It always amazes me the anxiety I feel before I have to play the piano for any kind of performance.  Usually things work out pretty well… I think the last terrible performance I had would have been my freshman year of college.  At Geneva we had to do a recital at the end of each semester as well as boards (where we would be graded for the semester).  Anyway my first ever recital was a real disaster.  I had two pieces that I was supposed to play… memorized.  Not only weren’t they memorized but I barely felt comfortable playing them with music.  Like I said it was a disaster… and I wasn’t on the stage for more then a minute and a half.  (Two songs remember!)  It was a pretty embarrassing performance… I walked off stage and right out of the auditorium and back to my room to sulk!  But what made me smile about that performance was that another music major that had been there thought it was a great performance and she really liked the pieces.  I laughed.  Just thinking about that day makes me cringe.  I can’t think of too many other performances I’ve had that was worse then that.  All that to say, I was pleased with my playing tonight for the freshman choir at Williamsport High School.