A Feverish Festival

As my previous post explains, Evan and Matthew were disqualified from competing in our own city piano festival, but all three of the older kids were able to compete last week in a different county competition.

Evan was due to compete in the Junior Division on Thursday evening. Ominously, he started complaining of a headache and backache in the morning, then soon a high fever with muscle aches and chills followed. Via Facebook & phone calls, we asked many people to pray for him. After dosing him with Tylenol, he played through his pieces and didn't appear to be slowed down by the medication, though he still felt sick. We decided that if he could handle walking around (unlike last year when he won first place but got the flu in time for the final recital), he would go and do his best. My normal mode of operation would be to keep my kids at home when contagious, but since they had spent nine months preparing for this festival, we decided to have them participate.

I sat next to the kids' piano teacher during the competition to hear her whispered feedback between numbers. Since Evan played second to last out of nine contestants, James stayed with him outside the room until nearly his turn. I was on pins-and-needles until Evan was done playing. To my great relief and joy, he played beautifully! Knowing his music well, I was aware of one brief "wrong turn" he took after a repeated theme, but he fixed it so seamlessly that I doubt anyone but his teacher, Evan, and myself would have known. (The judges had so many details to juggle that unless one was staring intently at the music at that moment, they might not have caught on to his cover-up. I will be very curious to read their comments...) After hearing everyone play, I thought (in my limited piano knowledge) that only two of the contestants could possibly place above him. However, his teacher knew more about the nuances of the pieces than I did and had a different opinion.

[If you haven't listened to his pieces and would like to, the video I took of him at home turned out better than the video at the actual contest.]

James took Evan home right after his division, but I stayed and listened to the Intermediate Division. The kids' piano teacher had one student (also homeschooled) playing in the division. I video-taped him as well, because I had heard his exquisite playing the day before:



The next morning, we received a phone call that Evan was a finalist. I had forgotten that only the first place winner would be told the actual place received before the final concert (in order to prepare to perform). Hours later his piano teacher called and informed me that Evan had won first place! I don't think I've ever experienced such an exciting shock in my life. His teacher was incredulous that I was surprised and informed me that his score was ten points higher than the second place score! The news that her intermediate student also won first place added to the euphoria...my euphoria, that is. Evan lay sick on the couch and only managed a wan smile in response to the good news.

After getting off of the phone, Matthew told me that his back hurt, which progressed into the climbing fever, chills and aches for him...and that night he and Sophie were to compete.

That evening Matthew and Sophie made it to the competition though the camera was left behind. Both of the kids played beautifully as well! Sophie performed with children up through age nine, along with Lucy, a six-year old friend from our church, who was the youngest child to ever compete in that festival. Matthew played in the 10 & 11 year old division.

Since I left my camera at home, I'm posting video I took at home earlier. If you listen, please turn the volume down a bit. I do have to say that they both played better at the contest, with steadier tempos and more contrast in dynamics...





Matthew and Sophie also won first place in their divisions, and Lucy won 2nd place!

But wait! There's more! Sophie got sick the day of the final concert, meaning that all three of our kids performed with fevers. What a roller-coaster experience!

We are so thankful for the prayers of many for our kids through this experience and for the Lord's blessing upon them in challenging circumstances.

Piano Politics

The spring piano competition season has been quite the roller coaster ride this year, adding some drama to our family life. In addition to the county piano festival that the kids are eligible to participate in due to the residence of their piano teacher, I entered Matthew and Evan in the piano festival of the city/county in which we reside. Since the boys had enough pieces prepared, I thought it would be good for them to gain more performance experience and learn from a broader base of judges.

In January, I received the application and rules for our city/county contest and we followed the rules to a "t". When the contest president received the applications, she emailed me saying, "I don't know how you were supposed to know this", but multiple movements of a Sonatina were not allowed and Matthew would be disqualified. She explained that a child the previous year had been disqualified after the second round of competition (in which he was the front runner). She also wrote "thank goodness it wasn't my student" (and by the way, her student went on to win.)

I replied to the president's email, questioning why that particular "rule" concerning multiple movements was not in writing a year after a student had been disqualified on that basis, and I requested that the committee review that rule before deciding to cut one of the movements from Matthew's program. In the presidents' reply, she expressed ignorance as to why that rule was not in writing and agreed to discuss it with the committee.

Weeks later, after the committee met, Evan & Matthew's piano teacher received a phone call from a piano festival committee member, saying that not only would Matthew be disqualified, but Evan would be as well, because according to their previously undisclosed classification list of composers, he was playing pieces by two Romantic period composers (breaking the rule that the contestant must play pieces from different periods of music). The boys' piano teacher was not allowed to contest the decision and was told that our money would not be refunded, because the rules specified no refunds "in black-and-white".

In regards to Evan's questioned pieces, in addition to a piece by a modern composer, he was to play Tarantella by Albert Pieczonka, a Romantic composer, and a Sea Piece by Edward MacDowell, a composer whose life bridged both the Romantic and Impressionistic Periods. The height of the Impressionistic period began in 1860 and MacDowell's Sea Pieces were composed in 1898. There is an entire book written about MacDowell, the fifth chapter of which is "The Impressionist", discussing his Sea Pieces.

Concerning our entry fees, we did get our money back, no thanks to the president of the association. I'll leave it at that.

My Grandfather's Clock

Uncle Rich plays a death and dying song for the younger set...

**Updating to explain: Uncle Rich enjoys singing cowboy or bluegrass songs which often have the theme of either people or horses dying, or at least, love dying. I asked him if he knew "My Grandfather's Clock", one of Logan's current favorites, and of course he did, considering the content!**



And another enjoyable version (don't turn it off right away)...

Sea Captains and Spider Bites

Our Newest Adventure in Music

In December our piano technician heard a snippet of Evan's playing when he arrived to tune our spinet piano. He informed me that Evan had "outgrown" the light action of our spinet, and that we should begin looking for a grand piano to replace it.

Skeptical, I asked the kids' piano teacher if she agreed that the kids were outgrowing our instrument. She explained that pianists need to learn how to play all kinds of pianos due to the unpredictability of instruments available in performance settings and that she would be happy with whatever piano her students' families could afford. That being said, she relayed an incident where a judge told a senior student that he could tell that the student played on a small piano at home, limiting her playing on the performance grand. "Our" piano teacher then told me that, due to financial problems, a friend of hers wanted to sell a Kawai grand piano for half of its appraised price and was willing to take monthly payments towards its purchase.

For over a month I mulled over the thought of purchasing a used grand and prayed about it. I wondered if it would be wise to spend money on an instrument during worsening economic conditions, if the piano would even fit in our house, and if owning such a luxury would be pretentious. On the other hand, I considered the fact that, at twelve years of age, Evan was already playing high school level repertoire with Matthew and Sophie close behind in ability. Though Evan had entered the middle school years when many kids quit practicing, he exhibited no waning of desire to play. I concluded that a grand might be an investment in the kids' continuing music studies.

Finally, we had our piano tech evaluate the Kawai grand for sale. At first, he was amazed at the condition of the piano, considering that it was manufactured in 1982. Often pianos of that age have sustained a great deal of wear-and-tear or neglect. However, this piano had been well maintained over the years and played lightly. The tech had nothing negative to say... until he crawled under the instrument. He was dismayed to see a large crack between the outer body of the piano and the inner rim which should have been glued seamlessly to match. The crack had already traveled around to the opposite side of the body.

He sadly informed us that the crack had most likely been developing since it traveled from the manufacturer in the humid climate of Japan to the arid climate of Colorado. If the crack had been caught right away, it could have been repaired, but he doubted there would be any hope of remedy for such a large gap. He explained that when it separated further, the outer shell would buckle. Surprisingly, the crack had not yet affected the sound of the grand, though in his experience even minor cracks of that nature caused a piano so affected to buzz. In parting, he told us that he could not extend any hope for the piano and recommended against purchase.

