The girls' monthly violin recital was Valentine's Day this year. Instead of working on a new piece, Liesl played all of the Suzuki pieces she's played since beginning this adventure: "Twinkle, Twinkle" Theme and Variations A, B, C, and D; "Lightly Row;" and "Go Tell Aunt Rhody." A total of 7 songs...this made the practicing and preparation for this recital a bit harried, even though these were all pieces she's played before. To stand up and play for a solid 10 minutes at the tender new age of 4...Liesl did great. She shared the "Twinkle" stage with two other students, so this was her chamber music debut. :-)
And our violin teacher had a practice contest--over a specified 14-day period, each child was to practice as much as possible and send in the average minutes of practice for the best 10 days of this period. I am so proud that Liesl won this contest for the little kids, with a daily average of 41 minutes per day. (Ava had a daily practice average of 18 minutes, which isn't bad at all for a 2 year-old.) The fact that this practice contest coincided with Tom's 2-week business trip/my 2-week temporary experience with single motherhood...all the more amazing. Her prize was a book and CD set about the orchestra, which was a huge hit for Liesl, as her reading skills are so far advanced for her age and books are one of her closest friends.
And last but certainly not least, this was Ava's 2nd time on stage. She participated in last January's recital (which I never posted about...) with an impromptu trip to the stage with Miss Sharon to name the parts of the violin, showing here:
For the February recital, Ava joined a group of beginning students on the stage to again demonstrate parts of the violin and bow.
These monthly recitals are so good for our kids--socially, musically, psychologically. They provide a safe and caring environment to practice performing, and motivate the kids to practice harder (and smarter) in order to prepare a new piece for the following month. And last but certainly not least...the cookies and socializing afterwards are special times to relax, chat, and run around with friends, new and old.
Ava participating with Owen, Alex, Addie, and Spenser in the beginner's class
Owen, Alex, and Liesl playing "Twinkle" Theme and Variations
After their performances, Liesl and Alex sat right up front to watch the older, advanced students. I am loving that Liesl has such a good friend in the violin studio...she and Alex and two peas in a pod.
Miss Sharon and Liesl with her prize for winning the practice contest
I am so behind in blogging it's not even funny. I am so behind with life it's not even funny. I had expected that once the holidays were over and Tom went back to work on January 4th, I'd just slip right back into my old routine that we had been taking for granted all the way until September 23rd. Nope. Rome wasn't built in a day, and the mess that is our household took a good 2-1/2 months (and drastic changes in lifestyle, budget and priorities) to fall into the disarray that it is currently in. Thus, I am behind in everything, so I'll be adding posts from mid-December all the way until New Year's. They'll just be a little late.
December 14th marked Liesl's 12th violin recital, and an entire year of performances. It was a momentous occasion for her, as she was playing "Lightly Row" for the last time at a very respectable tempo--without her Bow Right. This is like a little kid loosing training wheels on her bike. She is now able to concentrate enough on keeping her bowing arm straight enough not to need the guide anymore. We haven't consistently used the thing in practice for well over a month, so now it's been packed away for when Ava is ready to begin using Liesl's first 1/16 violin. Since this was right before her 4th birthday, she closed out her third year with quite a bang. :-) We are immensely proud of her and how much she enjoys performances (and, to be honest, the cookies she gets at the reception afterwards.)
I also played in the fall chamber music group: a Mozart piece, a Haydn piece, a Broadway showtune....and Coldplay. (I mean, c'mon, when you think of Mozart and Haydn, you automatically put Coldplay in the same category, right???) Seriously, halfway through the fall term, Sharon announced to us that we were adding an encore piece to our chamber repertoire and would play an instrumental version of "Viva la Vida" for the recital. After resisting the urge to hire an exorcist for her, it took me about a solid day to realize she wasn't kidding. (This woman is PURE classical, and don't try to convince her otherwise!) It turned out to be a very enjoyable piece, and very challenging. There were revised lyrics sung by a brother of one of the violinists, lyrics that reflected things that were happening in our teacher's life. It was a very moving experience. I daresay even Mozart would have been proud (if not mildly horrified.)
