WOWOWOWOW!!!!!

Hey everyone, I currently sitting in the Montpelier Library. I had to come into town to buy a fan. The weather is unbearably hot here. Unfortunately, most of the clothing I brought is for much cooler tempatures. The humidity is a bit much......

The people are amazing. I'm in Franklin Larey's studio. He comes from S. Africa and specializes in Piano Duos and duets. It's so great!!! There are these two twins, the Wang Sisters (pronounced Wong) that are doing nothing but 4 hand works. Obviously, this means we are in the same studio. Today, they did Mozart's D Major sonata in the lesson; this is the same sonata Andrew and I will be working on shortly. They are so amazing!!! They're going to Munich at the end of August for an International Piano Duo competition, but I forget the name. Yesterday, they performed Ravel's Waltz for two pianos at the audition. I'm completely aww-struck.....

Lessons work like this: there are 4-5 students per studio. Everyday from 9-12:30 each studio gets together for a group lesson. Everyone plays for everyone, it's VERY interactive and you learn so much. Franklin (everyone is on a first name basis here) is so great. I know I am going to learn much from him. What's even greater is, he has studied Alexander Technique! No one else I have spoken to on the subject even knows about the Technique. I told him about the book I brought (Indirect Procedure to Alexander Technique) and he is very interested in it, so I'm going to give to him tomorrow to read......

There are students from everywhere here. All over the states and Canada, Japan, Romania, and China. 3 are students at the Manhattan school of Music. And there is no set age. The youngest is 14, and the oldest is 87. It's so awsome!!!! The Faculty come from all over too. One teaches at Manhattan and NYU, then there's Franklin from S. Africa, one teaches at Bellmont, one teaches in Canada, and one is from Russia......

The pianos are so amazing too. out of the 30 grands here, about 12-15 are Steinways, then there are also Masson &Hamlin, Baldwin, and a few others I can't think of. many of the studios (the practice rooms are all studios) have two pianos in them.......

Our chef is amazing, the scenery is amazing, EVERYTHING IS AMAZING!!!!! I've only been here three days and I don't wish to go back to FL, even if it's hotter here.

Well, I must go now, we're heading back to the conservatory soon.

OH! I have postcards I'll be sending shortly, they are all scenes of Adamant.

See ya!