Jamaica Blog 2

Good evening! I have just returned from a really inspiring afternoon of teaching with the kids from the youth orchestra. Today we were talking about intonation, breathing, listening and other general musicianship topics. I also had a nice practice session on Richard Greer's piece "Heavy" which I am premiering next week as part of a masterclass afternoon at the university. It was nice to sit and rehearse in a room full of steel pans... it makes for a great acoustic! Yesterday I went with some of the staff to visit the Opera House in Kingston which is currently under renovation. It has sat unused for some time, but it is gradually taking shape, and it will be a fantastic venue when it is finished. On the food front I have now tried (and failed to completely finish) drinking the milk from a coconut. It was as I told the seller, possibly the coldest thing in Jamaica and it gave me extreme brain freeze... It was however completely delicious! I managed to get a few lengths in yesterday in the pool and intended to make it a daily thing, however this morning I awoke to torrential rain, which put a literal damper on my plans!

This afternoon I had a chance to have a really great discussion about teaching and curriculum and the trial and error approach of finding the right method for specific students. It has been a truly fascinating day in which I have drank in so much information. I hope the rest of the trip continues on the same thread and I will keep you updated with my news.

Ciao for now! Fx