It’s Monday and I haven’t published my blog yet. Honestly, I normally write the blog on a Sunday but I was not a human, so no chance to do it yesterday. Drinks at our house Saturday night. Never mind. Here I am alive and back as a human being.
This week was rather normal and focussed on college work. (More or less) productive days in college and catching up with lectures and content was on the agenda. Next week or more this week as it’s Monday already, we have a residential week from the college, which means we meet up with all the other students in different locations and create little projects. There are two other students coming up to Uist to the college which is not an awful lot but at least it’s something and as we are two students up here and have the HNC students as well that makes eight students. That makes a good ensemble and there even is the possibility to split up in two groups which should be good fun!
Additionally I started teaching this week! Exciting! A child from the school just next to the college started her lessons and can’t wait for what’s coming. We just had a lesson to get to know each other and talk about what the lessons are going to be like and what we’re focussing on. My method of teaching is: Get the things you have to do done but make them fun to learn and also make room for stuff you really want to learn and you’re interested in! That’s why I said to my student: Each time I will pick a tune but then she is going to pick one tune that she really enjoys listening to or wants to learn. That way we’ll have two sides and there’s always a tune she picked herself. I remember from being a student I had a lot of music I really loved playing but never did in my lessons so I just practised them for myself which is good as well but if you have them in your lessons that’s even better isn’t it?! That way there’s something to look forward to in your lesson and you’ll learn the piece better, because your teacher can help you with it. I as a teacher find it very helpful as well because that means I need to look out for the tunes she wants to play, I get new influences and ideas and last but not least I have to learn the tune for the next week because there’s mostly no sheet music. Always a challenge! Loving it!
The idea I was talking about last time is slowly taking shape. Slowly but we’re getting there. Even though I said I will announce the project when there’s more clarity I decided I really can’t wait. I haven’t spoken to the important people that are going to be involved in this yet but I decided this weekend that it’s going to happen no matter what! This will happen and it will work! Soooooo drum roll please: A FOLK FESTIVAL ON MY HOME ISLAND FÖHR! *the crowd goes wild, she drops the microphone and crowd surfs on a pineapple* okay sorry. Too much? I guess so.
I am just so extremely excited for this and I can’t wait to get properly started on this. There is going to be a lot of organizing and by the end of the festival I will probably be dead BUT I think it’s worth it! The reason I left the island was because there was no music (at least not the kind of music I was interested in) so if I now bring the music to the island that would reunite me with my lovely home and would bring something new to the island! There has never been a folk festival on the island so why not?!
SUMMER 2021 mark it in your calendar guys! Another reason for that is to connect folk music from both sides of the North Sea and have a great time exchanging music because music is the one thing that connects us all no matter what politics do, no matter the skin colour, no matter religion and no matter what anyone thinks. When I go home for Christmas I will hopefully get the chance to speak to as many people as possible there and get things sorted and rolling! Let’s see where that project goes. Definitely my biggest project up to date but very exciting times!
The week ended with having some people over at our house for drinks. What a wild time! Loving life (on a Saturday night, not on a Sunday)! That’s the way we do it in the Western Isles I guess?!
More ideas on the festival planning and maybe news on the recordings? Next week!
Take care & cheerio bye,
Emilia
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