Though the impending demise of such a beautiful instrument was bad news, I was thankful to have the decision against its purchase decided for our family. However, when the piano tech informed the owner of the crack and the consequences of such a flaw, she initially decided that, since she couldn't find a buyer who would buy a piano in such condition, her only choice was to trash it.

When I heard of the owner's decision, I thought it was a crying shame to dispose of the piano when it continued to produce a beautiful sound. James and I discussed the situation, praying about it, and then came up with a tentative plan to salvage some use out of the piano. We told the piano owner that we would be willing to make monthly payments, as long as the piano retained its playability, up to a cap in the amount (since the piano did not have long term worth) at which point we would own it and would dispose of it when it failed. The owner accepted our offer with relief that she would get at least some compensation for the piano, and we moved the 6'2" grand into our living room.

Sophie insisted that she would miss the light touch of the spinet and wished that she could keep it...until she actually spent time practicing on the Kawai. Now all the kids exclusively play the grand and the spinet awaits a new home. Though I will miss the lovely little piano that has served us well, I'm thrilled to hear the soaring range of the grand, and I love to see the satisfied smile on Evan's face when he plays the dramatic sections in his pieces. I'm thankful that we can play a part in the redemption, however temporary, of a quality instrument.

Positively Providential

Shortly after purchasing Sophie's cello (there seemed to be no rental options in the area), the cello teacher Mrs. R pointed out that the bridge was too flat, making it difficult for Sophie to play only one string at a time. I have also been dissatisfied with the sound produced by the instrument, but the music store was so far away that we kept putting off getting the bridge fixed. Besides, I no longer had much confidence in a place that didn't fit the cello up correctly the first time. (I didn't catch the problem in the first place, because I could clear the strings more easily than Sophie when I tested it out in the store, and because I thought it was just an issue caused by a dinky-sized cello.)

At Sophie's last cello lesson, Mrs. R mentioned that another student had gotten a bridge repair done on the spot at a music store in Golden.

On Monday, Sophie and I had a homeschool orchestra concert in the morning. (I play along with the cellists in the orchestra in order to mentor them.) James took the day off to be the chauffeur. He "happened" to mention that our concert was near Golden.

After the concert, we jaunted over to Golden and stopped a the visitor's center to locate the music store. At the music store, I pointed out the problems with the bridge and also a problem with the bow. The repairman explained that the bow had been rehaired too tightly and agreed that the bridge had been made completely wrong. He asked where we had acquired the cello and when we said "Rockley's Music", he told us that their shop often received botched up stringed instruments from Rockley's. He explained other problems with Sophie's cello and showed us another messed up cello from Rockley's in the shop. We asked if the quality of the cellos sold by Rockley's improved with the larger-sized instruments, but the repairman told us that was not the case.

In other words, we spent too much on the small-sized cello that we purchased and it would be a bad investment to continue trading in the instrument on larger sizes at Rockley's Music. Bad news on the one hand, but on the other, I was glad to learn the truth before making more costly purchases.

The Golden music store, which specializes in stringed instruments, replaced the bridge on Sophie's cello, made other adjustments to the instrument, and reset the frog on the bow to relieve the pressure on the hair, all within the time it took us to run to a grocery store, get gas, and run the van through a car wash.

Sophie and I had another orchestra performance the same evening, and when I tuned her cello, I was amazed at the improved quality of sound that resonated from her cello! Sophie also noticed how much easier that it was to play.

We are thankful that, in God's Providence, we found the best place in the area to fix Sophie's cello.

The Horseman by Kabalevsky

Sonatina, Op. 36, No. 1 by Clementi

A Christmas Folk Song

Sophie, in her first "public performance" on cello, plays "O Come Little Children"...

