Big dates - moral support

[acmespaceship]

Now that I've buttered you up with a chocolate recipe, I can ask you to think supportive thoughts as our son auditions for college (yes, we are all that old) as a prospective jazz piano performance major. 

Saturday Feb. 7 - NIU Jazz Studies (Chicago)
Sunday   Feb. 8 - Berklee College of Music (Chicago auditions)
Saturday Feb. 14 - U of I Jazz Studies (Urbana)

I just got a call from Willie Pickens himself to set up the NIU audition.  The last time I got a call this cool it was from former Cubs pitcher Richard Nye who is our ferret's veterinarian. 

For more than a year we've been living and breathing the up-tempo standard, ballad, blues improv, and "I've Got Rhythm" changes plus major, minor, pentatonic and blues scales.  Plus a Bach invention, a classical (Mozart) and romantic (Chopin) sonata movement and a 20th century work (Joplin: Solace) because at NIU and UIUC the jazz pianists also have to pass a classical audition.

This is where the rubber meets the pudding and the chickens come home to prove the road.  Wish him luck auditioning, and wish me luck to not have a stroke. 
I am calm I am calm I am calm ack I am calm

Comments

[dsgood.livejournal.com]

Sending good thoughts.

[scarfman]

our son auditions for college (yes, we are all that old)

Our kids have kids. Well, the younger one does.

[qtrhorserider.livejournal.com]

May he break a leg, but still have nimble fingers.

Scarfman's right, we've got grandkids for Pete's sake... and why Pete matters in this is a mystery to me...

[rmjwell.livejournal.com]

Go-go gadget piano!!!

[acmespaceship.livejournal.com]

Indeed. And I am already a great aunt and a grand godmother (or perhaps a god grandmother? Great god! mother?) Yet friends who have older kids are often still startled when they hear my guy's off to college next year (knock on wood). It must be that other peoples' kids age faster than our own. I can think of several likely reasons for this, not least of which is that we aren't paying as much attention... and we didn't have to pay for all the food. Is the empty nest all it's cracked up to be?

[acmespaceship.livejournal.com]

Does Pete babysit? That would make him very relevant.

I think I am better suited as a grandma than a mother. I like to entertain kids but I'd rather skip the 24x7 responsibility. When my son was born, my mom came out to stay for a week. One time when the baby was crying loudly and inexplicably and I looked to mom for help, she said:

"Look, I only did this once and it was 30 years ago."

And she handed the baby back to me. I look forward to doing the same someday... but not too soon. How long until a jazz pianist is ready for the responsibilities of raising a family? (cough cough)

[scarfman]

You can never go back...