For those of you that don't know I'm working on my Master's degree in music composition in Pittsburg Kansas. School is going well and I’m enjoying it. Yesterday I conducted the orchestra in a rehearsal and I'm playing viola with the string orchestra. Some of you maybe thinking, "I didn't know Mark played the viola." Well, you are right (apart from a brief acquaintance with it in strings class) I don't play the viola, but I needed to be in an ensemble and I wasn't particularly excited about doing choir. The conductor told me I could play the viola and I asked if she thought I could actually do it given my lack of experience. She said, "Well, you'll probably be lost most of the time, but it will be good for you." So now I play the viola! (not well....I just play)