Craziness after a Piano Festival

Yesterday I judged at a piano festival. I had a wonderful time listening to some amazing performances by students of all ages and experience. One of my favorite performances of the day was by a little girl who couldn’t have been much older than a first grader. She marched up to the grand piano in a nice black dress, and professional black tights and shoes, and a headband with tiger ears on it! She was excited to point out to me that she was about to do the D.C. al Fine in one of her pieces, and happy to leave the bench to pick up my pencil when it dropped to the floor as I was filling out her comment sheet. To top things off, right as she finished the last piece she played, the tiger ear headband slipped off her forhead and covered her eyes just like that juy on Star Trek. Luckily for her she had the music memorized and just kept right on playing. That’s poise for a first grader. When the song finished she adjusted the tiger ear headband and gave me a big grin. HILARIOUS!

And then there was the performance by the eigh th grade girl who was one of the most amazing pianists I’ve ever watched play. Seriously. She had a Beethoven Sonata memorized, and she didn’t just play it, she performed it with the maturity of a professional pianist. There were details she brought out that I don’t think I’ve ever heard before, even from a recording artist.

And when I got home, I found all three children, alive and well. The babysitter wasn’t even frazzled. They had been calm all day, but that ended quickly when I came home. They were goofier than goofy and wilder than march hare’s all afternoon. Here they are creating a lovely boat on the living room floor with their blankets.