Dearest lovely readers,
I feel like we should have a nickname…should we have a nickname? I mean, we all are Apple Hill-ers, so we have that, but maybe we can be “the Core.” The Core-mind, instead of hivemind. I have no idea. This is all setting up wonderfully that I cannot wait, nay…ABSOLUTELY CANNOT WAIT for our lovely summer sessions to begin! We all have missed you so much and cannot wait to get started playing music, being in periods, soccer at Otter Brook, we have lots of activities for you all, and you will play such lovely music (…ah there’s the intro!)!
I know that I promised you K-pop (and potentially K-dramas) in this next post of “From the Core,” and that my “Part 2” of “home” is also in the works, but I felt like with all the summer comings and goings and the full-on excitement of having everyone back on our hallowed grounds again, I would talk a bit about something that has been going on for the last two weeks here on campus.
Being bored. …no wait a second…
Doing bored. …that also doesn’t look right…
boreds? …nope……
Ah! BOARDS.
Yes, THE boards. That wonderfully, delicately nuanced piece of push-pinned, corkscrew board that has little pieces of paper with your music assignments, coaches, and chamber mates!
A lot has happened to get prepared, and the quartet has just finished with all of them! (By the time this post comes out, you should all have your music assignments!) In my now two years of doing this, I have learned about so many of you, heard your wonderful recordings new and old, and all of that only pumps up my excitement of meeting you all! We are quite diligent in how we program, and without revealing too many secrets of behind-the-scenes work, here are some of the rules we adhere to (keep on reading if you already know, or have noticed…):
-In your two groups, you are never with the same people twice.
-In your two groups, you have a different coach each time.
-We try not to have overlap with any coaches or campers, thus making for significant deliberation and changes from yours truly (plus Mike, Elise and Rupert) and Amelia!
-Big shout out to Amelia who keeps level-headed and has all of your info on file and helps us through the process!
-Big shout out to the new database where we keep all of our info! It is definitely a Dwight v. the computer situation (if you don’t know, look up the Office, Season 4, Episode 3).
The moral of this list is that there are a lot of blood, sweat, and tears that everyone sheds to make a summer happen, and goodness gracious, there are only 3 (three!!!) sessions this year…I can only imagine what a full five sessions feels like…
Coming out of “The Boards” this past week, as we made our final admin touches for this summer, I realized how big of a success story and how meaningful this summer is for all Apple Hill-ers, faculty, staff, cooks, and participants. This organization, which has endured so much and that has such a rich history over 50+ years, this is what we all look forward to year in and year out. For many of you, it is like coming home after a long, happy year at school, a chance to let loose and play chamber music in the most picturesque setting. A chance to learn new pieces, a chance to make lifelong friendships, to hone your sight-reading skills, to learn new techniques, to stamp and cheer for your peers. All-encompassing wonderfulness for all. If it be your first time–we all welcome you down the dirt road, to the rehearsal barn, the concert barn, the new state-of-the-art kitchens, and the world-class Hoffman Ping Pong Center, as we make beautiful chamber music!
The full forces of nature are here now at Apple Hill. The campus is prepared to welcome all with flowers, beautiful green trees that will turn into sublime colors, insects (darn black flies…), porcupines, baby birds, wonderful food cooked by chef Judy, and a new radiant deck that master Facilities Manager Richard, Keegan, and the main Apple Hill crew has built!
Come one, come all!
Let’s all kiss the moose!
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