The other significant part of this recital for me was that it was the first time I performed publicly while doing shifts and vibrato. Not perfectly, mind...but I overcame my nervousness and managed to get those shifts and vibrato out. :-)
My violin teacher's former Interlochen classmate and very good friend, Mr. John Haskell Gilbert, came and played with her professional quartet at our recital as well. We were very lucky to get a chance to come and watch one of the rehearsals with the girls (I gave them lollipops to keep them quiet.) Much to the dismay of the 3 violinists in our household, Ava is showing a very marked interest in the cello....every time we visit a quartet rehearsal, she is extremely concerned that Sharon's cellist, Karen, has her instrument on the floor. There are usually a few comments: "Uh-oh....vi-in on fwor! Vi-in on fwor!" (I'm assuming you can come up with a reasonably accurate translation, even if you are not entirely familiar with Ava-speak.) In our house, it's a huge taboo to leave instruments on the floor where they can get stepped on and broken. Even Ava is not allowed to leave her beat-up V.S.O. violin or horsehairless bow on the floor (although stepping on the thing would probably improve it, but this is not the point.) Thus, the endless commentary on why a cello is allowed to rest on the floor--have you ever seen a 2 year-old try to lift a full-size cello under her chin?
Because of this marked interest in the vi-in on the fwor, I have been making veiled threats comments to Miss Sharon that we'll have to get at least ONE of the four musicians in our household to play a cello--we would have the makings of a family string quartet. Upon hearing that, Mr. Gilbert matter-of-factly informed us, "Violin is better." Hey, if a world-class musician says so...I guess we better listen to him. (Sharon...please forgive me for the jokes. You know I cannot resist.)
All kidding aside...it is great fun to watch and listen to a string quartet play and really get a live feel for the sounds of the viola and cello. Even if it's on the fwor.
Thus ends a terrific first year of violin study for our entire household. We look forward to more musical fun and adventures for 2010.
Darling little Ava's first "real" violin lesson was today...in conjunction with Liesl's. She is now old enough to handle sitting in on Liesl's lessons with minimal supervision, and can play quietly during the entire time. (Well, most of it.) So now she will be bringing her own little violin to Liesl's lesson and having a regular 15-minute session of her own. Ava is quite at home in Miss Sharon's studio; it doesn't hurt that we've been regular guests in Miss Sharon's house since before Ava could sit up.
Like many younger siblings, Ava takes great interest in doing whatever Liesl does, which is why we bought a very, very cheap violin for her about a year ago. It's what Shar Music likes to refer to as a "V.S.O." (Violin-Shaped Object) and it was almost unplayable when we bought it. (Frugality is a noble trait, but not when purchasing stringed instruments!) However, if the very cheap 1/32 violin we bought for Ava was almost unplayable before, being in at the hands and mercy of a toddler for 9 months rendered it completely worthless now--at least for making actual music. If you look closely you'll see that the bow no longer has any horsehair, the E string peg barely moves, and the bridge was systematically removed so many times that I finally just glued it down. It's completely untunable--not that Ava strives for perfect intonation (yet) anyway. Still...the goal was to have it in Ava's hands and give her something to carry around while Liesl and Daddy and I practice, and to keep the interest "real" for her. She loves to unpack and pack it in it's tiny case (we call this "playing house" with her instrument,) and she takes great pride in copying her sister by carrying the case out to the car, and then into Miss Sharon's house when we arrive for lessons or chamber music rehearsals. As she gets older and is able to take more direction, like Liesl was able to do at about 2-3/4 years, we'll place Liesl's old 1/16 violin in her hands, as this one is actually playable.
Tom and I still play together on an almost daily basis, if only for a few minutes a day. We've managed to get a few very short, simple trios going between Tom, Liesl and I (during which, Ava can be seen toddling around between the 3 of us, carrying her well-beaten loved V.S.O. as she "fiddles" along with us.) If it weren't for having such an amazing, giving violin teacher; I'd be tempted to send one of our girls to a cello instructor and the other to a violist so we could have a real string quartet...we'd rival the Von Trapp Family Singers! (We'll just have to settle for a violin quartet.)
