WARNING: This is a mega post intended largely for the entertainment of grandparents and my own personal records.
In Mid-December, the kids had their piano recital. This was an exciting occasion for Jack and Eliza, as it was their first time performing for a formal audience. They both did a great job on their solos, and though their duets kind of fell apart, I have video evidence that they had a good handle on both of those pieces a month before the recital.
Jack and Eliza worked a lot on their duets, learning them slowly by rote since neither of them were reading music at that point. I was impressed by how solid they were on their individual parts, even with having to move their hands to different positions. Listening to each other and following one another was a whole separate skill which seemed to come more easily to Eliza. Our piano teacher has her students learn duets every fall, and I won't be surprised if these two are paired up again next year, since they're at almost exactly the same skill level.
I cut off the video below in time for you to see how eager Jack was to rush Eliza to her seat after their duets so that he might have his chance to perform. His first piece is one he wrote himself. He was only given the idea of a title in his lesson book and really enjoyed having the freedom to be creative on the piano. The second piece was a lucky find. I was looking through our collection of piano books and found one that I somehow acquired from my house growing up. It was beginner Christmas music with accompaniment and Jack chose "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" and was really excited at the idea of having people sing along.
Cat performed one of her duets, Norwegian Dance by Grieg, and as much of her current concerto as she had prepared in about three months of practice. That one is Beethoven's 2nd Concerto, accompanied by her teacher.
And of course, here are a few pictures...
I'm so proud of these guys!
Me Too!!!!!
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