Thursday, May 15, 2008

Band Concert



Tonight was Lauren's final band concert of her 7th grade year. She has picked up the trumpet and can play! I mean, it doesn't happen for everyone, even if they're in band for 6 years! (I know this from personal experience) Tonight she received the Beginning Brass Award. She finished her entire first year book before Spring Break and has been working on 8th grade music since then.



Getting her trumpet was a huge GOD THING and I must give Him credit
: We searched a couple of cities during our vacation... I mean how hard could it be to find a trumpet in a pawn shop somewhere in Saint Louis? But...we couldn't. During the two days between our summer vacation and a trip Richard and I were taking to Chicago we stopped in Mtn Home to visit grandparents. A long time family friend came over for dinner that night to see us and visit and she asked about my kids. Well, Lauren was on my mind a lot as she was getting ready to go into junior high. I told her she was signed up for band...but so far it didn't look good as we didn't have an instrument and school started less than 3 weeks away. She looked at us and said, "We have a trumpet in the attic at our house you can have!"

Lauren was about to jump out of her skin! She looked so hysterical that our friend offered to go before dinner was served and look for it. We, the rational parents, said she could wait until after the meal my mom was preparing. OH MY, the trumpet has some wear on it's brass plating, but Lauren didn't mind. When we got home from our trip, she googled how to assemble the thing and how to blow into it. Now, she's won the brass award in beginning band! Thank you God for the gift!

Ryan's 8th grade band played as well. He plays the French horn, and the school provided the instrument! Woo hoo! He likes it and picked it up quickly as well. (Last year he won the Beginning Band Brass Award!)

He will have to make a decision as to what he will do in the future with band. The junior high football coach doesn't allow the football players to march during football games and that is what a band does during the fall semester. Ryan has already made a decision to play football and is committed to giving his time and energy to that activity.

In the spring, bands play concert music. Even if you're not musical you can appreciate being part of a group of people who together make a sound that they couldn't make alone. We certainly won't discourage him from hanging through the fall semester of participating without the chance to perform...but it will be frustrating. We would hate for him to give up music...as it is something that you can use for God's glory forever.

No comments: