Ariadne’s Book One Violin Recital

This summer Ariadne had her book one violin recital!  A book one recital celebrates a ton of work and a major milestone for Suzuki kids--finishing book one.  Most kids start between age 3 and 5, and most finish book one 2-4 years later. It also is an excellent way to solidify all those book one songs that may have gotten a little fuzzy.  She finished book one back in the spring, but between AP tests and high school graduation, summer was a better time to have the recital.  [Note: if you want to see some video highlights of the recital skip to the end of the blog post]. 

Below is Ariadne on the day she got her first real violin, the adult voice is her teacher (and she took the video too).  It was mid August 2016.

Her she is with her box violin, which is how most Suzuki violinists start. The use it to learn to hold the violin without dropping it, and can learn parts of the violin and even basic bowing rhythms. It is a breakfast bar box covered in paper with a ruler for the fingerboard and scroll. 

And the real thing! I believe it was a 1/10 size. She was almost four and a half. 

Being so far from our music teacher and school (not to mention covid), we decided to have her siblings accompany her. They split up the book and I got to work finding duet parts for various instruments.  Most we found in the Suzuki violin duet book.  Charlotte listened to Nova play them on violin, then transposed them for cello by ear.  We found an excellent (and original!) duet part to Minuet 3 by Bach.  In the non-Suzuki world it is entitled Minuet in G and it is in the Anna Magdalena Notebook.  Solomon and I found a Youtube video of a duet part for Gavotte by Gossec and he ended up doing a cross between that and something of his own invention.  The Happy Farmer duet part was his own arrangement. Everyone joined in for Twinkle Theme.  

Solomon and Ariadne practicing Gossec Gavotte

Ariadne decided she wanted dress up for the occasion.  She found a beautiful blue dress Nova had worn when she was a junior bridesmaid for her aunt and uncle's wedding. 

We dug out the dress black and whites for the older kids.  

In order to make it feel like a real party, we decided to send out party packages to our guests.  Round one was for the out of town folks.  The house was turned into a cookie factory. We sent sugar cookies with treble clefs in pink royal icing and star sprinkles, treble clef napkins, a program, and musical coloring pages of violins, Bach, Mozart, and Schumann. In-town guests got Nutella cellos and eighth note jam-jams, along with the programs and coloring pages.  Driving around town and dropping things off was the most contact we'd had with our friends in months, which was a surprise benefit of the recital. 

After all the practice and baking, August 1st finally came and it was time to start the zoom call! The way the songs were split up, the older kids usually did a couple accompaniments in a row to minimize reshuffling time. 

We had an intermission, both because an entire book is a lot to play in a row, and to deal with the 40 minute time limit on zoom.  The songs probably would have made it just under the wire, but we wanted a few minutes to chat afterwards, and also knew there would be a little extra time switching out the cello. 

Feeling good at intermission

Here we are at the intermission blowing off steam (and you can see our set-up with microphone and laptop).  Charlotte and Nova are looking over the songs in her new Suzuki Cello vol 6. Solomon is playing some fast runs in the background and Ariadne is singing along. She has a flare for the dramatic. 

I do not know what Solomon was thinking about here. I was thinking that in a few short weeks, he would be off at college, and life would be forever different. Not that we can stop these things, nor that we should. But sometimes I catch myself looking over a precipice of time, anticipating the leap. 

Afterward we convinced the older kids that we did indeed need to take a couple group pictures, which ended in goofing around with the camera. 

Below are a few video highlights from the recital. I put the last song first, because there is no song more quintessential to the Suzuki method than Twinkle Theme (aka Twinkle Twinkle Little Star). It also happens to be the only song with all four kids playing.  

During the actual recital we started with the last song in the book and played all the way through to the beginning, breaking for intermission a little before the folk songs. The backwards order was Ariadne's teacher's suggestion, and I am so glad we did it that way.  There's nothing as daunting a Gossec Gavotte when you're all tired out. 

Twinkle Theme Quartet

Happy Farmer

Minuet 2

May Song

Messing around at Intermission 

Long Long Ago

O Come Little Children

Song of the Wind

Ariadne likes jewelry.  We decided to give her a treble clef bracelet as a gift after the recital. 

