Let's Rewind - Cat's Piano Recital

Time to start catching up on the posts I'm Oh So Very Behind On.  In order to save time, the posts will probably be shorter than normal.  I just want to try to continue to represent the things that have happened in our lives, since I consider this a family history log.

Cat worked really hard to learn the two pieces she performed at her recital.  Unfortunately, I didn't do a good job of ensuring she perfect either of them, so her performance wasn't as good as it could have been.  (I was preoccupied with trying to get Luke to be born, and Ben's upcoming graduation, and Ben's parents' visit, and getting the house in order for our move...)

She began learning her pieces back in January and it was a painstaking process.  She chose both of them after listening to them, and they were much harder than anything she'd attempted in the past.  She didn't have the background to know how to learn the pieces on her own - the rhythms, accidentals, hand movements, etc., were tough - so I had to sit down with her and we figured it out together, measure by measure.

She was so excited to master each section of these pieces and loved playing them.  Below is the best recording I have of her doing the harder of the two pieces, the 1st Movement of Hadyn's Sonatina in C Major.  (She'd performed it even better, I just don't have it recorded...)  This was a couple of days before the recital.

When she performed the Hadyn during the recital, she got off part-way through and couldn't get back on track.  I was really proud of her that she didn't quit right away.  She continued until she came to a reasonable stopping place.

Below is the other piece from the recital, Beethoven's Russian Folk Song, which was shorter and not as technically difficult.

The recital was the weekend before Ben's graduation from the MBA program, so Ben's parents were able to arrange their visit to be in town for the recital as well as the graduation.  It was wonderful to have them there!

Cat has worked really hard to come so far in piano in such a short time.  I'm so proud of her!

 

And I have to include this picture of Jack and Eliza after the recital.  Eliza is enjoying her chocolate cupcake.  Can you tell that Jack already ate his?