My first cello lesson

I left the house at 3.30pm today. I walked up the hill to the High School for my cello lesson at 4pm, and I arrived early, nervous, and sweaty. The High School was traumatic! A mess of teenage boys in blazers getting ready to head home for the day. Thankfully I found the room with relative ease, and waited.

The student before me finished on time, and I was greeted by a lovely man - Tony, my cello teacher. He had a beard which always makes me like someone, and he was friendly and seemed a little shy, which made me like him even more. THEN he introduced me to my very own (rented) cello! It is a brand new student grade full size cello, and, to my novice eye, very pretty.

The lesson seemed to fly by as we raced through the first half of a beginners book. I seemed to spend more time talking than playing! I wasn't allowed to use the bow yet so it was pizzicato all the way - which I now know is just a nicely Italian way of saying 'plucking'. The lesson was hard work, my fingers hurt so much by the end of the half an hour lesson that I was glad to stop, even though I wanted to keep playing. You have to push the strings down so hard! My fingers still hurt now!

So at the end of the lesson, I was sent home with a heavy cello on my back (but still no bow!) and 20 pages of the book to get through by my lesson next week.

Despite my painful fingers, I can't wait to get going :D