Every week at church we sing a closing hymn. Then someone says a closing prayer. Then I start to play the postlude music on the organ and people stand up and wander and visit and get ready to go home (we have Sacrament meeting last).
Then along comes Brother Hadrian (that's not his real name, in case you couldn't guess).
Brother Hadrian is our high councilor, and he likes to talk. To me. While I play postlude. Why? I haven't the slightest idea.
Let me just mention here that I don't normally like when people talk to me while I am playing the organ. I like to use prelude and postlude as a chance to practice using the pedals, since the music is more open to a freer rhythmical interpretation (i.e., I can pause while I shuffle my feet around). Basically it's my only practice time on the organ, these few minutes before and after the meeting, so when people talk to me it is distracting. Most people, however, are cognizant of the fact that I'm trying to concentrate, so they keep their comments to a sentence or two, and I am not thrown off too much.
Not so with Brother Hadrian. As I said, the man likes to talk, and he does. He talks about anything and everything: old memories, anecdotes from work, places around the city, and who knows what else. Whatever pops into his head. He also asks me questions as if we were conversing face to face, rather than that I'm playing the organ and he is standing (very uncomfortably close but not socially unacceptably close) next to the organ bench.
This is all very disturbing.
The last time Brother Hadrian did this, I followed Mother Edit's suggestion: I stopped playing and turned full-on to face him. Unfortunately, I was at the end of a hymn anyway, so it didn't have the desired effect, and actually, I don't know that he would even notice if I stopped playing a hymn right in the middle. He doesn't strike me as the type of man who would be bothered much by an unresolved Dominant Seventh (shudder).
So now the question: what should I do?
Should I try Mother Edit's solution some more--stop playing when he starts talking--and see what happens? Should I just ignore him? Should I talk to the bishop?
Honestly, this man is making me dread the end of church every single week.
Help!
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But faceted:
Fixed together by trillions
Of hedrons—a trillihedron—
So that nowhere that you stand is
Infinite but flat-set, junctioned
On each side by
Other faceted hedrons—
Like people, as a singular
Don’t exist except
As trillihedrons.
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4 comments:
Maybe you can nicely tell him that playing the postlude is an important part of your calling and that you can't talk to him while you playing, but you would be happy to talk to him after you finish your postlude, because you don't want to ignore him or your calling.
That's weird. I bet he talks to you cuz you are the only one who can't run away! Maybe tell him that it's hard to talk and play at the same time, and ask if you can finish your conversation when you're finished. Then when you do finally have that conversation, you could explain how it's your only time to practice. Maybe he'd get you some keys to the organ so you can practice whenever you want.
Obviously you are too good of a organ player. No one would talk to an organ player that was struggling to play. So mess up a little. He will recognize that you need all the concentration you can get and he'll leave you alone. If that doesn't work, learn to multi-task. :)
Those are all good ideas. Thanks everyone!
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