First Trumpet Concert Ever!

Max's first trumpet concert ever.  The piece is called "Popcorn Prelude." 

I'm going to be posting more here while we're in Denmark.  Hopefully, I can give you all a little slice of Copenhagen life!

Christmas Cheer

Christmas concert tonight.  M and three classmates (and friends).

Band camp 2013

Maggie attended a week long music camp at Luther College in Decorah, IA, and had the time of her life!!  Dorm living, d-hall food, pool/dance party, hours and hours of music.  It was her first time away like this, and it was a piece of cake.  I don't think she was even remotely home sick.  :-)  That's good.  Here are two songs from the end-of-camp concert, one with the concert band and one with the choir.  In Maggie's words, the choir was EPIC!  It will be a let-down to be back with her school band.  Actually, the rest of summer may be a let-down after the fun she had. 

Groovee!

Maggie was one of three selected from her school for a regional Honor Band program.  Here is one of their songs: Groovee.  Of course, I forgot the regular camera and had only my phone, but it worked pretty well.  You can't see Maggie at all...she is second row on the right, third saxophone back.  The only girl! 

Jazz Band

Maggie has a solo!  This is called Chili Pepper 101, and Maggie said they played it waaaaaaaaaaaay too slow.

Piano recital

The latest musical extravaganza!!  Maggie at her piano recital. 

Don't Step In

From M4's concert.  They did a musical about bullying.  M4 has decided he's a nerd, by the way, because "nerds are smart."  That's my boy!

Accomplishments

Well, allow me to brag a bit:  I am so proud of this girl.  Her life is pretty busy right now (and I know it will just get more so in the future), but she is handling it all quite gracefully at the moment.  On Saturday, she had to play at 8am for her solo instrument competition at school.  She was the only 6th grader to receive an outstanding rating!  

Then we had to whisk her over to the state swim meet, for which she was the only girl in her age group to actually qualify at state level by times (each team could bring its fastest swimmers in each event, even if they didn't qualify by state times).  It wasn't her best meet, but she was still consistent with her season times.  Her relay team cut quite a few seconds, and they were very excited about that. She had a good time. 

Her coaches also selected her as the female All-Star swimmer from her team, which was a special honor.  She just puts her head down and works hard, and that doesn't often get you noticed.  So I'm grateful to her coaches for choosing her.

I'll put some actual swimming shots up soon!  But I just want to say that I am proud...middle school can be kinda rough, and so far she seems to be on a pretty even keel.

More music

M3's 6th grade choir had a concert with the high school choirs.  Here is their rendition of "Bridge Over Troubled Water." See how tiny they look in comparison!!

When the spirit moves you...

I guess when you feel like practicing, you just feel like practicing!

All about music...

It's definitely been a musical spring, what with all the concerts happening! M3 had her "all-city" band concert on Tuesday. Really, it should be called "all-school." All the band students from 5th grade through high school were together. Each played a few of their own pieces, then they all played together for the last piece. It was neat, because the younger kids (well, at least M3) were really excited to hear the high school and witness their possible future in band. Actually, it was nice for me to hear, too. It truly is impressive how much the 5th graders have learned in this one short year and exciting to hear the HSers, who sounded great! I do feel lucky to have a good music program in our schools.

I love this picture with all the brass:
Half the gym; half the band students:

In sadder music news, M and M's music (violin and piano) teacher is going to stop teaching. She's getting too busy with two high schoolers. So now we must scramble to find new teachers, and certainly there is no way we will find one who lives a block away like Sarah does. Hopefully, we will find teachers who have her patient and kind personality!

Spring Concerts

This makes me laugh. M4 is in the blue vest.



(I posted this before, but Blogger has been having some "issues" I think. ARgh!)

The Festivities

Some photos of the crazy goings-on around here lately! All within the last week!

M4's spring concert (I have a video I'll post, too):
Coloring eggs with Nana:
Representing Japan in the International Student Organization's Cultural Evening with their international "sister," Chinami (and a student named Claire in her lovely kimono):
On the hunt on Easter morning!
This in addition to music, tae kwon do, M3's rehearsals for the dance performance she's in this weekend, and hanging with Nana and Boppa. A good, busy time was had by all!

Why does the year always start like this?

Too busy to think straight? Between swim meets, a yoga workshop (which I organized and which went quite well despite my guest instructor suffering a massive flat tire and being an hour and a half late), birthdays, and well...mostly it's the swim practices and meets, I don't have a clear picture of what we've been doing for the past month.

We weathered our "biggest storm of season" snow (a pittance compared to last year), and now we're just suffering massive subzero temperatures. The 1000 piece puzzle is done. We're trying to get organized for M3's slumber party on Friday night for her birthday. I'm subbing a ballet class on campus. I'm trying to make sure I don't forget we have music and tae kwon do, too. Oh yeah, I'm taking a French conversation class to prepare for Mark's and my trip to London and Paris in March. It's not much more than a month away!! (Did I mention that?) OK, now that I'm amassing that list...I'd better go get something done!!

M & M built a time machine (which has now been recycled...futuristic energy saving materials):

And I cracked up when I saw M3 practicing her sax with Blankie hanging over her shoulder:

The evidence...

Proud Mama

Got an email today that M3 is invited to an Honor Band for beginning band students in February! It's been so cool to hear her improve on the saxophone! And I still don't have a photo, because I only have a photo on my phone, and I really don't know how to get the pictures off my phone, which stinks because I also have a bunch of pictures from the Des Moines sculpture garden on there. Oh well...

Big news!

M3 found out she will be learning the saxophone for school band, which is what she had wanted to play. They had to do some musical testing first, then they were recommended a few instruments. THEN they had to choose their top three. I guess there were ten kids who wanted to play for only five saxophone spots, so she is very excited! Look out, Lisa Simpson!

Eeeples and Beneenees

M4's spring concert was a couple weeks ago...here is one of his moments of glory:

Mark and I saw Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra last night. They were amazing!! Wish we'd taken the kids as the first set included Old McDonald Had a Farm, Itsy Bitsy Spider, It's Not Easy Being Green and something by Mr. Rogers.

Sick day/snow day

M4 is home sick today. He just has a cold, but he is coughing a lot. I thought I'd let him get some extra rest. I want him to be well before Christmas so he doesn't have to wear a mask around his new baby cousin!!

School is getting out two hours early anyway in anticipation of an ice storm later this afternoon. Noooooo!!! Snow, I'm OK with...ice, not so much. We've already had one early out this week due to snow and one real snow day (was that just last week???!!). I wish I could post my favorite snow day song...it's on one of my favorite kids' albums:

Also on this album, Cake sings Mhana Mhana (sp?...y'know, The Muppet Song). Sweet!