Category: Dark Horse Musings
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The Power of Saying “Yes”!
It is approaching that time of year again when thoughts are turning to the annual act of Remembrance. I am always struck by the fact that the whole country unites with one mind to honour the memory of those who lost their lives to protect our freedom. As a trumpet player I have had the…
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Behind a Successful Man
What a week this has been. After a short delay whilst my young pupils get used to being in secondary school I have returned to a little bit of teaching alongside my childcare duties looking after my baby grandson. I marvel at Bach with all his children and wonder how he ever managed to write…
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Life is a Journey
What a week this has been. I travelled all the way to Devon and back to see my Niece in the show Kinky Boots and it was well worth it. I was also flooded with memories of travelling to south Wales back in my youth when I was at the Welsh College of Music in…
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Show Time
I am writing this on the Wednesday morning before the Friday I normally post for two reasons, neither of which is the fact that Friday is going to be the 13th! The first reason is because I have just completed the last few bars of my work in progress which I can now reveal is…
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One I Forgot About
I had the privilege of attending a rehearsal this week in which a piece I’d written a number of years ago for that band was being rehearsed for a programme today, the day of this post. This made me begin to think about the piece in question, and another one I wrote more recently also…
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A Glass Half Full
I don’t know about you, but I am usually a ‘glass half full’ type of person. Optimism, and being grateful for what you have is better, in my opinion, than focusing on, and being miserable about, what you don’t have, because that way you don’t appreciate what you have been blessed with. Well, today I…
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In the Bleak Mid (British) Summer
Many years ago when I was a classroom teacher the summer holidays were a strange time because thoughts were already turning to Christmas and planning for the long autumn term. I thought I had put that behind me when I changed to instrumental teaching, but during the course of this last week I have found…
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Too Many Irons in the Fire?
What a week it has been out and about performing at a friends leaving party, playing with the town band at the local Agricultural Show and Gymkhana, and being generally busy with practising and rehearsing. I have also been preoccupied with matters non-musical, but that goes with the territory when you are a church steward…
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Busy Performing
I played a charity gig with my rock band I.N.C.A. last weekend at the Deanery in Ripon in support of a campaign to save some local trees from destruction, tonight I’m playing solo using my looper at a party to bid farewell to our Methodist Minister who is relocating to pastures new. Tomorrow I’m playing…