Spring Orchestra Concert

Last night we went to Hannah's Spring Orchestra concert. Each year, this concert is held in the cafetorium (cafeteria/auditorium), and it is a chance for parents to hear all three middle school grades perform, and compare how their student's grade played compared to the other grades. The 6th graders played basic selections from their book: Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star, Jingle Bells, etc. as well as a piece called Cripple Creek, which was actually pretty good for kids who have only been playing their instruments for a few months. The seventh graders played more difficult pieces, including songs I recognized from last year, like Sahara Crossing (which sounds kind of like the theme song from Aladdin at the beginning.)  They also played a medley of songs from Pirates of the Caribbean.

The eighth graders played last, and their selections included the theme from the Pink Panther, and the theme from Star Wars. They also played a piece called Amadeus, which was written by Mozart and is a theme from a movie about him.

At the very end, the seventh and eighth graders combined to play one last song, the name of which I can't remember right now. (They didn't pass out programs; instead the program was projected onto a screen in a repeating PowerPoint presentation.) 

I'm not entirely sure why we bring Hannah's younger brothers to her concerts. Steven and I enjoy listening to Hannah perform, and I like the music in general, but her youngest brothers have a lot of difficulty sitting through a concert. John brought his origami stuff and sat making leaves, a carrot, a duck, a pig, and a bunch of other things throughout the concert. At least he was quiet and I didn't worry about him. Josh and Peter, on the other hand, were a handful. Occasionally I could interest Peter in listening for a few seconds, to see if he could recognize what song was being played (He recognized several of them, particularly the 6th graders songs.) Other times he was trying to climb on my lap, asking if he could go for a drink or to the bathroom, asking John for a piece of paper, moaning that he was bored. I was already frustrated from the all-afternoon battle of trying to get him to do his very last math homework for the school year, and didn't have much patience with him. Josh also was bored and restless.


I am glad that Hannah has chosen to learn to play an instrument. I'm glad that she has stuck to it through all her Middle School years. I'm glad that she has had this opportunity to learn about reading music and playing with other people. She has recently developed some interest in learning to play other instruments, like the harmonica and piano. I'm glad that she has chosen to make music a part of her life, and I hope that this continues.