finn's first piano recital: 2011

today was a BIG day for finn oliver {and for me too}.
for the past 2.5 months, he has been taking piano lessons,
and today he performed in his first recital,
an annual christmas recital hosted by his teacher, nancie mclees.

for the past few weeks, i've been a bit concerned about his readiness.
he's only been playing since the first of october,
and we were gone for 2 of those weeks for our family vacation.
also, with him playing on another soccer team,
it was really hard to find time to practice mid-week.

since we committed to both of these activities as a family,
we worked hard to squeeze in 15 minutes of piano practice most evenings
{even if it was right before bedtime}.
for the last few days, finn has been at the piano practicing the two christmas songs
he was assigned from this book.  he also practiced the proper way to bow *grin*

so mid-morning today, auntie jen and the family watched finn perform (2) songs:
jingle bells and deck the halls which he actually sang to {his teacher's request}.
he did well and was so proud of himself.
and yes, his family was too.

the very best part for me was seeing him enjoying himself at the piano.
{he even came home and played his songs again}.
i said to c, he may never be mozart or even perform beyond an annual recital,
but my hope is he will continue to play for years to come, and always enjoy it.




~ morning scare: we changed vehicles at the last minute at
home and left finn's sheet music in the other car.
we noticed this when we were arriving at the recital,
and i experienced something close to what i imagine a panic attack
must feel like! his teacher said he probably knew the songs by heart,
and when i asked finn if he did, he responded "i think so".
he showed no signs of anxiety {he is his father's child in this way},
and for the most part, he did know his songs by heart. *whew*