Butting in on Sissy's lesson and playing pizzicato on her V.S.O. (Sort of. Hey, you gotta give her credit for trying. She's 2.)
One of the moms in our violin teacher's studio posted a YouTube video of her daughter, Kelly, rehearsing the solo in a very difficult chamber music piece. I showed it to Liesl and Ava. They were enthralled. Look at how they're not pushing each other off the chair. You just don't see that in our house very often. (It doesn't hurt that Kelly is only 7, flippin' brilliant on the violin, and that Liesl looks up to her.)
Whole-wheat pita bread baking in the oven
We had a tea party. My girls actually drank--and enjoyed--tea. I was impressed. I wouldn't touch the stuff until I was 34.
I think they were more enthralled with the novelty than the actual tea, but we had a very enjoyable tea party nonetheless. (We ate the fresh pita bread with our tea.)
Aren't they gorgeous? (The flowers are pretty too.)
Fresh corn on the cob from our garden.
My grandmother, a farmer's daughter who became a farmer's wife--always said that corn on the cob was best if you boiled the water and THEN went out and picked the corn, just moments before you planned to eat it. That's usually what we do.
At our homeschool co-op's pool party. The pre-teen girls just love, love, LOVE babies, and Ava is a willing subject to their attention.
Liesl and Daddy in the big pool at the pool party
I set up a preschool-type bulletin board calendar that a teacher friend gave me. It's posted in our hallway now. This was a really fun "schooling" activity for the day.
Liesl found her birthday month with absolutely no help from me.
(Liesl picked out her clothes on this day. Notice the colors of her outfit, Aunt Karen. Thanks a LOT.)
At the Farmington Hills Annual Marshmallow Fly 'n Fry.
Ava and I sadly missed it because we weren't feeling well.
Liesl had a wonderful opportunity to be part of a beginner's violin class held by our teacher through our city's enrichment and community education programs. Instead of being a student, though, she showed up a few times during the session as a teacher's assistant. It was a great experience for everybody--Liesl got to show off her violin skills to a group of students ages 4-12, and she was also able to be in a social/educational environment that was fun and focused on music. She also got to practice and re-focus on basic skills. But I think the best part was the huge boost to her self-confidence--hey, you may be only 3, but just look what you can DO. It was a role she enjoyed tremendously, and I wouldn't be a human mom if I didn't admit that I was extremely proud of her. And when Miss Sharon asked if anyone would like to demonstrate a particular skill, guess whose little 1/16 bow shot up in the air first?
After the 12-session class ended, all of Miss Sharon's beginning students had an opportunity to perform in last Sunday's recital (and enjoy the dessert reception afterwards!) It was a really fun and educational experiance for the kids, and, I hope, their parents as well.
Waiting with another private student while they watch Kayla, left, perform and demonstrate a piece for the class. Kayla took this beginner's class two years ago and has been taking private lessons ever since. She is now a very talented and dedicated violinist--and a very nice young lady to boot.
Participating in the class...and showing how it's done.
Practicing game cards with the other students. She could have sat up with the other T.A.'s, but she chose to sit with the students so she had an opportunity to shout out the names with all of the kids.
"Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" Theme and Variation D of "Twinkle" (16th notes)
I've said before that our violin teacher goes above and beyond the norm in many ways; one of them is that she has recitals every month instead of just once or twice a year. The recital classes are a bit more relaxed than most recitals I have attended, they are a safe place to practice performing in front of a crowd. And there is always a reception afterwards with treats and goodies, so that the kids have a chance to relax, socialize, and catch up with each other. (It's a nice time for us violin moms and dads to catch up and exchange ideas as well.)
Liesl had a bit of a rough patch as far as practicing goes for the last month. She was balking, acting like she didn't know basic musical terms (when in fact she would recite these things to herself when she thought we couldn't hear her), and generally not having the best of practice sessions. I was concerned, and, if I was being honest, worried...I am so used to her being such a good student with very few bumps in the road, even for a 3 year-old. I shouldn't have worried. After about 4 solid weeks of lousy practices, recalcitrant attitudes during lessons, whining, stomping, and that reverberating "Nnnnnnnn..NO!!!!!!" that is so common with preschoolers; Liesl got up on stage today and decided to just wow the pants off of everybody. We had a new pianist at today's recital, whom we really enjoyed meeting and working with--she is the pre-K music teacher at a prestigious private school in our area.
And afterwards? The potluck reception! Violin, schmiolin...the real reason I love these monthly recitals is that it gives me an excuse to bake.
I got the idea for monarch butterfly cupcakes from a book I borrowed from the library, "Hello, Cupcake!" It had some amazingly cute animal ideas in it, but the idea that grabbed me was a swarm of these adorable and beautiful butterflies. I had to try them.
Above is my test cupcake. The body didn't come out as well for this cupcake as the final products did. Other than that, I was not disappointed in the final outcome.
Finished cupcakes on the stand. I had to tote the cupcakes, stand, wings, M&M's, a pastry bag full of chocolate frosting (for piping the butterflies' bodies), and the antennae in separate containers, and assemble everything on the site. The butterflies needed to be assembled with the cakes on the stand so that I could make sure the wings wouldn't bonk into each other when I set them up.
Another closeup. I assembled everything on the stand except the top cupcake, and moved the stand with all of the assembled cupcakes from my work surface over to the serving table. It was frickin' nerve-wracking, I was so afraid I was going to drop the whole thing. Some of the cakes have two small butterflies instead of one large one. The kids fought over these.
On the top cupcake, you can see the peanut M&M's I used to support each wing.
These were a HUGE hit at the reception following the recital. I had so much fun making them, but they were a LOT of work. I will probably not make these again for a long time, until my kids are old enough to either help or at least respect the process.
Liesl and I had a very nice treat today (in more ways than one!) We joined a few of our fellow violin students and their moms, as well as Miss Sharon and her extremely patient and kind husband, David, for lunch at the Shangri-La in West Bloomfield. And what a lunch it was. It is the first time I have eaten dim sum, and under the advisement of Ann's mom, who is Chinese, we tried bites of little delicacies that I don't think I would have ordered on my own: pan-fried turnip cakes, shrimp rolls, Chinese vegetables, and one really delicious noodle dish with green onions and mung bean sprouts, as well as other ingredients. (I also ate some things that I am not exactly sure what they were...but I don't care!) And Liesl tried bites of many dishes--she even asked for tea, and had a 2nd cup. We MUST go back to that restaurant and take Daddy and Ava in the very near future. It was wonderful.
If the food was great, the company was better: Ann and Kelly are talented violinists, not to mention bright, fun, and witty young ladies. Their moms are wonderful people too. I was a bit nervous about taking Liesl to a "nice" restaurant--read: not Max and Erma's or Red Robin--but she couldn't have been more angelic. (I kept checking her for a pulse.) I am sure the novelty of going out to lunch with the big kids and Miss Sharon had something to do with that, but she really was on her very best behavior. We heard stories of Kelly's recent trip to Washington D.C., and Ann's 4-week class at the Interlochen Arts Camp's advanced violin program. And if you've never seen a 7 year-old and an 11 year-old give a 3 year-old a tutorial on how to use chopsticks...well, you haven't lived. Throughout the entire meal I was bemoaning the fact that I had forgotten my camera.
Ann is headed to China with her mom for several months, and we will miss her very much. (Who will pick on me about practicing my vibrato and make sure I don't eat too many cookies at chamber rehearsals?!?!?) But she is lucky to have this chance to live in another country for a few months, and we will look forward to her return in November.
Thank you all for a wonderful meal and a very pleasant afternoon!
My friend Dawn stopped by with her two sons for a little sling help, and the baby needed to nurse, so I got to hang out with her 2 year-old, Cobey. Cobey was in love with the violins. But he kept telling me, "Turn it on? Turn it on? Turn it on?" He is a tenacious little thing!
See pictures of Liesl holding Cobey's brand-new baby brother, Carter, here. At the time, he was 5 days old.
(Wouldja just look at how clean my living/dining room was???? Emphasis on "was," this picture is 5 days old. It's *never* that clean and tidy. We had my family over for dinner that evening, so the house was picked up and ship-shape for the occasion.)
The view of our patio from our backyard. We have been outside almost every single afternoon and evening. Oh, if only I had pictures of how horrible the backyard looked when Tom bought the house 11 years ago. It's been a slow work in progress, but it is so peaceful and tranquil now. (Until a certain 3 year-old gets her hands on the hose, that is.)
Tom weeding our pepper garden, which is a much easier task, thanks to his ingenious row cover planning. It only takes about 30 minutes to weed around the 81 pepper plants. In seasons past, weeding this garden took upward of 4 hours. Phew!
Liesl's 6th violin recital was on Sunday. A violinist's milestone: She was accompanied by a pianist for the first time. We have been practicing this at home with a CD of piano music, as well as me playing the piano alongside her. She was more hesitant than she usually is when she performs, but she did amazingly well with all the new variables thrown at her...and, oh yeah, she's THREE.
After playing "Twinkle Theme," she did Variation A, which is four 1/16th notes followed by two staccato 1/8th notes. The piano CD we play with usually plays four bars as an intro; for some reason, our pianist only did two and then gave Liesl the downbeat to come in. Liesl immediately looked a bit confused, stumbled a bit...then she got this incredibly cute, stubborn look on her face that said, "Hell with it, if nobody else knows what they're doing, I'll just show 'em." And off she went. It took every ounce of my will power not to bust out laughing at the determination on her tiny face. Such tenacity! (...and, oh yeah, she's THREE.)
I had so much fun playing in the chamber music group last month that I asked Sharon if I could do a duet with someone. I thought maybe her or another adult student in the studio, but instead...we picked out Tom.
Bach's Minuet No.1
It was really fun, and we came out of it sounding pretty well. I played a few notes out of tune in this clip (that darned 4th-finger E on the A string), but other than that, I am very happy with how we played. I've only been taking lessons for around 9 months now, and while Tom studied violin for many years as a child and teen, he has not picked up his instrument in 24 years...and he still has that vibrato. This was really cool. We are the first husband/wife team to play at a recital in our teacher's studio. I really enjoy practicing with Tom.
And did I say this was "everyone's" violin recital? Why, yes I did. So, some of you might ask...where's Ava? Well, about 30 seconds into that clip, both Tom and I start smiling while we're playing...it's because Ava wandered up on stage to be with us, and wove in and out of our legs as we performed. Yeah, that's pretty much how it works out at home, too. Listen carefully, and you'll hear her giggling right before we start grinning. The kid thinks violin study is as normal to our family as eating, breathing, and sleeping.
Ok, so the big surprise that I kept hinting about, that happened on May 17 at Liesl's violin recital? I played too. But doggone it if I decided to videotape it with my camcorder instead of my dinky little point-and-shoot digital camera. The reason? I wanted a better quality video than my little camera can take.
However...in order for one to post a video taken from a camcorder, one must be at least slightly adept in the process of transferring the video, editing it, and, in the case of YouTube, shrinking it to an acceptable size. I do not qualify for that "adept" category. (If I told you how much raw footage I have of Liesl as a baby on those tiny videotapes around the house, you'd probably laugh.) I have software and the manual...I just need about 12 hours of uninterrupted time to sit down and figure them out. That's a tall order with a 3 year-old and a 1 year-old in the house.
At any rate, I played in the second violin section and performed the Mozart Trio in D Major, K. 439b. The surprise was that I started practicing this piece with 12 other musicians--including our teacher--in chamber music rehearsals for an hour and a half every week, starting last January--just 4 months after I had started violin lessons for myself.
So after 3 months of totally freaking out on a daily basis working very hard to practice and learn this piece, I got up front with the chamber music group and...it was over in 15 minutes. It was a pretty great group. I quickly got over being uncomfortable about being one of very few adults in what I thought was supposed to be a kids-only environment. I made a lot of interesting, talented friends--most of them a third my age. I learned an incredible amount in 3 months--about the complexity of playing the violin, about playing with a group of talented musicians, about how hard people work (and, indeed, how hard some don't work) to become polished musicians, and about people themselves. (I also consumed more than my fair share of cookies at these rehearsals.) And last but not least, I thoroughly enjoyed the time I spent in those rehearsals. Those benefits were far more rewarding than the actual 15 minutes of performance time on May 17.