Tarantella by Pieczonka

Last night, Evan kicked off our church Christmas program by playing this piece. It is not Christmas music, but it's his "homemade" gift to anyone who wants to listen. :-)

Our Newest Music Venture

On the way home from our family reunion in Pennsylvania, I received an email about a beginner orchestra starting up within reasonable traveling distance. I had been looking forward to an opportunity for Sophie to begin playing in an orchestra, knowing that the social experience and the challenge of playing with a group would encourage her to continue with cello. At first I was very interested in the orchestra, because of its location and the originally-stated evening rehearsal. However, my enthusiasm become somewhat dampened when the time got changed to a school day morning

Why, oh why do so many HOMEschool activities get scheduled so as to interrupt HOMEschooling?!!!!

...and now you know my basic approach to homeschooling. I am not a go-with-the-flow homeschool mom that sees life and all of its interruptions as educational. I have found in my family that if schoolwork doesn't get done on a regular basis during the morning and a good chunk of the afternoon, it is very easy to get derailed and not get it done adequately.

But I digress... I decided to try attending the first day of orchestra to see how it would go. Thankfully, James had the day off from work and was able to supervise the boys while I chauffuered Sophie. It was a brutal day. Two hours of driving: back and forth to the orchestra, and then back and forth to Sophie's cello lesson. I had all but decided that I couldn't handle it, but I prayed about it while driving, and surprisingly (to me) the cello teacher was able to reschedule Sophie's cello lesson for the half hour before orchestra with a fifteen minute break to jaunt the few blocks over to the rec center for rehearsal! Additionally, the conductor, more of a winds guy, recruited me to help the cellists.

Sophie and I have now been to three orchestra rehearsals while Grandma (James' mom) supervises the boys so that the older boys can focus on their schoolwork instead of tagging along. Sophie willingly practices a lot more and is quickly learning how to read bass clef applied to cello. (She already read bass clef for piano, but she hadn't gotten far enough with the Suzuki method to get to sight reading for cello.) The cello section is quite small, only three young cellists, but I play along in order to help them. Since the orchestra also includes winds and brass, some of the music is really a bit too difficult for a truly beginner orchestra. It really is not ideal. However, since I can help Sophie on a daily basis, she can keep up relatively well, enough that I think it is a beneficial experience.

Recital on Steroids

Last week our family drove to Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan to attend our church denomination's international conference.

Earlier in the summer, I had asked the children if they would be interested in performing at the conference, and they said yes. I submitted audition videos for each, and they were scheduled to perform in the "Entertainment Night".

About a month before the conference, Evan sliced his left pointer finger rather severely. I thought he was making a sandwich in the kitchen, but no, he had decided to cut a large jicama and the knife slipped. (I now agree with Logan's opinion of jicama recorded in the sidebar.) After an E.R. trip and stitches, Evan practiced piano with only his right hand during twelve days until he could get the stitches out. Thankfully, his shortest piano piece was requested which he knew quite well and could quickly get up to speed.

When we arrived at the conference and I saw the size of the crowd in the auditorium (1,600 people), I wondered if we had made a good decision.

Picture by Drew Gordon

However, the children remained unflinching in their desire to perform and when the time came, they played well.

As a child, I remember sitting at a piano, ready to play in a small recital, but losing my nerve to play and walking away. How humiliating!

Sophie did have a hiccup in her playing at the beginning of her piece, but she looked over at her brothers and continued on beautifully! I'm glad that she had the experience of not letting a mistake affect her nerves and the rest of the performance.

I fought with my camera to record the kids' playing in the low lighting and unfortunately did not catch the very beginning of Sophie's piece, but here is the video:


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Ten other "acts" performed in the program, including this wonderful bagpipe player:

Photo by Drew Gordon

Minuet in G Major (No. 1) by J.S. Bach

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Sophie has practiced this piece for about a month. I am posting it for a virtual audition for an entertainment night to be held at our international church conference this summer.

