Strings in June

Today was registration and the first practice for the summer strings orchestra--it went awesomely! 

Lovely had been asking for a violin for the past two years, so we purchased one at the Cinci convention, along with books and cds to learn.  I've been going over simple instruction, but she hadn't really played, other than plucking "A A A A" and "E E E E" over and over again.  I admit, I want her to play partially because I was never allowed to take music lessons due to the expense.  However, I also thought this might boost her self-esteem since she is so extremely shy, plus, she actually asked to play without my prodding. 

The summer orchestra is only for four days, and then they have a little concert at the end.  They teach four different levels, including those who have never seen a violin before!  I placed Lovely in this group since she hasn't actually played previously.  There are only 5 other students, and although she hasn't spoken to any of the other kids, as the teacher was coming around to tell everyone which is the A string, she said, "I already know where the A string is," to the teacher!  I was shocked, since she had never met her before today.  Then, at the end of class, I reminded her that she needed to ask the teacher to fix her bridge, so without hesitation, she marched across the room and asked her to fix the bridge.  What?  Was that my super shy daughter?!!

I know this isn't much for a lot of parents, but Lovely has always been extremely shy, like her mother and her grandparents.  I must say, I am thrilled to watch her blossom!  As hard as it is sometimes to belong to our homeschool group, I am so thankful for the opportunities it provides to get Lovely out and about, playing with others.  I think that has also led to her finding more self-esteem. 

ne