All in all, I am pretty proud of myself. I played clarinet and piano as a child and young adult, and I played them well--but not brilliantly. But the violin in comparison is a much harder instrument to learn. It was even harder to learn with two tiny children running around at my feet, beating on each other while I ignored them in favor of practicing scales creatively taking part in my personal practice time. And yet, I did all that in less than 9 months. If I can do that, I can do just about anything.
So I know I'll get the video up on YouTube. Someday. Like, before I'm 85.
Liesl played too! Variation D of Twinkle Twinkle. She's the youngest student in the studio to complete this without stopping. (Thank goodness for violin recitals--the flower girl dress got worn more than once!)
One my buddies in Miss Sharon's studio, Ann. She is 11 and is a very talented violinist. She also has one of the nicest, brightest, funniest personalities I've ever seen in an 11 year-old.
She is heading to Interlochen's advanced violin program this summer...we hope to visit her there over a weekend.
Liesl hanging out with her buddy Claire, the other 3 year-old in Miss Sharon's studio.
Neither Liesl nor I will be having a violin lesson this week...our teacher decided to close up shop so she could attend the Starling-DeLay Symposium on Violin Studies at Julliard this week. (As if being a participant in a master class with Itzhak Perlman, among other masters, is a reason to close her studio for week! Honestly, some people will do ANYTHING for a day off.) **
Good luck, Miss Sharon! While normal performers say "break a leg," we theatrical sign language interpreters changed it to "break a finger." So we'll change it again to "break a string." We'll be watching for updates on what you're doing during the Symposium at http://www.violinist.com/.
We'll miss you, though...come back safely!
** Anyone reading this who doesn't know Miss Sharon personally needs to know that I am totally kidding here...this woman never sleeps. She works tirelessly with and for her students, during and outside of their private lessons and chamber music rehearsals. Tom and I--and Liesl too, I'm sure--are glad that she and her wonderful husband are also taking some time to play in New York City.
Sometimes, housework needs to take a backseat to family fun. In addition to our long, leisurely picnic/playground visit with our friends yesterday, I decided to take the full day "off" and just enjoy my kids. So when they woke up from their afternoon naps, I asked, "Who wants to go to the library?" Our library has so many different activities to participate in, so many resources besides books and media. Liesl was all over the idea as soon as she woke up, and Ava loves to go anywhere (really, a trip to Home Depot is a big deal for her, so the library is like Cedar Point.) So off we went. Now that Ava is older and can fend for herself a little more, the library is getting easier for Mommy to do, since I can actually read two or three sentences in a book without having to restrain someone from shoving a drumstick into someone else's facial orifices. I even finished a WHOLE PARAGRAPH yesterday without incident. Amazing. After a full 2 hours at the library, we arrived home to meet Daddy and have a quick family dinner.
This afternoon, as suggested by our violin teacher, Liesl and I attended the spring concert of the Livonia Youth Philharmonic, and got to see a lot of our "studio-mates" on stage, performing pieces that they have been working on for many months. (They were wonderful, and they were excited to see Liesl arrive--surprise!) I had qualms about taking Liesl to something as formal as a concert (read: she'd have to sit still and be quiet for an extended time...and, well, she's 3.) Yet it turned out to be a very family-friendly event. Miss Sharon also came to the concert to see her students play, so we got to sit next to her and share the experience with her. Since Liesl was so well-behaved at the concert, and since Daddy was home taking care of Ava, Liesl and I treated ourselves to lunch (and playtime!) at McDonald's. It's the first time I've had leisurely one-on-one time with Liesl in quite a while, and it was fun...it reminded me of how much easier it was to have only one child.
