So I picked up my cello again after a while of not playing it due to band camp and other things. I felt bad at first because I know that I need to play a lot more than I am and as soon as I started playing again I knew I had lost ground. I'm not sure how much, but I know I have lost endurance, at least. I made it through 45 minutes and I have resolved to practice more in the future, and specific things too. I'm restarting the Schroder etude book. Starting at the beginning (well, number 7) and working my way through it again. Refresh the basics. Not just working through it...but really taking my time with it. Making sure each etude is at the correct tempo and sounds the way I want it to sound. Once I do that, I'll move on to more etudes...Popper/Duport, etc, finally working my way up to the Pais that I stupidly tried to tackle on my own before I was ready.

Alongside that, I'll be working on my scales hardcore. Used to have them all memorized, now I think all I've got are the easy ones. (aka white keys minus B). I'll be getting those up to speed and sounding perfect. Again, starting from the beginning.

Once all the scales are learned then (and only then) will it be time to continue work on pieces. I'll probably start "small" there too with things I've "learned" in the past...Lalo, Saint-Saens, and Grieg concerti come to mind. Then perhaps relearning the Haydn C (never did get that 3rd movement) and continuing on to more intense things such as Shostakovich sonata, Elgar/Schumann concerti, etc. I hope to have my scales done before Labor Day though that's probably a lofty goal. After Labor Day I will have a teacher again so that will hopefully help keep me focused while not bleeding my wallet too much.

Will I audition for grad school this year? Not sure. If I establish a rhythm and solid daily (or at least 5-6 days a week) schedule then perhaps I'll keep it going for a year, build some finances, and then go. Grad school doesn't come cheap, and neither does audition fees/travel costs to audition at a bunch of places just to not get in anywhere because I wasn't up to snuff.