Project 18 to 18: Day 13

Voilà!

OK. It's VIOLA, not voilà, but the Boy likes to play around with his pronunciation when he talks about his instruments and his viola is no different - so we have come to accept that any word that starts with a V and likely ends in an A probably translates to viola.

This is the instrument that really started it all for the Boy. We had tried to tempt him with an electric key board several years prior to his start in the 5th Grade orchestra, but nothing truly took hold until he got his hands on his first viola. I will always remember how after getting in his viola practice minutes one afternoon, he came downstairs and pronounced that he thought he could play his viola music on his keyboard if he knew which notes were which on the piano.

So the viola was the stepping stone to learning the piano. In addition, his time at the piano eventually led him to the guitar. And who knows if the guitar will be just one more link in a chain of musical studies the Boy entertains?

But it STARTED with the viola and I am truly thankful that it did as our house has been full of music ever since and I treasure it beyond measure!


Our picture for today is the Boy's bright and shiny viola. For many years we rented a viola each school year for him. I didn't realize this when he joined the orchestra, but string instruments vary in size based on YOUR size - it's like finding a pair of shoes that fits. And the instruments grow along with the child, up to a point, of course. And that is why for many years it made more sense to rent rather than to buy.

But as the boy started to reach his adult size and remained committed to orchestra and his viola studies, we knew it was time for him to have an instrument that was truly his own. So one Christmas he opened a very small box left under the tree with a coupon for a trip to a string shop near Houston before he was to return to school for the spring semester.

He was very excited and the whole family packed up and made the drive to check out Lisle String Shop. When we left home, Wonder Dad and I were every bit as excited as the Boy. But as we neared the shop, Wonder Boy grew progressively quieter. And by the time we stepped through the doors of the shop, he had retreated completely into some self-conscious shell.

The shop attendant brought out several instruments for the Boy to sample and get a feel for which he liked best, but the more we tried to get him to play, the quieter he became and the more frustrated Wonder Dad and I became. A drive like this is not something we do on a whim. We have to arrange care for the dogs. We have to fight traffic and in this case, had to struggle with directions to an unfamiliar place in a construction area to boot. *sigh*

Tensions rose higher and higher until at last we were able to cajole the Boy to play enough to make an informed decision on which instrument would accompany him home.

The drive home was almost as strained as the time we had spent in the shop, but eventually, everyone relaxed and the concert that we enjoyed in the days remaining in the Christmas holidays almost made the struggle worth it all.

Seriously though, this instrument has a truly wonderful sound at the hands of our favorite musician. It is smooth and warm and inviting and once we were all able to put bruised feelings aside, we have all agreed that we are glad the Boy was able to upgrade his instrument!

Spring Recital

Showcasing their UIL performance pieces, this week we got to enjoy the full school orchestra playing together. That is, all 7th and 8th grade orchestra students (both Symphonic and Philharmonic groups) came together for tonight's show.

As is usually the case, hearing the full concert piece of music is quite thrilling. We generally only get to hear Wonder Boy's line during his afternoon practices, so when the full group comes together, it's always a treat. But this concert was exceptionally enjoyable since both groups played together. Below you can watch the full performance.

Spring Orchestra Full Concert

The first 3 pieces played are the ones they performed for UIL. The others were recruiting pieces they played at area elementary schools this spring to encouraging in-coming 5th graders to give Orchestra a try.


We are so proud to report that the group did very well in competition this year, earning a superior rating for both their UIL performance as well as their concert at the Bluebonnet Music Festival in San Antonio. And while we are a little sad to be attending the final show of the school year, it sure gives us something to look forward to for next fall.

Winter Interlude

As the fall semester draws to a close, one of our most anticipated moments finally creeps up on the calendar - Wonder Boy's winter orchestra concert! Now that he's in his second year of orchestra, an additional in-school concert was added for Veteran's Day back in November, but the BIG showcase for the fall semester is still the Winter Concert.

As in semesters past, Wonder Boy and his pals in the orchestra have been working for months to polish up a couple of special numbers for us and the concert was every bit as enjoyable as last winter and spring. In fact, in many ways is was even more enjoyable as the pieces they performed were longer and more complicated for these young musicians.


I have mentioned it in the past (& will probably mention it time and again), but it never fails to amaze me how far this group has come in such a short time. They hit the ground running the very first week of school and haven't slowed down one bit as they have prepared for two concerts already!

Here is your chance to listen to the winter concert. I apologize for the shaky video - I forgot to bring the tripod (oops!). The music is great regardless of my unsteady hand.

