During a high school/college ensemble rehearsal, the substitute conductor noticed an intonation issue in the bass section. He asked each of us to play an A. When I played the note, the conductor said, "I like the sound of that one. Everyone, tune to that."
For a moment, I thought, "Cool. The conductor thinks I'm the one who's most in tune." A moment later, I thought, "Don't get carried away with that thought. This is a rehearsal, not a concert. On a different day, a different conductor might think someone else is more in tune. Besides, being in tune is supposed to be an everyday occurrence."
It helps to remind yourself now and then that what you might think of as a victory is sometimes just a case of doing what you're supposed to do.
