Playing Well is Winning the Contest

The state contest finals are Saturday and Sunday, as students perform and judges write. Volunteers aplenty help at registration tables, feeding people, gathering critiques, monitoring doors, and inputting scores.

Also today, the Apple Valley Music Teachers Association held their annual Federation Festival. As the state finals over 2 days hosts 6000 students, AVMTA hosts 600 local students in one day. The finals are piano only, the festival is a wide variety of flute, strings, voice, theory, duet, ensemble, concerti, and solo piano. And I probably left something out-it's an amazing day.

I was behind the scenes for both events this year. For the state contest, I invited the judges, 19 on Saturday, 16 for Sunday. We had two that canceled in January and one that was ill and called on Friday. I hope we don't have illness tomorrow, as my substitute list is empty and I'll be at church. Several of my students competed today, and one little one will perform tomorrow. Nerves were already running a little high at their lessons this week-everyone wants to have a good experience, and win. I remind them that playing well is winning. I don't know whether they heard me or understood.

I set up the piano tuners for the Apple Valley event. We used ten pianos, tuned by three people, which took all day Friday. The church had four pianos which were tuned by their staff tuner. We had six pianos delivered for the event, which were tuned by two other local Piano Technicians Guild members.

It's a big day at church tomorrow as the Rosemount High School Chamber Choir is coming to sing. I'm looking forward to hearing them, and accompanying one of their pieces, a big gospel number. Maybe someone will record it and put it on YouTube? There are always some parents that have their video cameras at the ready.

After lunch, we are going to Rochester for my father's birthday party. I'll try to take pictures!

The pictures today are of the concession table and registration table at our local event. Cookies are still 3/$1.00, homemade, best deal in town! Proceeds go to student awards. It's not a huge money maker, but every chocolate chip helps!