Big Brothers James and Joshua are making steady progress in piano. They are already looking ahead to their spring recital. Their largest challenge as budding pianists is learning to
sight read. They prefer to memorize the melody and then tinker it out with only a couple cursory glances at the sheet in front of them. While I am happy that they have an ear and a memory for the melodies, I am also aware that their progress will be thwarted if they don't learn how to read the notes and musical markings before them. So, we work at it. But it can be a bit painstaking. iPad has some great apps that allow James to practice basic note and symbol recall. Half the battle is simply recognition and recall, which is greatly improved through the aforementioned
drill and kill. The process of learning to read music is not unlike that of learning to read words--you can get by on the basics for a while, but soon you cannot cheat your way through. You
have to learn the rules, and you
have to apply them. James has chosen a Star Wars-themed piece for the recital. I appreciate that our teacher makes an effort to make piano relevant to my BOYS. I'm sure some teachers wouldn't touch anything
Star Wars with a ten-foot pole. Even though my boys continue to hem and haw at the mention of
piano practice, they cannot hide their inward glow when they master a difficult piece, or play a familiar song with ease...even
enjoyment (collective
gasp). I keenly remember my days as a clarinetist, and the love-hate relationship associated with it. Any skill worth acquiring takes a good dose of discipline, and most people (I am no exception) have a hate-hate association with the
d word. A mantra I've taken up in our homeschool as of late is DO HARD THINGS. James gives me a scowl with the mention of the now-cliche phrase, but he is also the first to repeat it when he has accomplished a challenging task. The more these boys can develop an attitude of
try, try again, over their inborn tendancy to
melt into a puddle of defeat at the first sign of opposition, the better they will be able to face the challenges life with inevitably throw their way. Here are a couple short clips from their latest practice pieces:
Just for fun, I also recorded James' and Joshua's first at-bats for the baseball season. They don't usually play on the grass, but this was opening day and the older kids used the diamonds. Joshua is so cute. He has no idea which end is up after he hits the ball. Did I mention how much I love tee ball?
May Your Dreams Be Filled With Sweet Melodies & Doubles,
The Haven6
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