Music Month

Gideon and Serenity both had their first big Music Festivals this month.  Technically they are called "Assessments" not "Festivals," but they used to be Festivals and I guess it just sounds more fun that way so the term stuck.  At Festival/Assessment students from all over the county gather at a high school where they play for three expert judges who record verbal criticisms as they play and then give them a score on a scale of 1-5 (1 being the best) for their overall performance.  It's sort of the End of Level Testing for Music class.

These Assessments are usually for Middle and High Schoolers, so this was Gideon's first time playing in one.  Serenity also played in one as a member of the "Area Honors Orchestra" which is made up of students from six different schools and was one of only two Elementary School Orchestras playing in the Festival this year. Honors Orchestra was a great experience for her.  She was able to work with many talented (adult) musicians as well as a lot of really great kids.  And she had her first audition experience, earning the first chair place for her instrument!

Both groups played beautifully.  I thought Gideon's band was the best one of the day, but the judges gave them 2s across the board (which is still a good score!).
Serenity's group also played really well, taking on Middle School level pieces and earning the highest possible rank.
Gideon also plays in Jazz Band and was supposed to go to a separate Festival with that group, but their band wasn't able to get a space this year.  We were looking forward to it and disappointed that it was cancelled, but rumor has it they might be getting to play in a concert with the High School Band later in the year, which should be fun as well!

I'm not sure where these musical kids came from, as neither Rob nor I are very musically talented (we both play a great radio!) but I am really enjoying watching them progress and improve their talents!