On Saturday Jenina and I put together another joint studio recital. This one was special because instead of solos, we had only duets, a trio, and a quartet--all with cellos.
Above is a shot of my boys playing their trio . . . (they tend to reserve their smiles until after the performance)
. . . and below is Andrew with his sister Aurelia. She has only been taking lessons for about a month--it was her debut recital.
Jenina and I played a couple of duets at the very end.
One of them was actually composed by my student, Sebastian. It ended up being the highlight of the entire recital--almost everyone went over to congratulate him and his family afterward. Perhaps I should help him find a teacher for some actual composition lessons.
As a teacher I feel rewarded when:
1. A student pursues creativity by his own initiative.
2. A student shows enthusiasm.
3. A student gains self-confidence.
4. A student tells me: "Thank you."
5. A student's mother brings me flowers.
This recital was, for all of these reasons, a rewarding experience. My students are truly an inspiration to me.
Jack-o-lantern (thank you Amber)
Illini cheerleader (thank you Rosanne)
I never thought we would manage a family costume theme, but here we are: Forest as an Illini fan, me as a basketball hoop, and of course Ramona as our spirited cheerleader.
I-L-L! I-N-I!
SWOOSH
Happy Halloween!
Ramona has had a number of accomplishments in the past few days. She cut her first two teeth a little over a week ago, has been learning to sit up, and officially turned half a year old. The time has certainly flown, but it is getting harder and harder to remember life without our little Mona-pie.
She started out looking excited about sitting in her highchair and putting things in her mouth . . .
. . . but then she seemed to grow increasingly hesitant . . .
. . . and maybe even a little repulsed.
It wasn't all that bad, was it?
Mealtime quickly turned to playtime . . .
. . . both of which required a decent amount of cleanup-time. And it's just the beginning, isn't it?
On Saturday Jenina and I put together another joint studio recital. This one was special because instead of solos, we had only duets, a trio, and a quartet--all with cellos.
Above is a shot of my boys playing their trio . . . (they tend to reserve their smiles until after the performance)
Jenina and I played a couple of duets at the very end.
One of them was actually composed by my student, Sebastian. It ended up being the highlight of the entire recital--almost everyone went over to congratulate him and his family afterward. Perhaps I should help him find a teacher for some actual composition lessons.
As a teacher I feel rewarded when:
This recital was, for all of these reasons, a rewarding experience. My students are truly an inspiration to me.
