As the summer winds down, I reflect on the last couple of years and how it has affected musicians and music teachers like me. The first thing that comes to mind is that many more people are choosing not to learn an instrument, and that goes for adults as well as children. There are at least two generations of people who went without music in the public schools and don't have the subject matter ingrained in their system as I do. But I wonder also if the pandemic has had a detrimental effect on people who would otherwise look for a good teacher. Could it be that these people are waiting until the pandemic is over? Possibly.
I look forward to September. I am in a couple weddings, which is my favorite thing to do next to teaching. The first wedding is in W. Brookfield, MA which is near Worcester. I will be playing for an hour in the "cocktail hour" part of the wedding. This is usually the time when the bride and groom and wedding party go off to some nice location with the photographer for some posed shots. The hour is time for the wedding guests to mingle and catch up. I usually play lively jigs and reels, but since I will be joined by Claudine Langille, I can take a break from carrying the melody...and sing! I don't usually get to sing, but it's nice to play with someone who is also a good singer. The other wedding is just ceremony music for a wedding ceremony in Rhode Island. I will be playing solo there.
October brings more weddings with the cooler weather. The first is with my good friend Brian Bender at Mt Holyoke College in South Hadley. The second is a solo wedding ceremony in Hadley, MA. I am looking forward to them.