Evan's Performance

Evan also played delightfully well last night. His nerves caused him to play his pieces a little faster than usual, but he held it together. He played Sonatina Op. 36, No. 3 by Clementi and Toccatina by Kabalevsky. He won first place!

Tonight all the first place winners are scheduled to play in the winner's recital, and he has been asked to play the Toccatina. He is in bed right now with a headache, aches and a climbing fever. We shall see...

Matthew's Performance

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Matthew played Arabesque by Burgmuller and Sonatina in G by Beethoven. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to him play. The last movement of the Sonatina is my particular favorite. Matthew handled the pressure and played very well!

Piano Pressure

The annual piano competition that the boys are signed up to participate in is at the end of this week. Lord willing, we will all be able to attend, though a virus is wreaking havoc in our family. The competition director is highly stressed right now, because a large number of the contestants are suffering with high fevers. Matthew, Sophie, Logan and myself are sick at present, but the fevers have gone down, though the symptoms are not completely gone. My prayer is that Evan will not get hit with the illness before the competition and that Matthew will be enough recovered to participate.

Evan played in this competition last year for the first time and took third place in the beginner division. It was a thrill to see him perform with composure and with joy in his face. He and Matthew both become energized by having an audience, and usually play their best under pressure. Whose children are they?!

This is Matthew's first year playing in the competition and Evan's last year in the beginner division. The beginner division is split into two groups this year. Matthew is in the younger group; Evan in the older. It will be a challenge for me to keep my nerves of sympathy calm sitting through two groups of players. Our piano teacher thinks that Sophie will be up to playing in this competition next year. That will be three different groups!

Let's Start at the Very Beginning...

I took Sophie to her second cello lesson today and had one of my own. I already really like the teacher, Kathleen. She is starting Sophie back at the beginning with "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star," and has catchy ways of teaching the different sections of the tune which the former teacher did not use with Sophie. For example, to teach the movement of the bow from the D-string to the A-string, Kathleen taught Sophie a little song (which is actually just the first part of "Twinkle"):

Daddy's in the kitchen (on the D-string, then stop and "roll" the bow...)
doing all the dishes (on the A-string )
Daddy's in the kitchen (back to the D-string)

Sophie made up her own ditty to use this week which amused her teacher and me:

Daddy's watching baseball
cheering for the Rockies
Daddy's watching baseball

Anyway, previously I thought Sophie's transition between strings was kind of sloppy and her bowing wasn't straight. I appreciate Kathleen's attention to the little, but essential details right from the start.

Sophie's bow grip has come back to her, and she actually has excellent form. She just needs to keep practicing to build up more strength in her hand which is getting fatigued very quickly.

Speaking of fatigue, I had a half hour lesson right after Sophie and the muscles started complaining almost immediately. I brought my cello, but forgot my end-pin at home (Duh!). Happily, Kathleen has two cellos and loaned me one of hers for the lesson. I bought a book from her with exercises to improve thumb position. Some of the tunes actually parallel what Sophie will be learning in her Suzuki book so that I can play with her, just up in the stratosphere! I'm not sure what Kathleen's educational background is, other than being certified as a Suzuki instructor, but she is advanced enough to teach me, yet not so driven that I would be required to practice two hours a day (which just wouldn't happen.) Hopefully I can be a good example to Sophie and renew my enjoyment in playing cello.

Sharing a Song That Makes Me Smile

Don't frown that I first heard this song in a commercial! This is a simple melody, winsomely sung. I had to look it up on You Tube and spread the cheer! (We certainly need distraction from the SnotFest going on at our house.)

Christmas Program: Ukrainian Bell Carol

Sophie and Kristin:


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The boys did not play specifically Christmas music, but they performed their current piano pieces. Click on the thumbnails to watch the videos:

Christmas Program: Bouncy Bells

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