Every day begins in similar fashion. In order to secure a practice room (without waiting) at the Hochschule I have to arrive before 8AM, so I usually try to wake up just before 7AM. That gives me time to go through the morning "wake-up" ritual and plan my day. I try to practice straight until lunch, till... oh around 12:30 or so. On Monday afternoons, I have a Baroque Performance Practice class. It is really a one-on-one coaching with the viola da gamba professor. Every week I'm required to bring in several movements of a Baroque composition (for cellists, this almost always means Bach), perform for him, and he gives insights into interpreting and performing in a Baroque style. Comprehending all that was being said to me, and asked of me, was a real issue for the first couple weeks. Thankfully, it gets better every week, and the professor is fascinating to work with.
My weekly cello lessons constitute the unpredictable part of my schedule. Mr. Henkel prefers to schedule lessons from week to week, and they never seem to be on the same day or same time. While other students may find this a little difficult, my schedule is open enough to accommodate just about anything. The lessons are going very well, the technique is quite different than I have previously been exposed to, but I'm enjoying the new perspective. There is enough for me to write a post just on my lessons, so for now I will make the unusual choice not to get sidetracked in this post.
With multiple concerts going on everyday, I am never lacking for things to do in my spare time. I've been told Freiburg (a city of only 200,000) has a total of 11 orchestras. I believe it. Granted, many of them are civic or public orchestras, but they all perform frequently. There is also a world-class Baroque orchestra, several choirs, an opera, and countless chamber music recitals. I'm often confronted with the dilemma of whether to practice or go to concerts. My teacher is of the firm belief every student needs to practice 8 hours a day. This seems slightly masochistic to me, but I try to fit in as much as I can.
Once a week, on Friday, I take a Feldenkrais Method class. Feldenkrais Method is a technique that tries to improve the use of the body through experiments in self awareness and light stretches. It is very useful for musicians, most of whom abuse their body without any awareness as to one's natural limitations. It seems a little naive to think you can play any instrument for 8 hours a day and still not overwork some aspect of the body. Even still, I always like to know what part of myself I'm abusing whenever I practice.
Oddly enough, probably the most stressful part of my week is the German course (Monday/Wednesday) at the Language Institute in the University. It seems odd because I spend so much time working on it, and I will receive no credit for it. I suppose it was all my fault for doing too well on the placement test. Out of 16 classes, I placed in the 14th class- only two from the top. It does no good to pat myself on the back for a test well taken, because ever since then I have been lost in a sea of articles and homework that have caused me a great deal of stress. For example, in the first class we we given an article showing statistics for elective cosmetic surgeries in Germany. Perhaps it is because I went to a music school that I was never taught German terminology for Laser Surgery or Breast Enlargement, but I seemed to be the only student not to contribute to the discussion. Like everything else, it has gotten a little easier for me to participate, but it still proves difficult for me to understand grammatical concepts when when everything is taught in German. Alas, curse the public school system that taught me to take multiple choice tests so well!
