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Community Spirit |
Christmas time…
Christmas is almost upon us; a time to cherish those
close to us, a time to reflect and count our blessings.
It is also a time when our community spirit is raised as
we realise how lucky we are compared to others who may find Christmas a
particularly difficult time.
Some musicians go into the community and play to those whose
circumstances have led them to spend their lives in an institutional home.
It is very important to fully appreciate that it is their
home and that you are a visitor. It is a completely different relationship to that
between a performer and a paying audience.
Sometimes the hosts may wish to offer their guests polite
hospitality:-
A violinist friend of mine recently found himself in such
a situation.
Deep in concentration and halfway through a technically
demanding piece, he was asked if he would prefer tea or coffee. He wished that
he had been asked a closed question to which he could respond with a nod or
shake of the head.
His rude unresponsiveness was met with “Well would you
prefer a mince pie or a sandwich?”
Through the panic of a divided mind, he managed to keep
up with his flautist duet partner with only a few dropped notes. However, he
again failed to politely respond to his host who then haughtily advised him
that she would bring him a tray so that he could choose.
Sometimes, although you are a visitor, you may not be a
particularly welcome one:-
A couple of years ago we played for a group of about fifteen
people. We played our most exciting and festive pieces with flair and gusto.
The residents seemed to be thoroughly enjoying the performance and were swaying
from side to side.
After we had finished, I asked one of the hosts if he had
enjoyed our concert.
“Not really” he replied “It was too loud and you were in
the way of the telly. Our favourite programme was on.”
I apologised and explained that we hadn’t realised.
“That’s ok” he said “It’s repeated tomorrow. Do you want
a mince pie?”
“Yes please, I’d love one.” I replied.
He brought me a mince pie and we sat down together and
talked for a while before he politely excused himself to mingle.
“The fact is, society is made more hospitable by every
individual who acts as if ‘do unto others’ really was a rule.” ~Gary Hamel~