Practice makes perfect

Last week, I stepped into a foreign land.

Well, foreign enough for someone who spends most of her time commuting between Starbucks and Ernie Pyle Hall.Somehow, between leaving class and ordering my grande cinnamon dolce latte, I veered off to the Music Annex.

I entered the unknown to watch a friend rehearse for her recital. I listened as she belted out pieces centuries older than her and wondered how she works in a small rehearsal room with its wooden panels and a door that is the loveliest shade of avocado green — the kind of color relevant during the same period as disco.

As I stepped out into the hallway, I realized not only that every door look like guacamole gone horribly wrong, but behind those doors are even more students pursuing one of the most challenging careers — being a full-time musician.

I think it’s hard to really understand the sort of pressure that comes with studying music unless you’re a part of it. There is a constant quest to be accurate when a bad note is always lingering over pure luck and practice.

For me, writing is a completely different process. I like to spend a good 20 minutes staring at my laptop as if this column should type itself. I then decide to research, which means staring at my laptop for another 15 minutes, but there’s text on the screen so I have the illusion of reading.

I won’t give all the magic of my columns away, but it does involve googling Justin Bieber a lot.

However, when I write, I don’t have an audience. When I make a mistake, no one besides me hears anything but the click of the delete button.

How many times have you passed the Music Annex while walking to an early class and were treated to concertos and arias? Or were serenaded at twilight on your walk of shame home? It’s almost enough to forget about your missing sock and fear of intimacy.

Sometimes it’s so easy to get wrapped up in who’s performing at Little 500, you don’t realize there are already musicians in your own backyard. You skim over their recital dates that sprinkle the event pages to find out what’s playing at the Whittenberger Auditorium this weekend.

It’s all about being a bit more observant. Just take the chance to go to a recital and support what has taken months for students to put together.
You don’t have to love everything you hear, but it doesn’t hurt to be open-minded.