Thursday, June 26, 2014

Colorado Suzuki Institute Day 3



Day 3. Best and worst parts of the day:

Mary has met so many friends. Of course. I'm already dreading the post recital melt-down. Calvin has masterclass with one other girl--she's eighteen next week and has a southern drawl and could perhaps perform Clair de Lune on America's Prettiest Girl contest and he's totally oblivious. I guess thats a good place to be at gonna be 13 next month.

We are staying at the ultra posh Beaver Creek Lodge. Fluffy towels aside it's still four people in a hotel room with a cube fridge. My children have not stopped talking in four days. No offense Dr. Suzuki, but Bill and I are pretty quiet, I just can't figure how this is nature or nurture. The talking. So many ideas. So many kinds of elevators to discuss. So many what ifs.

I'm also wondering why we packed a three pound algebra book.

It's so beautiful here. I just walk around in a gardener's coma--and I remember--somewhere in my subconscious, I tried to make my garden look like this place. Aspens and pines and a $1,000,000 flower budget.

Mary left her bag in three different buildings. Good exercise it is. . . going back up the mountain for that.

A mom complimented Mary. "She does everything so easily. She's really natural."
I thought about that for a minute and I didn't know what to say. "She actually has to work her tail off for every note. She forgets everything if we don't practice one day." Instead I only said thanks. I let her think Mary the gifted girl--if only for a moment. I smiled a little inside.

The teachers are wonderful and have the patience of Job. None of them have snapped and yelled, I really don't care how your mother does it. . . .  

I appreciate that. I've never had to teach the kids of my peers. I've lost the self-conscious my whole self esteem wrapped up in what other teachers think of my kids thing. Calvin and Mary have good things about their playing and they have things to work on. The teachers find ample things to work on and I learn something at every lesson. The kids learn that intelligent musical people can have different ideas from time to time and it's okay. I need this team. And teachers. . . if you happen to read this, it's okay to tell the Kotrbas to be quiet. Yeah.

The highlight of the day was the faculty recital. It was first class and very inspiring to all of us. What a community we have. I'm so proud to be a part of it and so thankful my kids are growing up taking all these teachers and music and classes for granted.  This is just what we do.






1 comment: