Tuesday, May 13, 2014

Awards and Concerts and Escapes

We got a letter in the mail a couple of weeks ago letting us know that Alyssa would be receiving an award for art during a ‘visual arts’ program on May 12.

Last week, Alyssa announced that she was performing with the fifth grade band on Monday, May 12th.

“But you’re receiving an award for art that night,” I told her.

She shrugged and said, “The band is performing too.”

Huh. Okay then.

So we planned for an evening at the school, a chance to see Alyssa’s artistic ability rewarded and the chance to see if/how much the fifth grade band had improved since January.

Last night as I was scrambling to get the girls fed before we had to leave to be at the school by 6:30 (I hate that they insist the performers be at the school a full half hour before the concert begins. Why? They certainly don’t warm up for that long and if the kids have to be there that early, you know darned well the parents are there that early and just sitting around, waiting for something to happen.)

Ahem. Tandem.

Anyway, I was getting the girls fed and finding clothes for them both because after a day of school they definitely needed to change.

At 6:00, Alyssa told me that some people were bringing cookies for a reception after the concert.

I’d taken cookies for a reception after the kindergarten program a couple of months ago, so I asked Alyssa if she was supposed to maybe tell me about the cookie thing a week ago instead of fifteen minutes before we were leaving.

She gave me a sheepish look and got a couple of pieces of paper out of her backpack.

One was a request to bring cookies and the other was about the concert itself. Before dinner, Alyssa told me she didn’t have to wear the usual black pants with white shirt that is required for band concerts.

I picked a yellow shirt with black pants for her.

On the sheet she’d given me, it gave the dress code. Spring colors, no short skirts or tennis shoes.

Nailed that one.

The cookie one? Sorry but they were out of luck on that one.

I consoled myself that one out of two wasn’t bad.

We got to the school at 6:25. We found our seats and Olivia decided she better try to pee. She and I made the trek from the auditoria to the restroom and then back again. That burned off all of eight minutes.

My mom showed up and passed out some tic tacs, which took another three minutes.

Then Olivia started to fidget. She asked when it was going to start, she asked when she and Tom could escape, she thought maybe she should try to use the bathroom again. I vetoed that idea and so we waited.

Finally, the visual arts awards were handed out. Alyssa was so cute up there, all quiet and reserved. So different from home.

And now the concert begins. The junior high choir was first. They’re good singers and we love the choir director/music teacher but she picks really sucky songs.

Then the fourth grade played recorders. Ugh. That is a sound that even a parent can’t appreciate. Seriously. Alyssa still loves playing her recorder. She’s taught herself “Let It Go” on the recorder and while the fact that she can actually play that song is amazing and wonderful and I’m full of maternal pride and joy, the sound coming from the recorder makes me want to stab myself in the ear with a screw driver.

After six songs played with recorders (damn I left my screw driver at home), it was time for the fifth grade band.

They were definitely better than they were in January. They looked better too, more confident, more aware of their instruments. Yes, I’m a band geek, why do you ask?

The instant the fifth grade band finished their last song, Olivia stood up and took Tom’s hand, declaring it was time for them to make their mistake. My mom and I laughed as they left the room quickly enough that it looked like they feared someone might come along and try to make them stay for the sixth grade band and even the junior high band.

We did stay for those because it seemed like the right thing to do. Alyssa came out and sat with us. She’s a great girl that one.

I love that she’s getting this experience. I love that she’s enjoying music and exploring the world of art, both visual and musical.

I do think I’m going to go home and hide all three of the recorders we have laying around the house, though. Those things were instruments of evil.

1 comment:

Julie said...

Gotta love those music programs! Congrats to Alyssa on her award.