After years of planning to play the flute, Ammarita is seriously considering another option. Yesterday she met with the band director at Carpenter.  I encouraged her to look at a minimum of three instruments.   The band director talked to her and looked at her (finger length, mouth shape, etc.).  She had her try the flute (which she knew was Ammarita's first choice), the oboe, the bassoon, and the french horn.  Ammarita really liked the bassoon.  Even more than that, she liked what the band director said she looks for in a bassoon player:  someone she can trust to send home with an expensive school-owned intrument, someone who is self-motivated to learn tricky fingering, someone who is comfortable being part of a very small group rather than the crowd.  Something touched Ammarita, and it was obvious that she was very conflicted.  The band director said, "I think you will be successful in whatever instrument you choose.  Think about it and e-mail me."  Today Ammarita has been listening to flute, oboe, and bassoon players on you-tube.  She says she is feels excited when she considers playing the bassoon, but very sad when she thinks about not playing the flute.  I told her that the decision is hers, but she asked whether I will think she is making a hasty decision if she decides to play something other than the flute.  I said it is far more important that she is happy with the instrument she chooses because she is going to spend many hours of her life practicing.  Her latest idea is that she will play the bassoon in the band and teach herself how to play the flute at home.  She could do that, so why does this feel like a road-diverging-in-a-yellow-wood type of moment?