And another something wonderful--the Morning Glories that Liesl and Ava helped (really!) to plant last Tuesday have sprouted, and it's been wonderful to have Liesl see the results of her work. We keep our seedlings--flower and vegetable--in a large, approximately 7'x8'x6' "box" that Tom built in the basement last spring. This creation was to give our many, many garden seedlings an enclosed, heated place to grow, since we had to move our office space and seedling stand out of our spare bedroom to make room for that additional kid. (Totally worth it, by the way.) This box is a small portable room, large enough for Tom to stand up in and move around in. We christened it the "Panic Room." However, our plants have no need to panic and are coming along very nicely, and Liesl gets to see (and provided endless commentary about) the fruits (flowers?) of her labor.
Tomorrow is our May violin recital. We three girls spent the post-nap period making cookies for the dessert reception after the recital. (I had help again. This time it maybe wasn't as "helpful," but it was still a fun experience for all three of us. There may have been some sampling involved. I can't be sure.) This is the first recital class that Grammie and Papa have been in town for, and Liesl is very excited to have them there to watch her play. The recital should round out a busy and enjoyable weekend nicely and end it with a bang (ok, maybe that isn't the best idiom for musical events....) There is also a surprise in store tomorrow, so stay tuned! (Another bad music pun. Sorry. It's late.)
Liesl's 4th violin recital was yesterday. She played "Twinkle Twinkle, Variation A" and "Twinkle Theme" (after a little reminding!) She did pretty well. I have been working all week on getting her to concentrate on her fingerboard instead of everything else around her while she plays, but with so many people staring at her, smiling, taking pictures, and saying, "AWW!", she had a hard time remembering that. What 3 year-old wouldn't?
Next month she *may* be up to playing with the piano accompanist, which is a big milestone.
There will be another surprise at next month's recital as well, which will be Sunday, May 17th. Stay tuned!
Liesl with Claire, Miss Sharon's other 3 year-old student
This music is from a local world fusion/jazz group called Musique Noire. I "know" the lead violinst, Michelle Ann May, through a very bizzare set of circumstances. She's a neat lady.
The CD is called "Good Hair" and the song Ava is getting all funky with is "Heretic." I really like it.
I like to post pictures on Wednesdays without cluttering the post with words...but these pictures I took yesterday simply scream for captions.
Since we missed Liesl's regular lesson last week due to our trip to Florida, I took her in to our teacher on Monday morning for a makeup lesson. Of course, I brought Ava along, so Miss Sharon spent a few minutes with Ava as well, playing games on the piano, and playing a few versions of "Twinkle" on the violin for Ava to dance to. (I am loathe to admit that I forgot my camera on Monday.)
I keep a few recent magazines and catalogs on the family room coffee table and thumb through them when I have a (ha!) spare minute or two. Ava decided to follow suit. So she picked up a copy of the most recent catalog from Shar Music, a stringed instrument catalog from a large company that just happens to be local. Given the fact that Ava has had her first "lesson" at the age of 16 months, and sees her sister and her mother practice the violin several times a day--and her father picking up his violin several times a week as well--it's only right to assume she is studying the catalog with plans of future purchases.
"The sky's the limit, right, Mom? After all, you want me to have a good, quality instrument in order to fully develop my musical potential."
"ELECTRIC violins? Um...I don't think that's what Miss Sharon has in mind."
(Never mind that the catalog is upside down.)
"Ah, here we go: page 13, the Guarneri del Gesu Kreisler. Only $4,400. Yes, that should do it. Order this one for me, will you?"
(That doesn't include a bow, by the way...I guess Mommy and Daddy better get a paper route...or 2, or 3, or 12....)
Ava participating with Owen, Alex, Addie, and Spenser in the beginner's class
Owen, Alex, and Liesl playing "Twinkle" Theme and Variations
After their performances, Liesl and Alex sat right up front to watch the older, advanced students. I am loving that Liesl has such a good friend in the violin studio...she and Alex and two peas in a pod.
Miss Sharon and Liesl with her prize for winning the practice contest
My serious little mini-musicians!
Waiting with another private student while they watch Kayla, left, perform and demonstrate a piece for the class. Kayla took this beginner's class two years ago and has been taking private lessons ever since. She is now a very talented and dedicated violinist--and a very nice young lady to boot. 
