Music To My Ears

***I am working on getting the videos to play properly. Of course they play for me but I think that is because I created them and my computer recognizes them. Sorry no one else can enjoy them though. :(

Over the course of the past year Andrew has been working really hard in Advanced Band at school. Towards the end of the year he took part in an All District Music Festival that showcased the top Elementary, Middle, and High School Band students. It was a great performance. I was able to record one of the songs that the Elementary band played, The Marines' Hymn. I hope you enjoy listening to it as much as I do.

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Towards the end of the school year Andrew performed in his first ever private recital. He was pretty excited and according to what he told me he wasn't nervous at all. There were 16 performers total, all ranging in age from as young as 6 all the way up to 18. His Nana, Mr. David, Grandma Blanche, Ginny, and of course Daddy-O and I were there to cheer him on and show our support.

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Though he may not hit every note perfectly right we are still very proud of his efforts and willingness to continue stretching himself. This piece was challenging for him, with new techniques and higher notes then he is usually comfortable with. As he learns, he grows and becomes a better musician along the way.

Andrew with his private instructor, Mr. Johansen. *Who ironically was one of my professors in college. He is VERY gifted himself and does an awesome job passing that love of music along to his students.

Another special guest came to listen to Andrew's performance, his school band instructor, Mr. A. This was a surprise to both Dale and I as well. He was there to pass on some very exciting news to Andrew, which of course Mr. Johansen had to give him a lecture about. :)

And the exciting news: Andrew has been one of the 12 out of 400 Elementary Band kids selected to perform in this summers Redlands Bowl production of The Music Man!! There will also be a band made up of a select group of students from the local Middle and High School Bands which he will get to join at the end to play the huge finishing piece. What an excellent honor and opportunity! Andrew, and of course his mom, dad, and extended family, are extremely excited to see him perform on the big stage on July 22, 23, and 24th. He has been practicing REALLY hard each day even though he originally thought he was going to get part of the summer off. He realizes this is a once in a lifetime opportunity and just couldn't pass it up, not even to go to church summer camp, which as he said he could do 6 more summers of his life. So, if you are in the local area, come on out and enjoy a good show with some fun music.