I find it unreal how much I have grown as a musician over the last year. Last November I thought I had reached my peak when I nailed my recital. I was sure I couldn't play any better and that was where I would be for the rest of my time. Why I thought this I have no idea because I watch people improve every single day when I am in the school of music.

Today, I played Ave Maria for the district recital for Mu Phi Epsilon. This is my "safety" piece that I pull out when I need something that is unaccompanied and not long. This is very humorous to me because 1) I used it in my audition for the school of music back in 2006 and 2) my Grandfather would have a heart attack if he knew it (he has always had it in his mind that it is too technically difficult to just pull out the way I do). I find it all too interesting that not only do I tend to pull this out at the very last minute, but alot of the time I end up doing it without warm-up (I have actually begun practicing this way because of soemthing Vince DiMartino said about gigs... you don't always get to play a note after a sermon, you just play). This is incredibly risky because it is technically difficult and full of leaps. Yes, there were a few hitches, mainly because of a lack of breathing, but overall I could not be happier.

The scary thing is comparing it to my recital recordings from last November. The tone from November sounds forced and pinchy, my tone today was almost completely pure with no effort. I never thought I would reach this point. I love it.

If I can continue this, I know that I can be happy.