trpt2345

One of my students from the Merit School of Music (Tim Bennett, who plays alto sax in my jazz band) just called me at 10:30 p.m. local time. My wife answered, kind of annoyed because she was falling asleep, and gave me the phone. I asked him why the hell he was calling so late, and he said because he just heard he got a full ride to Oberlin. OK, I said, you can call me that late if it's something like that. I'm really happy, because he's a terrific student from a really challenged background who goes to one of those nightmare Chicago public schools. This will change his life. Stuff like this makes all the work worthwhile.

On a related note, last Tuesday we mixed the recording from last school year's band to submit to downbeat for the student awards competition. We'll see if we do as well as last year.

Michael McLaughlin

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Chicago MM