During this time of year, people
leave comments on how shitty it's been and that it's not going to be any
different next year. Meanwhile, I've had the best year ever and am so lucky to
have experienced all these amazing opportunities and met so many new people so
I can't wait to see what happens in the future. I thought it was a good idea to
write a note on the amazing events that have happened the past 12 months.
Having only been a part of the
EHCB for 8 months, it was quite scary that I would be going to a foreign
country with people I'd only known for a short while, and not with friends from
school. But this was a brilliant way to skive a week off school! haha. This was
the first time I had ever played music abroad and it was quite an eventful
trip. From waiting for ages at Edinburgh airport because of their stupid bag
allowance guidelines to a thunderstorm at Titisee during the concert of where
we provided the best ending for Les Miserables, sheets of music flying around
the place and having fits of laughter that is. I also did something I'd never
thought I would do, go on the tallest and fourth fastest rollercoaster in
Europe. I had never been so scared in my life, I was literally shaking but it
was incredible that I was able to do it. Then we were able to enjoy German wine
and pretzels and experience the funniest bus journey back home ever!! :D Many
thanks especially to Ms. Ritchie for organising this and inviting me to be a
part of her band and for seeing the good in me. She's Superwoman with all the
work she does for the band so I'm honoured to have been a part of this trip. :D
Then I had the amazing experience
of the NYJOS Summer School this summer. I was so excited at the first day but
yet so nervous about how experienced the other players were and I didn't know
much about jazz at the time. But I gained so much confidence in playing jazz
music, improvising solos and working with different people. I loved playing at
the Jazz Club every night and loved it when people came over and said they
enjoyed the performance. It was such an amazing thing to be a part of and I met
so many people who were so nice to be with. Many thanks to Andrew and Malcolm
for running this whole thing, Richard Ingham for being an inspiration to all
saxophonists who want to be as good as him but know you never will, to Rick for
being the wacky, funny, awesome tutor ever and to everyone who made the first
week of the summer holidays the best ever! If someone asked me to do a
saxophone solo two years ago, I would have said NO WAY, but now I'm more
confident on playing my badly improvised solos today, all thanks to NYJOS.:D
If that's not all, to top it all
off, I was finally accepted into the big band, which I wanted to be in since I
first started going to the groups. The rehearsals have been so much fun so far,
playing awesome pieces like I'm a Believer, You Got A Friend In Me, and Mood
Indigo. We then played at the Aviemore concert, and it was the best ever.
Everyone in the group is awesome, as people stole my camera and took sneaky
pictures of each other, and as we waited for the gaelic choir to actually
start, I had never laughed so much in ages. I'm looking forward now to our
March concert, which is going to be amazing, as it will be on the weekend of my
18th birthday! I have always wanted to play in the Big Band at Eden Court, and
to do it on my 18th, would be the best thing ever. And I can buy a drink
afterwards! Massive thanks to Mr Farmer, for being Mr Farmer, all the guys at
Big Band, I love you all, but also to Norman Bolton, who is giving so many
young people like me a chance to play music with loads of great people. And
thanks to Mr Reynolds and Wind Band, who I've also enjoyed being a part of last
year. Just lots of love to everyone at groups!
Even with all these music events
that have so many different people involved, there's always some people you
thank for everything. To my old piano teacher who was an
inspiration to me to love playing music. To my new piano
teacher who is a genius on the piano but especially to my woodwind tutor,
thanks to him, I've managed to get a merit on my first saxophone exam, which
was grade 6.
And of course, with all my amigos
at DA, they have always made school more bearable, even when there's nabs,
prelims and stchick. It's so weird to think how fast and yet how slow 6 years
have passed. haha. :D It's going to be weird when we actually finish. The
christmas dance was a great success and such fun to help decorate the hall and
organise the event, and to hear so many people enjoyed it, it makes you feel
proud of everyone who has helped, especially our year for pulling it off.
Even though I can't wait to go to explore other places and meet different
people, Dornoch is and always will be my home, I have lived in this little
house in the middle of nowhere for nearly 18 years so moving away is going to
feel strange.
Even though it's been the best year,
it's also been the hardest. With many ups and downs with Highers, exams, both
music and school ones, but mainly because of the death of a close relative. My
nanna was a caring, loving soul with a big heart who always loved the people
she cared for. She always looked after her daughters and her grandchildren,
collected so many jackets and towels and was always there to make you laugh. It
was a tough couple of weeks with her going to hospital, discovering she had
lung cancer and then losing her just a week later, the funeral was beautiful
though and even at my mum's cousin's wedding, she was remembered and loved.
Christmas was tough this year as she loved Christmas, with so many decorations
and ornaments it was like being at Santa's grotto. It was just us and grandad
for dinner, which was bizarre. You always expected to get pyjamas and tops from
nanna for christmas as well as those vouchers for the shops. I got both
vouchers and a nightie from my Grandad, which made me feel upset on christmas
morning. But then I saw my wee cousin open her christmas present later on and
she smiled.
2012 is going to be another
exciting year, probably the most challenging yet, with hard future decisions to
face but I've still got Eden Court with the Big Band, my 18th birthday and
another year of the summer school to look forward too as well as more exams to
sit, both SQA and ABRSM. No point in making New Year Resolutions, you just take
life as it comes. Thank you to everyone who has been a huge part of my life so
far, from the young and the old, from the nearest to the furthest. Hope you all
have an amazing 2012, and follow your dreams, and stay positive. Unlike me,
haha. Saxophone love xxx
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