Musical Friday

Big day today. The Girl is going to be making her audition tape (to try to get into Interlochen summer camp) this morning. This will probably eat up our whole morning. She has been puttting in hours of time on the piano lately, perfecting two pieces she will tape today. They need to be by two artists from different periods, with different styles. She picked Bach's Inventio I, and Bartok's Study in Chords. The Bartok was easy for her, but she has been struggling with the Bach- over and over and over again. It is sounding so good now. I love the litle trills she does. Sigh. Happiness is having a piano in the living room, and someone who loves to play it living with you.

UPDATE: I had just hit the POST button when the Girl's Piano teacher called to say she wasn't able to get the recording equipment for today. Sigh. The Girl is slightly dissapointed but okay that she has a bit more time to perfect her pieces. Guess where she is right now. That's right- at the piano.

The Boy also is working hard at his music. He is really struggling with learning the note names, and the different registers in his French Horn playing. I can't explain it more than that, it is complicated, but the horn notes are different than the piano notes, and it can get confusing, learning to transpose it all. But if his goal is to use his horn to get into and through college, he needs to work very hard in the next few years. Horn players are rare, so colleges seek them out, sometimes paying full scholarships. I thank him often for introducing me to the wonderfully rich and mellow tones of the french horn. More happy sighs.

He has a playing test for his band teacher this afternoon. He will be asked to play random bits from any or all of the pieces they are currently working on. It should be interesting to hear how he did.

I had wanted to pack it all in and go skating today, but that isn't going to happen. Music wins out every time in this household!! Other than that, we are going to really focus on school today, finishing up our work for the week, including math and latin tests, and finishing Boy's primary source work on the Indian Wars. I am ready for a Latin test myself, although I am 20 chapters behind the kids!

I think we will try for a walk or at the very least a climb in the treehouse late this afternoon. I can see we haven't been getting enough physical exercise in- the Boy doesn't do well when that happens. Other than that, we may make a stop at the movie store. I feel the need for some mindless entertainment.

Gotta get a move on here- they are done with chores and ready for breakfast, and a chapter in Drifthouse.

And speaking of books, Crissy, I am enjoying both Monte Cristo, and Rare Encounters with Ordinary Birds. The latter is just wonderful, and I am enjoying the illustrations as much as the stories- it is great to come across a book by a local author who describes birds I know and love. And the former is a wonderful story which I find very hard to put down at night! Thanks for the recommendations.

My personal to do list for this weekend:
I must have the application materials in to the library by tomorrow at the latest. I have lots of work to do in this area.
I really need to learn how to put link titles in the side bar, so I can have long lists of different types of links.
I need to figure out what to get/make the Girl for her birthday on Monday, and post her birth story.
I also feel the need to come up with a tagline, a standard like Look to the finish, or Kiss those babies, but one hasn't resonated with me yet.

Oh, and a trip is in our emminent future, but I won't write about it till we have the details straight.

Have a great day,
LB