Young and Old

As stated on previous post, Thomas has orchestra practice every Thursday from 6:30 until 8:30. There are two percussionists, Thomas and his friend, Omid. Omid is Thomas's age and has been appearing on and off again in Thomas's life during the past six or so years. We first ran into him on the AYSO soccer fields when, a very long time ago, Thomas thought he might want to be on a soccer team. Both he and Omid quickly realized that soccer was not for them. [Thomas was actually pretty good at playing soccer; it's the "team" part of it that didn't work.] They have also run into each other at various birthday parties and, now, they have a shared interest in percussing. And I have been slotted into the thankless role of Percussion Roadie, which has me shepherding these two, along with a ridiculous number of percussion instruments, up and down the hallways of the FIM. Last Thursday night we found a note taped to the stage door that said "Percussionists Need: 2 medium timpani, vibraphone, zylophone, chimes, bells, concert bass drum, floor bass drum with foot pedal, snare drum, triangle, hi hat cymbols." What the HELL?!? How could two 10 year old possible play all that? SO, this then means that the three of us have to find all this equipment, which could be in the percussion storage room (locked: therefore needing security guy to let us in) or the two percussion classrooms (both usually occupied by teacher and student practicing--yes, imagine us trying to sneak quietly through a room to get medium timpani or a 6 foot long zylophone--ridiculous!) and of course everything requires a different kind of mallet (all in the storage room locked in a cabinet which requires a key that the security guy doesn't carry but is only carried by teacher busy teaching a lesson). ADD TO ALL THAT, last week there was what is called a "sectional" which is when (in this case) the strings are separated from the winds, brass and percussionists for a super intense practice session. Thomas was thrilled that his bassoon teacher was teaching the winds/brass/percussion sectional in the a smaller practice room--which means that we had to schlep all this equipment to the practice room (occupying most of the room) and, after an hour, schlep it all over to the stage when the two sectionals joined and practiced together. Needless to say, I am EXHAUSTED at the end of Thomas's orchestra practice.

The orchestra kids are, for the most part, very sweet nerds and remind me very much of just the same sort of kids I went to school with who played in such groups. But, just to remind me that I am not part of their world, two had the following coversation during the break:
Trumpet player (rooting through a storage cabinet): "Hey! Look at all these old instruments!" (Both examine cases.) French Horn player responds: "Oooh! Some of these look REALLY OLD! (Finds case with tan leather covering.) THIS one looks like it's from the 80s!!!"