A magic pony and an award

Sitting in Rockwell Hall at Kent State University, I reflected on how far Grace has come in a year of music lessons.  Today was her 3rd piano recital and we were very proud of how well she played and spoke on the microphone.

Grace and Kyle made a commitment to music classes in February 2012.  They go every Saturday together and I just try to help out with the written homework and some practice during the week.  When you sit in the auditorium and listen to the other children, you can see how practice and commitment really pay off.  Grace did an amazing job today - I would say she "rocked" her Magic Pony solo - and we are looking forward to seeing her continue to improve each year. 

Ms. Nancy, Grace's teacher concentrates on all aspects of music education.  By the number of duets and ensemble performances today, it seems that precise timing has been a focus this year.  When the children play with the teacher or another classmate, they have to have know their piece very well and be sure that their timing is perfect because someone else is counting on them for the performance to be a success.  Grace played a duet with her teacher.  I love how she is concentrating on reading her music in the photo above and how tiny she is next to Ms. Nancy.

Grace's class also sang and conducted a song "Sweet Little Ladybug" and played "This Old Man" on the bells.  Ms. Nancy tries to get each student up on stage 2-3 times during the recital.  Learning to play one song is enough for the 5-6 year olds, so she supplements with singing, conducting, and bells.

Grace, Isabelle, Evan, and Laura from the Sunshine II class

A few weeks ago, I mentioned on the blog that Grace's song "After the Rain" won an award in the Music for Young Children composition contest.  It turns out she came in 4th place for the Sunshine II level in the United States!  That is huge!  Grace received a certificate, a ribbon, and a trophy today for this accomplishment.  I think she was really proud.

And, just because it was a beautiful day and I loved the new dress Grace wore....here are some other photos.  Luckily, the princess was in a good mood and I was allowed to take as many as I wanted!