I should have known it was a trick question. My college orchestra audition had been rescheduled to the following day, after I'd already schlepped the upright bass from the music building to another building. The orchestra director asked me, "Do you want to leave the bass here overnight or carry it back to the bass room?" I said I'd leave it there overnight. "What?" he replied. "You're not going to practice?"
I left the bass there overnight, as planned, and played a strong audition the next day. I'm defiant--yet prepared. Future generations of music students at that college won't have this experience, however. A new music building is being built that consolidates all the music rooms in one location. I could say that the bass players will miss out on building up their character by lugging a bass from one building to another. I won't say that, however, because it makes far more sense for all of the music facilities to be in one place.
