I went on the internet to look for amateur orchestras. From what I can see, there isn't many and not many near where I live. I didn't realise how dire it was until I wanted to join one. The orchestras I did look at sounded quite good but for one thing, most of these orchestras want you to have a Grade 5+ to even join. How awful is that?? I have to wait until I've done my Grade 5+ before I could even think about joining an orchestra. There are things I want to know and learn from an orchestra now, but I have to wait until Grade 5+ before I can learn and know. Why isn't there any orchestras or playing groups for beginners like me? Beginners who can learn about orchestras at the beginner's stage. I did send emails to a couple of orchestras that sounded interesting, so now I wait for a reply. They didn't specify a Grade, so there could be hope for me.
I got a reply from the orchestras that I emailed. They were nice, polite and encouraging. They said that Grade 5+ was preferred, but not essential. One of the orchestras said that with my Grade 1, I could join second strings. That's not bad. There are people out there who are willing to help you. If I wanted to take up their offers at my level, then I could. This is quite exciting really. When I have more experience and confidence, I'll go and have a look. At least I don't have to wait until I've reached Grade 5+.
I have given long thought to joining an orchestra. I've decided to give myself 6 months to practice and become more confident and proficient in playing the violin. I want to be a bit more accurate in my finger positioning before I join up. I want to be able to read music properly when I play with an orchestra even if they are amateur. That will take me up until June. The weather should be much warmer and the evenings lighter for longer.
So now, I have a new goal. I have given myself 6 months to improve my violin playing and join an orchestra. I will try my hardest to achieve this goal. I may go as far as practising twice a day. I hope it won't be a hardship for me, I love playing the violin.
I've been thinking. If I practice twice a day, I may be able to join the orchestra earlier than June. Waiting six months sounds like an excuse to me. I suppose I'm afraid that I won't be good enough. I'll never know unless I join. So, I'm hoping to start twice a day practice this week. I'm going to try to get up early to practice. By the time my usual practice time comes around, I should be rested enough to be able to practice again. I don't know how this will turn out, but I'll give it a go.
