, things I'd learned way back when I was at the Conservatorium as a student. I'd remember things my teachers had told me, ways of practising difficult passages and scales, double stops, different types of bowing etc.

And then I noticed something even more interesting: I was playing far more in tune than I remember myself playing before. My fingers just seemed to instinctively know where to go; my double stops were working well and the sound seemed a lot less scratchy than I remember. Perhaps my memory of my previous playing was bad? I'm not sure. I have one recording of my final performance at university. I don't like listening to it. My memorisation was patchy and it shows in the playing.

Yes, I passed the course but it's only now that I feel I'm really playing well. Is it a confidence thing? Maybe. Becoming a mother certainly has something to do with it! But all in all, the break did me good. And I'm hoping this long holiday will have done all my wonderful students just as much good.