Proud Momma Hen
Tonight was my 2nd annual holiday recital at work. It went SO WELL!!
the festive stage set-up
This event has been a mild stressor in my life for the last two months or so, and slightly more than mild in the last week. I had enough students this year that I was able to split it into two recitals, one piano and one voice. I've been working with my kiddos (and adults!) for weeks and weeks, practicing their songs and talking about stage etiquette and microphones and making sure they knew exactly what to do once the recital was finally here.
They definitely didn't disappoint!
There were SO MANY PEOPLE there! We brought in extra chairs and still ended up SRO for both recitals. Last year it was just kids and their parents, but this time there were grandparents and friends and teachers and extended family members and who knows who else, all crowded in till we completely filled the whole studio. In between recitals there was hot spiced cider and lots and lots of cookies and treats, supplied by myself and some of the wonderful, wonderful parents of my kids.
Recitals are just so much fun. I get to see all these kids at one time, dressed up and excited to show off, and often very, very nervous. It's nice to get to sit and listen to my voice students sing without having to worry about accompanying them or teaching, but just to enjoy the beautiful voices God's given them. (We videotaped the whole thing - be prepared for a flood of youtube links once all the parental permission slips are turned in and the videos uploaded!)
Before each recital, I get all the students together for a quick chat. When I was taking lessons, we used to pray as a group, but since I can't do that here, we just go over all the details, asking questions and reminders for the benefit of the littlest ones. Before the voice recital, I crowded them all into my little room - lovely ambient lighting provided by my Christmas tree and lights - and we warmed up together. That was probably one of my favorite moments of the year: hearing nine of my students singing together, my own little choir. We were close and cramped in there (fortunately the piano was up on stage, so we only had to squeeze around a little keyboard), and it was kind of dark, and they were all nervous. But they were laughing with each other, sharing their nerves, and singing from their hearts. I was giddy with nervousness for them and excitement, and just overwhelmed right then with how much I do love my job.
I had two four year olds and quite a few five year olds perform tonight. :) SO precious. Little A. was the first one up, and his song is called "Look at Me," so he introduced himself and said, "and I'm playing Look at Me, here I go!" He sat up by me for most of the recital, lounging on the floor, enjoying the music of each new song. After the last student, you could hear his little voice loud and clear saying, "Laura, he forgot to bow!" And when I stood up to give my thank you blurb at the end, tiny hands tugged my skirt as he reminded me that there were cookies for everyone to enjoy. He got a lot of laughs.
My chest is so puffed up with pride from tonight. So many parents came up to tell me what a good job the kids did - not just theirs, but everyone else. It's so nice to get a chance to show off all the talent they have, and to enjoy my part in shaping that and keeping their passion for music thriving, helping create a desire to continually learn. They all did wonderfully - and even the ones who messed up kept right on going, remembering all that we'd talked about. They did themselves proud.
So yes, tonight I am a very proud momma hen, bursting with pride in all my little chickies.
This event has been a mild stressor in my life for the last two months or so, and slightly more than mild in the last week. I had enough students this year that I was able to split it into two recitals, one piano and one voice. I've been working with my kiddos (and adults!) for weeks and weeks, practicing their songs and talking about stage etiquette and microphones and making sure they knew exactly what to do once the recital was finally here.
They definitely didn't disappoint!
There were SO MANY PEOPLE there! We brought in extra chairs and still ended up SRO for both recitals. Last year it was just kids and their parents, but this time there were grandparents and friends and teachers and extended family members and who knows who else, all crowded in till we completely filled the whole studio. In between recitals there was hot spiced cider and lots and lots of cookies and treats, supplied by myself and some of the wonderful, wonderful parents of my kids.
Recitals are just so much fun. I get to see all these kids at one time, dressed up and excited to show off, and often very, very nervous. It's nice to get to sit and listen to my voice students sing without having to worry about accompanying them or teaching, but just to enjoy the beautiful voices God's given them. (We videotaped the whole thing - be prepared for a flood of youtube links once all the parental permission slips are turned in and the videos uploaded!)
Before each recital, I get all the students together for a quick chat. When I was taking lessons, we used to pray as a group, but since I can't do that here, we just go over all the details, asking questions and reminders for the benefit of the littlest ones. Before the voice recital, I crowded them all into my little room - lovely ambient lighting provided by my Christmas tree and lights - and we warmed up together. That was probably one of my favorite moments of the year: hearing nine of my students singing together, my own little choir. We were close and cramped in there (fortunately the piano was up on stage, so we only had to squeeze around a little keyboard), and it was kind of dark, and they were all nervous. But they were laughing with each other, sharing their nerves, and singing from their hearts. I was giddy with nervousness for them and excitement, and just overwhelmed right then with how much I do love my job.
I had two four year olds and quite a few five year olds perform tonight. :) SO precious. Little A. was the first one up, and his song is called "Look at Me," so he introduced himself and said, "and I'm playing Look at Me, here I go!" He sat up by me for most of the recital, lounging on the floor, enjoying the music of each new song. After the last student, you could hear his little voice loud and clear saying, "Laura, he forgot to bow!" And when I stood up to give my thank you blurb at the end, tiny hands tugged my skirt as he reminded me that there were cookies for everyone to enjoy. He got a lot of laughs.
My chest is so puffed up with pride from tonight. So many parents came up to tell me what a good job the kids did - not just theirs, but everyone else. It's so nice to get a chance to show off all the talent they have, and to enjoy my part in shaping that and keeping their passion for music thriving, helping create a desire to continually learn. They all did wonderfully - and even the ones who messed up kept right on going, remembering all that we'd talked about. They did themselves proud.
So yes, tonight I am a very proud momma hen, bursting with pride in all my little chickies.
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