Gigmas 2025 - A Hull Christmas Card
Gigmas is upon us!
Decembers are an especially wild time in the Hull house. It’s a good day if Gabi and I are able to actually see each other both awake. A true “ships passing in the night” situation as I come home from a gig in New Orleans or she leaves for her big-girl job at the LSU Foundation.
So, as I sit here in the Team Honda waiting lobby for a minor cosmetic repair to my trusty CR-V, I am taking a some time for a year-ending stock of a little of what I have to be thankful for. (And yes, I’m going to end that sentence with a preposition. I’ve hated every other iteration of phrasing. Conversational syntax for the win!)
I am grateful for the ability to freelance and perform full-time without the financial need of a teaching job. I miss my students, but all of the football games (congrats on the championship, Dunham), school Christmas concerts and programming, the post-concert-end-of-year-sit-and-wait during finals prep… I don’t miss that so much. 8 years of that grind was enough for “Mr. Michael.” Also, I don’t feel the need to crawl into bed every afternoon to catch up on an extra 20-minutes of sleep before the gig… You normies sure do have it nice sometimes!
I am grateful for the amount and variety of work I am able to do at this time of year. I’ve had the privilege of playing for 12 Church Service/Christmas Cantatas, 5 corporate Christmas parties, 3 weddings, 2 LSU graduations, 2 big band shows, 1 community caroling session… and a partridge in a pear tree. This also means I get to see and perform with friends of Christmas past and present! Thank you to everyone who trusts me to show up and do my best and affords me the opportunity to make music.
I am grateful for (and proud of) my private trumpet studio. I had three students make their respective All-State ensembles, with a 1st- and 4th-chair placement in the High School band and a 5th-chair placement in Middle School. Two of my students are brand new to the instrument and are making great strides — especially at the ages of 8 and 9!
And lastly (for this blog post) I am grateful for you! Thank you for taking the time to read some of my ramblings. I have so enjoyed flexing a new creative muscle this year and love receiving your feedback and support. It has reconnected me with family, friends, teachers, and colleagues across the country.
What a beautiful outcome from some ramblings about trumpet, life, and a few photos of my dog.
Merry Gigmas, One and All!
Michael
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