6th Grade Orchestra Winter Concert

I am confident that, after listening to them play their hearts out, you will understand why I can hardly wait until their next performance!

A Joyful Noise

May 16 - 5th Grade Orchestra Spring Concert. As the day got closer, Wonder Boy got more and more excited. He'd been practicing for about 6 weeks for this date. And he couldn't WAIT for us to take our seats and see how far they had all come since the Winter Concert.


He need not have worried about us - we had been anticipating this day almost as much as he had been. The Winter Concert was such a great experience that we were both truly looking forward to this performance. And they did not disappoint. The music was much more complicated than the simple tunes they had prepared before the Winter break. But they brought it all together and put on one heck of a show! See for yourself!


Spring '13 Orchestra Concert

It never fails to move me - watching these young musicians pour themselves into their performance. You could see the pride on their faces when they took their final ovation. They worked hard and it paid off at that moment. I guess that's just another one of the many gifts that comes from learning to play together.

Creating Wonder

Creative people are curious, flexible, persistent, and independent with a tremendous spirit of adventure and a love of play.
~Henri Matisse~

I'm sure it's true of all parents, but there are so many days when I just sit and marvel at Wonder Boy and I revel in the Wonder that is our Boy. To see his mind at work, to try to see the world through his lens ... it sends shivers down my spine.

Wonder Boy is a creative force! And it is something that I greatly admire about him. It started from an early age. He sees the world in a different light than I do. And rather than frustrate me, it inspires me (mostly). When he was tiny, we could see it in his play. Watching him put together a puzzle one day, I realized he wasn't matching up the pieces by color (like I naturally do) but rather by the physical shape of each individual piece. As he grew, you could hear it in the rhythm of his speech. Even after years of speech therapy, he has his own way of getting his point across. And today, as he is firmly stepping into his adolescence, you can see it in the way he learns, the manner in which he simply absorbs new skills.

Wonder Boy goes through phases of creative explosions. Usually we will see these explosions when he is picking up something new. This summer, you might recall, he got all fired up when he learned how to make paracord bracelets. He made them for all of his friends and Wonder Dad and I both sport several each as well! A few years back he studied up on balloon twisting and for months each visitor to the house left with a souvenir.

Right now though, he seems to be taking it to a new level! There is music in the house thanks to his viola. He looks forward to his practice time. In fact, he enjoys it so much, we have to make sure he has all of his other homework done before we let him begin or he loses track of time and can get behind in his academics before he realizes it. He's also revisiting his love of Origami. Like a lot of kids, he loves making paper air planes, but simple planes were not enough. So he found books, websites, and on-line videos to help him kick it up a level. Now we're finding everything from animals to ornaments to more planes than you can shake a stick at around the house.

And if this were not enough, as we edge closer to all of the fall holidays, there are more opportunities for a creative kid to make his mark.

This week we have been working on our Day of the Dead sugar skulls. The whole family has joined in the fun molding and decorating our confectionery creations. We also worked on getting our Halloween decorations up. And after a trip to the hobby supply store, we are dreaming of all the creative fun that Thanksgiving and Christmas will bring as well!

The Sound of Music

This has been a much anticipated day at our little home. We're calling it Viola Homecoming Day!

Back in the spring, as the final days of elementary school were winding down, all of the 4th graders were given a choice of an elective for their next school year. They could either choose a combination class of Art/Drama/Music or they could sign up for Orchestra and learn to play a string instrument.

I'm an unabashed band geek and it took every ounce of restraint I could muster to not try to push Wonder Boy into selecting Orchestra. And at first, he seemed to feel that Art/Drama/Music would be a better fit. After all, that wouldn't be too different from the Art and Music classes he had been taking all through elementary school. I think the familiarity with it really appealed to him. So I held my tongue.

Then the 5th Grade orchestra made a trip to his school for a short concert. And apparently it was love at first note! The Boy came home from school that afternoon with a true spring in his step and couldn't wait to tell us that he had decided that orchestra was the way to go for him!

All through the summer he has waited for this particular aspect of his new school routine. It was a couple of days into the school year before they even got to SEE their new instruments. And a few days more before they could use them in class.

It took more than 2 weeks into the new school year before he was allowed to bring it home for the first time. And that brings us to today, Viola Homecoming Day!

At least 20 minutes of practice per day. And Wonder Boy is enjoying every second of it. We are all enjoying it actually. The viola makes a really lovely rich sound and I look forward to those 20 minutes each day. In fact, I'm already dreaming of that first concert - December will be here before we know it!