Big day today!

Today was a big day!

First was a Tech Rehearsal 10am-11am at school for the upcoming Dance Department concert. We all showed up in costume at the theater and stepped through the dances bit by bit while our professor and the tech people figured out the lighting. Then we ran both dances in real time while they did lights, etc. It was alternatively exciting and boring, but definitely a good thing to do. We have our regularly-scheduled class times this Tuesday & Thursday. Wednesday night is Dress Rehearsal for the whole department, with concerts both Thursday & Friday night. I'm looking forward to seeing the other dances on the program!

After Tech Rehearsal was over, I hopped in my car & drove up to California Baptist University in Riverside for "Ring Out California," a handbell festival put on by Desert Bells International from Phoenix, AZ. Kay Cook was the main clinician for the event & I got to play along with Scottsdale Handbell Ensemble in the massed pieces as well as their solo number. After the festival, we got a group picture of me with the groups from Desert Bells International (Scottsdale Handbell Ensemble, Bronzeworks, and Palo Verde Bells):

When I got home after the festival, what was waiting for me? My diploma!

Back in December, I finished the requirements for an Associate of Arts degree in Music from Foothill Community College. I'll be walking in the Commencement ceremony in June and I wasn't expecting to get the diploma until some time after that.

I know that an AA degree is really No Big Deal, but it does represent one milestone finished on my way to getting my Master's. Yay, me! :-)

Tomorrow morning, I will fly up to Oakland for Sonos rehearsal 2pm-7pm, then fly home again tomorrow night. We were supposed to have memorized Dale Wood's arrangement of "Shall We Gather by the River?" for tomorrow's rehearsal, but I don't have it yet. To be honest, I probably won't have it until after my finals are over the 2nd week in May. There are only so many hours in the day, unfortunately.

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