Utah Youth!!!

 Last school year, I went into it in August unwilling and totally unprepared mentally.  And I never got it together.  I forgot to send Ptolemy to kindergarten...a lot.  And even though I was scheduled to pick up Araceli every single day at 3:00, I forgot her...a lot.  I loved it when I was late and I found my little flower child propped up against her cello in the grass, patiently waiting.  Araceli was a fun 7th grader.  This is why I don't carpool; because even though I forgot all about her with alarming frequency, we had some good times in the car on the way home or to ballet.  I wouldn't want to turn that time over to someone else.  And I for sure wouldn't want to forget a whole batch of other people's kids!  Not carpooling meant that Araceli was left high and dry if I couldn't be there, so that was tricky sometimes not to have any backup.  She is a patient child, though, and we managed.

 That's not what I wanted to tell you, though!  I was going to tell you about Araceli's Utah Youth Symphony audition.  I'm sure everyone is bored to tears hearing about how much I LOVED my six (seven?  I think it was seven) years in Utah Youth.  Last year, Araceli couldn't audition because of ballet scheduling, and so she tried out for Jack Ashton's orchestras instead, which was a wonderful experience.  This next year, Jack's rehearsals conflict with ballet, so I scheduled Araceli for a Utah Youth audition.

 The morning of the audition (this was back in May, when we still had a modicum of ambition), 6:30 am at lessons with Elliott.  We call it "Chai Fri" because we start out with a little treat from Starbucks on the way to lessons at 5:25 in the morning.  If rhyming doesn't motivate you to get out of bed, I don't know what will.

  Elliott helped Araceli prepare some scales and two contrasting movements for the audition.  She was nervous warming up.  Her scales were NOT ready.

She bombed the audition.  She started crying afterwards because, she said, didn't want to disappoint me.  Well.  I can totally see why that would be a concern, after I had announced to the other 6 kids that soon Araceli would be my favorite child, by virtue of her membership in my favorite orchestra.  I though the audition probably hadn't gone as badly as Araceli feared, but after she told me about it, yeah.  It was bad.  She bombed.

Whatever, though!  I'm certainly not going to judge my kid on the quality of an audition.  I don't care, but I had acted so excited, that I had to convince sweet little Ari that it didn't matter one bit, and truly it doesn't.

And yet...I was thrilled when I got the email today that she made it!  She was placed in the Utah Youth Symphony Junior Orchestra with Dan Rich.  I am so happy for her.  I was in Dan's chamber orchestra at the U when I was in high school, and I love him.  Scott and I will have to fight it out for who gets to drive her to Saturday morning rehearsals.  I changed my ballet teaching schedule especially so I could be available to drive her, in case she made it.  It's the 9:00 orchestra, not the 7:00, but I think it will still be early enough to feel like we're making the most of Saturday.  We'll have to find something that rhymes with Sat for a treat.  Fat Sat?  Maybe a pastry?