Prelude to a Weekend

Tomorrow is the last day of school.  I don't think much learning got done this week.

I'm tired.  I thought we would carry some momentum forward to not take a break before summer session but I was wrong.  Sometimes we need that break, the kids need that break to keep from being totally fed up with us.  Sometimes momentum teeters on burnout. . . I don't think I did such a great job this week of imagining that Dr. Suzuki was sitting on the sofa.  He would have seen me spill my coffee all over my shirt and even in my eyes and ears.  He would have seen me completely forget that two advanced students are playing the same piece on the next recital.  He would have seen my sarcasm with my own son at 6:20 a.m.  It was not a zen week.

I've been listening to music I bought after the conference, Ann Schein's recordings of the Chopin Preludes.  I'm going to play a few of the short easy ones for the faculty recital at the MacPhail camp.  I think kids need to hear early advanced music played beautifully, and plus I don't have time to practice anything more difficult in the next month.  Ms. Schein reminded us that we need to give our kids access to the very best music at a very young age.  That is one of the things I love about the Suzuki Method--kids are playing Bach almost right away.

Speaking of Bach, I have secured all 12 musicians and a conductor for the concerto event August 18, and they all have the parts to seven movements, collated and bound in a nifty little notebook that should ensure that it is easy for them to practice.

I have to get new tires on my car.  My cell phone is busted and I need a new one and possibly a new carrier. Does this kinda stuff ever end?  I just want to sit in my garden and drink my coffee without spilling it all over the place.

Tomorrow I'm taking the kids to Iowa for the weekend to see my mom and my sister and Savannah.  We will have some time to sit in her garden.  The kids will want to swim.  We will have a hot dog roast.  I hope she has some chips and dip.

We will not play piano all weekend.  For my sake, and for theirs.

Have a good weekend!

P.S. great photo Bill!  I'm glad you love taking pictures.