When I was around 7ish (I really have no idea how old I was, but little anyway), I remember being taken to a church in downtown Nanaimo. I remember having to walk onto a stage and play the piano. I remember making mistakes due to nerves and well...there were mistakes. The piano and I weren't meant to be overly friendly. The key is that the adjucicaton was a very nasty experience. I still remember being afraid of them. Being disappointed that I didn't do well, but worse feeling that everyone was angry and miserable. Worst of all, they were mad at me. It was not an enjoyable experience.
So, the girls are in Music for Young Children. I was fairly horrified to find out that this didn't mean just piano lessons. This meant music festival. Aaggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.
Turns out, I was wrong to be afraid for them. They played their first pieces of music on Friday and both scored silvers. Best of all, the adjudicator was delightful and personable with the children. He was able to explain their mistakes in a friendly, humourous manner and made the whole judging part fun and interesting. Handshakes were used to describe piano and forte. He explained the techniques needed to improve and best of all, they listened. Today was round two and my girls worked their pieces up to GOLD. Considering how off they were even two days ago, I was thrilled with this.
I will say that mine lacked some of the finery worn by some of the other girls. But I insisted on going to school first so they didn't have on their fanciest dresses. It still takes some work to get them fed, clothed, hair done and relaxed prior to any performance. It was important to me to have them comfortable to ensure that they felt that they were able to do their best.
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