go ahead, laugh at my folly

So I'm getting ready to take a lesson for the first time in forever. Allegedly I am, anyway. I've been saying it for a while, so it remains to be seen whether or not I actually manage to follow through. It's partly for help (that I desperately need), and partly a "please listen to me play and then call me for gigs" sort of setup. So, I kind of need to sound good. Kind of a lot.

So I'm prepping a list of excerpts to bring with me. It's not dissimilar to an audition, except that I get to choose the repertoire and the time. So what am I working on?

Tuba Mirum, Hungarian March, Bolero, Ride (all three excerpts), Rhenish, Ein Heldenleben, Mahler 3 (all three solos) and Organ Symphony (both excerpts). You know, the standards. And then I started thinking that maybe there should be a solo in there as well...

I don't know for sure, but I am starting to develop the slightest suspicion that I might be overreaching a bit. And by "overreaching" I actually mean "setting myself up for horrific miserable failure."

On the other hand, they're all standard repertoire, I've been practicing them for years (and years and years), and I should be able to play them all by now. And if I can't, then I don't have any business taking auditions until I can. Or doing much of anything else until I can. I certainly don't have any business seeking out gigs with professionals.

You know, maybe the lesson can wait a bit. Just until I figure out how to play the trombone, anyway.