I forgot to update that Russell did a great job at his piano competition Saturday morning. He got a 5, which is Superior. He also got a blue ribbon. If he gets a Superior score 3 years in a row, he gets a trophy. He can't wait for that.
I didn't know if he would be nervous since he was playing in front of two judges, but he didn't seem to even give it a second thought. He played it before we left and it was absolutely perfect! Here he is after we got home and there are a few small mistakes, but he did great. Sorry about all the background noise; Slade's mom and younger brother were here and I didn't realize how much chatting was going on while I recorded Russ. Oops.
You can see on the piano some train cut outs and a little money bank. Those are some of the tactics we've used to help him enjoy practicing. He gets to choose a certain number of train cars based on how well he plays (and his attitude when he messes up). We also had a day where he got dimes for each song, depending on the same criteria. That money is supposed to go to his Sunday School class, but we forgot to send it yesterday.
The only comment from the judges was that he could/should have slowed down at the end, but the music didn't say to and he is new enough to piano that he just simply played/memorized exactly as it was written. Luckily, that didn't count against him.
When we were in the car heading home after the competition, he said with a big grin, "I knew I'd get a blue ribbon." He didn't say it like he was bragging or showing off, he just knew he had practiced hard and that he was able to play it really well. I'm glad he felt good about the time he'd put into it.
6 comments:
Great job, Russell!
Wow, I'm impressed! He did a great job! I can't wait until Abigail is old enough to take lessons.
Beautiful playing, Russell!! You have really improved this year! No wonder you got a blue ribbon!
Guess what? I can play the piano upside down and backwards! I think you can, too! Just turn the bench sideways and lay down on your back. Have your mom help hold your head so it drops carefully back from the side of the bench. Cross your arms and have your mom place your hands on the keys so you are ready to play your first note. It works! It looks really hard, but it is easy!
Hugs from California, Nina
Hi Russell:
Have your mother show you this link. It is a video of a girl playing upside down. I think you can do it!
Love, Nina
Here is the link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K01KIabDtzA
Hi, Nina! I'm grinning as I type this because we tried it and got a good laugh out of it. I tried it first because Russ wasn't convinced he could do it. But, he did try it and I have a feeling he'll be practicing it later. :-) Thanks for a fun idea! :-)
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