<p>I thought we needed a little levity here...so (I hope the op doesn't mind), I've cut and pasted the other post here, and I've added MY info (that you don't know). Let's add to the list.</p>
<p>Cosmos is a girl.
BassDad has a beard.
Thumper is a dead dog, not a rabbit (a very cute dog, I might add).</p>
<p>What else don't I know?</p>
<p>I was also SHOCKED to learn that binx hails from Erie, PA. I could just hear a sweet Southern accent in all her posts.</p>
<p>Another illusion shattered.</p>
<p>BEK’s daughter has a squishy stress relief ball shaped like a puffer fish named Jean-Pierre (as in Rampal) that accompanied us to all auditions. She is also a petite 4 foot 9 inches - good thing she didn’t pick the tuba to bring home in fourth grade.</p>
<p>I still don’t know where son’s musical abilities spring from. Wife assures me it wasn’t the milkman.</p>
<p>BEK- those squishy things that pop out the eyes? I love those. (Sometimes I wish I had life-size squishies of both s & d.) :D</p>
<p>Violadad - have you listed to whether the postman whistles in tune? :)</p>
<p>I’ve been here 22 years, librarian - I can turn on the southern charm with the best of them. The Erieite plain speaking comes in more handy though.</p>
<p>My other surprise - I teach piano, but my degree is in nursing… (However, I was the accompanist for the nurses’ glee club.)</p>
<p>And, suitable for a thread of it’s own, my S’s horn has died. Who knew it was even sick?</p>
<p>Cartera hails from southern Virginia and does have a sweet southern accent - when she needs it.</p>
<p>binx, our mailman at the time was a mailwoman.</p>
<p>'Splain to me how a horn dies? Weak valves?</p>
<p>This dead horn sounds like a real problem…what happens next? How did it die? Was it old age? Trauma? Murder? Neglect? Overhydration? Oh, dear!</p>
<p>No secrets here, at least none I am telling…!!</p>
<p>Ha! It’s a murder mystery! I really haven’t the foggiest. His teachers say he played it to death.</p>
<p>S’s horn has an amazing pedigree - owned by two major leaguers (Myron Bloom and Jerome Ashby). But it is 50 some odd years old, and three different teachers have pronounced it dead. (Apparently dead horns have major sound issues. The good news is that the sound issues are not my S’s fault.) Horns do have a limited life span. It’s just unfortunate that it is happening right now, when he needs to get a job! At least he hadn’t yet sold his other horn, so he has a back up. </p>
<p>Worst part is that he can’t even sell the horn to get money for the next one. I told him to save it till a year when his taxes are too high, then donate it to a museum for the write-off. This is the horn Bloom played on early Philly Orchestra recordings. And of course, the fact that it was Ashby’s gives it great sentimental value. But that ain’t puttin’ food on the table.</p>
<p>I vaguely recall (perhaps erroneously) that he got his horn when he started with his teacher, perhaps even through his teacher. I think the horn couldn’t go on without the teacher. Now that he is moving on to a new teacher or a new job, he needs a new horn (or is it the other way around.)</p>
<p>I see an ebay auction in the making here. The horn’s pedigree is worth a bit. But wait till grad school offers are in and funded. No sense showing unnecessary income on the FAFSA.</p>
<p>I’m not kidding… I AM curious as to how a horn dies? Weakened joints? Metal fatigue? Internal corrosion? NYC air?</p>
<p>A pity that winds apparently don’t age the way a good violin/cello does…
I knew it was true for clarinets (Ken Grant at Eastman phases his out every 10-15 years) but it’s interesting that horns go the same way…</p>
<p>I guess the bonus for playing clarinet is that although it may eventually die, it was still $10,000 cheaper than a mid-level violin.</p>
<p>(Back on topic: No secrets here, unless maybe my gender isn’t apparent from my username? I’m a girl :D)</p>
<p>team_mom - you remember correctly. S says his horn died when his teacher did. Took the soul with him. Like that old grandfather clock song. </p>
<p>S is still getting a chuckle from all those NYC horn teachers telling him to play his Lawson instead of the Conn! (Note to non-horn parents - NYC folks are Conn artists.)</p>
<p>I have no idea, really, violadad. Maybe bassdad could explain it (from an engineering standpoint, not a bass standpoint!) I’d ask my H but I’m afraid he’d tell me. (See the engineer spouse thread in the cafe for the dangers of asking an engineer anything.) I suspect it has something to do with the thinning of the brass.</p>
<p>lostinthemusic - I’m glad you told your gender. I am afraid I automatically guess wrong most of the time.</p>
<p>Binx - Hahaha, we are from NY State and my D is wanting to buy a Conn!! Most of her friends play Conns so you are right about NY’ers being Conn artists.</p>
<p>IDK if there is anything interesting about me that no one knows but I’ll give it a try.</p>
<p>What you did not know about Momof3Stars:
~I work in the Compliance unit of a major bank where my primary job is to look at accounts for activity that could be potentially linked to organized crime, terrorism, or money laundering</p>
<p>~My 2 D’s nicknames are Chuck (musician) and Moosey (dancer)</p>
<p>~Up until 3 years ago my husband was a part time farmer along with his day job which is as the owner of an auto body repair shop.</p>
<p>~I have a 3 year old son who is the product of Premature Empty Nest Syndrome</p>
<p>~My D’s dream job is to work with/be the next John Williams (I know, not the typical classical aspirations of most music students)</p>
<p>See…not much interesting there!!!</p>
<p>Violadad: I also have no idea where my kids get their talents from. I can only guess were it not for a life on the farm my DH might have been dancing for the Royal Ballet or playing the trumpet for the Boston Pops</p>
<p>Sorry, I am an electrical engineer not a materials guy. Since I cannot explain it from an engineering standpoint, bass will have to do. </p>
<p>From a purely theoretical point of view, I am told there can be certain, how shall I say, performance issues in some instruments of that age - slow response, flaccid tone, leaky valves, that sort of thing. Once it has gone completely over the edge, adjustments in lip and hand technique simply cannot compensate for the ravages of time and long use. The whole situation just gets more and more frustrating for everyone involved. Fortunately for active young players, new hardware is available for less than the price of the traditional imported convertibles favored by their elders.</p>
<p>I grew up in Cleveland Park, Washington DC (hi Stringfollies?) and after 25+ years as an “import” to Pittsburgh, finally am a Steelers fan–thanks to my daughter, not any of my three sons. My husband the Pittsburgh native has yet to sit through a televised game. Typical season Sunday evening conversation to my cello son: Just so you can talk to people at school tomorrow, the Steelers won/lost.</p>
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<p>I’ve heard these symptoms can easily be rectified by a little blue pill.</p>
<p>I’ve also been told that performances and encores exceeding four hours can drop the curtain for good on both player and instrument. :D</p>
<p>I will pretend to not have a clue what the dads are talking about.</p>
<p>I will also not tell my S that a little blue pill might fix his horn. (Can’t believe I just wrote that.)</p>
<p>mom4 - another “secret” of mine - both my boys were born in Pittsburgh! Everyone is a die-hard Braves fan, though. But they will root for the Steelers as a back-up.</p>
<p>I can see the commercials already - an entire brass section playing outside in separate bathtubs.</p>
<p>Hey…maybe this could turn into a Super Bowl commercial, win a ton of awards and somehow subsidize our student musicians.</p>
<p>Just tell me that the four trumpets aren’t going to DIE.</p>