Violin Concert

File this under "You've Got To Be Kidding Me:"  Just 90 minutes before their big violin concert last night, Miles and Colsen were running through the house with their violin bows in hand (why?????) and Miles suddenly ran into the wall and snapped his bow in half.   As in 2 pieces loosely held together by the strings!

Pete performed some stellar repair work, though, and his bow was soon mended -- well enough, anyway, for Miles to perform his big part.  Since Miles has yet to learn a full song, he and his siblings were given a speaking part instead, leading off the concert with their little "correct bow hold" rhyme.

So that part went off smoothly.  I wouldn't call the rest of the evening "smooth" so much as "accomplished," but the kids enjoyed it all anyway.

Rayna joined in with the ensemble to play versions of "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star," which she knew, as well as another song which she did not know.  (We didn't know she'd be on stage for that part.  When she heard what they were playing, she mouthed, "I don't know that song!" to me in the audience, then shrugged her shoulders very dramatically... and started playing along -- none of the right notes of course, but everyone else was loud enough to drown her out.  :)  )

Here they are playing Twinkle.  Rayna is on the far left and Colsen is in a little blue jacket on the right-hand side:

I wish I hadn't shut off the camera at the end because Rayna was so pleased with her/their performance that she gave a little jump with her bow way up in the air in triumph -- it was very cute.


Then Colsen had his first solo performance of his life.

All week he had been telling me he wasn't sure he was ready to do this, since he just started learning the song recently, he doesn't like a lot of people looking at him, he doesn't like to be on stage, etc.  But when it came time to actually perform, he was quite ready.

Here is part of his "Go Tell Aunt Rhody" song:

He was thrilled with his performance, and asked me immediately if he can be in every recital he's invited to from here on out.  Guess he doesn't have stage fright after all!

So here they were before the performances:

....and after:

I'd say they had a good evening!


p.s. Colsen wore the same jacket that Strider wore to his first violin concert in the same building 6 years ago!