Fall Recital 2020

 

November is fall recital time! Charlotte and Ariadne both had virtual performances. Ariadne played Waltz, by Johannes Brahms. I could tell she likes this piece, based on how willing she always was to practice it. In fact, Solomon and Nova used to play it for her as a lullaby when she was a baby. Charlotte played Tarantella by William Henry Squire--her first recital song on a full size cello.  It is a lively piece with many different sections. Tarantella translates to tarantula, so we included a tarantula coloring page in our box of recital goodies we sent to relatives. 

This is the first time we've had a virtual recital where all the performances were prerecorded. The girls enjoyed watching other the kids play and putting comments in the chat, but they weren't that crazy about watching themselves.

 

Cello Rock's rendition of Kashmir was a surprise finale. Charlotte has been a part of the group since this summer. The group had been given special permission to meet at Antonello Hall and recorded the song the last time the were there. Charlotte joined them via zoom and was represented by a computer cart. Since covid numbers are getting worse all their rehearsals are now virtual. 

The week before the recital we made apple cider salted caramels and oatmeal smile cookies, which is a recipe I originally made up for a book club.  We sent them off along with a note and some coloring pages. but were 1 for 6 on packages arriving on time. Wednesday is the cut off for Saturday delivery, it seems. 

Christmas 2015--Looking Back & Christmas on the Farm

  

We have five Christmases a year.  And no one is divorced.  Christmas with my dad's side of the family, Christmas with my mom's side of the family, Christmas morning with just the six of us, Christmas with my mom, dad and sister, and Christmas with the Midwinters--immediately followed by Grandpa Barry's birthday.  At first, this was a lot to juggle. But we said to ourselves, how long will these extended family Christmases continue? In some years it is the only time a particular side of the family gets together. As it turns out, those extended family Christmases have continued 15 years and counting--and we wouldn't have it any other way.  

Trimming the tree and Grandma and Grandpa's house

After year three or four, we hit a rhythm.  Extended family Christmases usually fall early or late in December.  Stockings and gifts appear the morning of Christmas Eve at our house. Our parents swap Christmas Eve and Christmas Day back and forth.  At least a part of the 26th is spent with the Midwinters for Grandpa's birthday.  There are usually at least one or two overnights in there--not because we live far away, but because it is more fun.

And trimming our own tree

 In many ways, my extended family is our close family.  Not until 2017 did my kids get a first cousin, so all they know about playing with cousins comes from my first cousins and their kids (my youngest cousins are only two years older than Solomon).  Both aunts have lived out of state for the vast majority of the kids' childhoods, and the extended family on the Midwinter side is spread all over North America. For a good long stretch they were in Manitoba, Oklahoma, California, British Columbia, Illinois, The Northwest Territories, and Minnesota.   We see them when we can, but it is not every Christmas.

   

In 2015, we had Christmas on the farm.  This only happens once every three years or so, so there is always excitement about going to see all the animals.  Cousin Katrina gave us a tour.



First we saw the dairy cows, classic black and white holsteins.  From there we saw the many, many birds.  It was a cold day, so they were all inside, running around together.  I believe there were geese, chickens, ducks and quail.  Katrina showed the eggs of each--all different.  There was also a huge difference between dirty and clean.



Then we walked over to see the brown jersey calves.  They were quit cute. Along the way Ariadne got to sit on a hay bale, and the older girls 'skated' on large stretch of ice.  I remember one of my first skating experiences happened on the same farm on a similar patch, but with actual ice skates.




Back inside we talked, played games and I would venture to guess we sang some carols.  My cousins who grew up at the farm are good singers and piano players.  We had our annual ornament exchange, which now has both a child and an adult category.  Though I can't remeber exactly what we ate four years removed, I do know Christmas at the farm almost always includes little heart shaped waffles with lingonberry jam and whipped cream, and lots of christmas cookies of all varieties.  The last decade or so had included a revival of traditional Scandinavian recipes such as Swedish and Norweigan meatballs, lutafisk (always served with many other dishes, as not everyone likes it), several soups, and the fish chowder my Grandma always made on New Years Eve.

Back at my parents' house, Nova taught Aunt Brynn a song on the guitar, we got in a good game of Settlers and Granne showed Ariadne her finished quilt club quilt (a group of roughly 8 quilters met once a month and took turns adding to each other's quilts).

