Yesterday was my first day back at work after two weeks of vacation. It feels great to be able to take time off from practicing and clarinet (without feeling guilty), but man, its hard to go back! Luckily, I knew what my schedule was going to be like (a ceremonial band gig, and another sub-in gig for the woodwind quintet), so I started practicing on Wednesday after I got back from Colorado. I’m glad I did, because my endurance went down the tubes while I was away! Even still, my embouchure actually hurt after the second gig today – that’s why I’m not doing any practicing today. Sometimes its better to let muscles recover than to try to push them further than they really can go. I learned that the hard way my first semester at Eastman…one day I think I played over eight hours when I combined all the rehearsals and practicing I did. I hurt so bad that I couldn’t practice, or even play really, for 2 days! It sucked. I learned my lesson right then and there that I should listen to my body, and if it hurts it’s not worth it! So I’m taking the rest of the day off, but will try to get back to it today before my gig in the afternoon. I have wind ensemble rehearsal on Monday, so I’ll probably do a little playing tomorrow just to try to get back into shape.
Anyway, my vacation was wonderful! I went back home to Colorado to visit family and friends. It was so relaxing, I was not ready to come back to work today! But I think now I’m ready to get back into the thick of things and finish out this busy summer season!
Sandy Herrera, Clarinet 