I have been running around like crazy…I actually think I worked less when I had a day job and I wasn’t “self-employed”…The difference is, now I get to do the work I like and it is all bassoon related! (My name is Susan, and I am a bassoon-nerd.)
So…things I have been busy with:
1) I have been busy knocking out some DFM arrangements…spoiler alert, we now have Fat-Bottomed Girls by Queen in our arsenal! I’m debating Shout and Jump in the Line for my next projects…
2) Teaching. I have 5 weekly students plus I have a few monthly students too. I absolutely love teaching them, I find it so inspiring to see them make break-throughs and have “Ah-ha!” moments when all the clouds of mystery lift and they glimpse exactly what it is they need to do to get to the next step. They also push me to be a better bassoonist as I fix their reeds and try to figure out how the heckel they made that sound and how to correct it.
3) Planning a one day bassoon festival. Bassoonapalooza is co-presented by the University of Toronto and the Council of Canadian Bassoonists…it was an idea I had back in the summer and I gathered up 2 amazing people who have helped make this wild idea a truly spectacular reality. Being the Outreach Director means I volunteer at least 5 hours a day to the project, but it is such an energizing project that I am happy to do it. Bassoonapalooza is on February 28, 2015 9am-6pm at Walter Hall at the University of Toronto Faculty of Music, and it is free and open to the public. There will be seminars, concerts and a masterclass. More about Bassoonapalooza in another post!