Music in My Life

Exciting things are happening around here... Joshua got his flute for band this week! Actually he wants to play percussion, but the band director makes all the kids who want to play percussion play trumpet or flute for the first 9 weeks. She wants to see how good of a musician they are and whether or not they practice or cause problems in class. If she didn't do this, there would be 40 percussionists in her band! Joshua is dead set that he will be one of the 4 percussionists....he updates me on how many kids get in trouble each day and secretly adds up his odds!

Caleb is moving on in piano to classical pieces now. He is on his last lesson book of the Faber series and begged me to go take him to the music store to pick out some classical music and this is what we came home with. He was so frustrated that he had tons of homework to do the night that we brought the new book home so he wouldn't be able to play the piano! I had to smile because I have never had a child be upset that they couldn't practice! His piano teacher was telling me the other day that she is so impressed with the artistry and feeling that he is able to put into his pieces. She says that she has more advanced students who cannot do this and she loves to listen to Caleb when he plays for her. It is a talent that he has, that's for sure!

I am so thankful for music in my life. I always heard of people who had children who played all these instruments and the mom and dad were usually very musically talented and I felt sad that we wouldn't have that. I did feel impressed that I wanted all my kids to take piano lessons. It is something that we have struggled to afford through the years, but that I have made a priority. There were years of actively encouraging Shelby to stick with it and I feel like she has really developed her piano skills. She is going to be in the Capitol Region Junior Miss Pageant in a few weeks and we hear her playing her talent piece, Solfeggietto, over and over again. It is so fun! Caleb plays piano, clarinet and bass clarinet, although it is obvious piano is his favorite. He loves to sit for hours at the piano and I am thoroughly enjoying hearing him play the classical stuff now! Joshua and Samuel are following behind and have never complained about practicing. Music fills my home for hours each day and I love it! It speaks to my soul and brings peace into our hearts. Someday when I finish investing in all these kid's lessons, I think I will start over myself because I will miss the music in my home!