this gives me faith for the future.

talk about an extra-musical experience.

i have to write about this because it gripped me so fiercely. the preparatory school where i work gave a chamber music concert with all of the chamber groups. i was in a group and we played mendelssohn. it went very well, i'm proud of them. me, however, could have been better but that's neither here nor there. the last group played shostakovich's string quartet no. 8 and it was mindblowing. these are high schoolers, on the young side and the ferocity and energy with which they played was infectious. now i must mention that i take on all of these kids as my own (which makes this even more fantastic) and hearing them play filled me with such pride. not just them but all of the groups that performed today. like i told one of my co-workers, it makes me happy about my chosen profession.

so yes, my kids are amazing. and shostakovich is fucking metal. and nothing in the world could make me happier.