Cooper and his dad

This was just two of our Christmas celebrations in 2015.  I wish I had recorded more details, but the whirlwind of celebration took over documentation fell by the wayside.  We had a fine time with the Midwinters as well.  It was one of Marianne and Sylvain's 'on' years for Christmas (they alternate between here with us and in France with Sylvain's family).  My parents hosted for the other side of extended family in 2015.  Ariadne enjoyed seeing her second cousins Brooks and Cooper, who are just a couple years younger than her. Now that they are out of the baby stage, they seem so much closer in age.

A gift of fine French cheeses from Sylvain's parents

On the last day of 2015 my mom and I went on a tour of the St Paul Cathedral.  It was a jubilee year, which is why the middle doors are decorated.  They are not even open in a non-jubilee year (something I never knew before).  Our tour guide was quite good, explaining how the Cathedral functioned as a storybook would, telling the important stories in the Bible.

I just have these two shots from the outside, because my camera died.  There was much more to see inside, including a life size reproduction of Michelangelo's sculpture Pieta.  

   

Baby/Toddler Gear ages 1-2

Awhile back, I wrote a post about baby gear for the first year.  It was fun.  It was a trip down memory lane.  It was a bit of a historical document, given that we started this whole baby thing 14 years ago, and a few things (like recommendations on starting solid food, for example), have changed.  Anyway, here's what we found essential for 12-36 months.

PS There were meant to be so many more toddler photos here but my electronic filing system leaves something to be desired.  I figure it is better publish what I have than leave it in draft mode forever.

 A high chair



Baby Gates

Baby backpack/soft carrier on the back

Stroller

Baby Bjorn bib (or similar)

Baby Bjorn Little Potty (or similar)

Cloth Diapers and Covers

Reusable swim diaper

Wet Sack for outings

Underwear!

Car Seat

MPR/A Good Book Club (for me)


Snow Suits!

Robeez boots (for Nova, these were the only ones we could keep her from kicking off).  Pictured on Ariadne.



Baby Dishes (These saw the most use this year)

Toys

Blocks

Stuffed Animals (not too many)

A ball

   

Books


A toddler bed?  Nova was all about getting her very own bed, the others not so much.  

Day time and Night time clothes--before age one all outfits seem to blend, as did night and day for the small person wearing them.

Soft soled shoes--we liked robeez, because they stayed on the best.  See Kai Run was our first brand of soft soled shoes that also had a rubber tread.  It very well may be these brands have been replaced by others at this point, but the concept remains the same.

Fridge/freezer lock--Charlotte pushed us to level up our child/baby proofing.  She was mobile at 7 months--nearly half a year before her older siblings.  She as also better at getting into things--nimble little fingers. 

Cabinet lock

Outlet Covers

Screen Door Lock--Ariadne in particular liked heading outside whenever the spirit moved her. 

Kids' Music--I swore I would not play 'kid music' way back when I just had a tiny baby.  Why not just play them good adult music? I  thought.  If that is what I raise them on they should be just as happy.  Nope.  Wrong.  When Solomon was 13 months old, we made it the last four hours of the drive from Tulsa to Minneapolis only by playing 'Raffi Song' (The More We Get Together) on repeat.  He wouldn't even consent to the whole album.  Just that one song! Other favorites include Lauri Berkner and The Okee Dokee Brothers.  Ariadne is our outlyer here. She likes hard rock and always has.  When I switched from 'Sex and Guns and Rock and Roll' to a Beatles ballad, She screamed and yelled for me to turn it back--though she might have been three at the time of this incident.

Books on CD--These days this might also include kids podcasts.  The library is great source.  This makes car trips SO much better.  We usually get a mix of picture books that come with the actual book and one or two novels of general interest, alternating as attention span allows.  We handed back the book when we thought the kid was old enough to keep it in one piece.. 

Pencils, crayons and paper--Drawing time!  With our first it snuck up on me.  I remember asking my mother-in-law  "Do you mean I can give an 11 month old writing implements--won't he eat them??"  (She is a family practice doctor and so has some expertise here).  Turns out, with direct supervision, drawing was a great activity for 1-2 year olds.  They scribbled, drew shapes, and eventually people and letters.  Three sided crayons and pencils are great for promoting the 'proper' grip.  However, pencil grip seems to be very personal.  My two youngest had a picture perfect grip well before age 2, while my 12 year old still prefers more of an overhand grip.  But gets by just fine.  (I will add proof if I get a hold of her drawing file).