MichaeleL's Blog
One of those proud moments for a mother
March 17, 2009Having a learning disabled child offers challenges galore!! 
My 12-year-old decided to join the music program when she entered sixth grade and turned out to have talent as a percussionist!!! I bought her some Criss Angel drumsticks; she now has the coolest drumsticks in the entire band. Anyway, she had to perform in something called "Solo & Ensemble". Each student has to do this but they are not competing against one another. They are competing against THEMSELVES!! Last year, she did a piece called "Flim Flam" and scored "Excellent" (the second highest rating). This year, she did a piece called "Stick to it" and scored SUPERIOR (the highest rating)!!! YES!! The judge was a sweetheart, offered help and tips and boosted her confidence a little more. When judging, they DO take into consideration how long a student has been playing and they also take nerves into consideration. I'll be uploading the video to Youtube if anyone is interested.
Warming up:
Immediately after performing. (I was her accompanist).
The judge offering some tips and giving a little private lesson. There was a phrase that gave my child some trouble - but it was a difficult phrase and that, of course, is taken into consideration during judging. The judge went over that phrase with her very slowly and my child said, "You teach it better than Mr. R. (her current instructor)" Both the judge and I laughed.
