GimletBlog

Back in the very early days of GimletBlog, Thing One had just begun cello lessons.  Thing Two was quite intrigued; he liked to play next to the cello and especially crawl over to tug at the endpin or touch the strings.

Six years later, it’s time for Thing Two to begin his own music lessons on the violin.

We’ve been clients of a local string instrument shop for several years for Thing One’s cello needs, but this time it was Thing Two’s turn, and he was delighted to be fitted for his own 1/8 violin and accessories.  Later at home, Thing One taught his little brother the similarities and differences between the cello and the violin.

He enjoyed his first lesson; he’s practicing learning how to hold his violin and bow properly and how to care for his instrument.  His teacher has a large (but very gentle and friendly) dog who likes to sit at the student’s feet during lessons; Thing Two is very nervous around dogs, especially large ones, but by the end of the lesson he felt brave enough to feed Bodhi a biscuit.  During the course of the lessons, Thing Two will learn to play the violin and to become more comfortable around dogs — a bonus we didn’t expect!

Thing Two will be learning traditional Scandinavian music.  As he progresses,  he’ll have the opportunity to join the Seattle Lilla Spelmanslag, a local performance group of young musicians ages 8-18 who play Nordic folk music for dances, community organizations, parades and festivals such as Yulefest at the Nordic Heritage Museum, Skandia Folkdance Society’s Midsommarfest, and the Northwest Folklife Festival.

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Today Thing One picked up his tuxedo for the high school chamber orchestra.

He also had his braces put on, so no more popcorn until his 17th birthday.

Which probably explains his serious expression.  He was a good sport about having his picture taken, sore mouth and all.

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As Thing One’s time in middle school draws to a close and he prepares to start high school, we had planned a sentimental look back, because it has all gone by so quickly and we’re sure high school will be over before we know it as well.  But on the morning of the next-to-last day of school, we got the phone call nobody likes to see on the caller ID:  the school nurse’s office.

During Field Day, Thing One had fallen and his arm wasn’t looking good.  A trip to the doctor and X-rays confirmed that he had broken his wrist.  Thing Two asked if his brother’s arm would fall off and he would grow a new one.  The doctor said that was unlikely, but the arm will be in a splint for one week, followed up by a cast for six weeks.  An exciting start to the summer!

Phone calls to the various scout camps were in order, and happily his cast shouldn’t interfere too much with any of those activities.  (The Philmont doctor suggested wrapping him up in bubble wrap until he arrived safely there, to prevent further injury.)  Cello practice, however, is probably not going to fare as well.

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Editor’s Note: Thing One recently returned from a four-day musical retreat with his school’s senior orchestra held at the Icicle Creek Music Center near Leavenworth, Washington.

Last Thursday the senior orchestra went to Icicle Creek, and they have for more than 5 years, and I came this year. Icicle Creek Music Center is near the German themed town Leavenworth. The snow there is not too powdery or icy, and there is a great view of the mountains.

After unpacking, we went to the main building and played the music we have been practicing: the 3rd movement of the 3rd Bach Brandenburg concerto, the last movement of the Tchaikovsky serenade, and also the Divertimento by Bela Bartok. After rehearsing music and doing sectionals on the music, we went to our cabins, and went to sleep. The next day, we practiced music again, and watched the James Bond movie “From Russia With Love”.

On the third day, Saturday, after playing music (again), we went into Leavenworth and came to a block of German stores. The stores had things like candy (not just German candy), hats (like my coonskin cap), and funny t-shirts. They also had Cuckoo clocks (which all were over $100.00 unfortunately), little statues of gnomes and bears and birds (Oh My!) and of course, Leavenworth magnets. After about an hour of shopping at the stores, the entire orchestra went to a German restaurant, where they had spaghetti and meatballs, and also a band playing German songs, which people (including me) danced to. After that, we went back to our cabins. It was someone in our cabin’s birthday at midnight, so in our cabin (curfew was 10:00) we celebrated with the candy we bought in Leavenworth.

There were awards, too:  I won the prize for best hat with my new coonskin cap.  Icicle Creek was a fun experience, and we also got a lot of work on the pieces done.

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The middle school’s annual autumn concert is the first opportunity of the school year for all the orchestra parents to enjoy the fruits of nagging their children to practice.  It’s an especially exciting time for the parents of cellists and bassists, as we’ve spent the past few months listening to just the bass line of each performance piece — no melody — and have wondered how the complete piece will sound.

Thing One is finishing up his middle school career* in the senior orchestra, and they sounded great.  Even Thing Two sat through the entire concert, which he has never done before, and he was thrilled to see his big brother on stage.  But don’t take our word for it; here are the three pieces they performed (all in Quick Time format):

• Allegro from Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 by J.S. Bach (15 MB)
  Poor Thing One:  The Gimlet set up the tripod in just the right spot, only to have the cellist in front of Thing One scoot his chair back, blocking our star from view.
• Intermezzo from Cavalleria Rusticana by Pietro Mascagni (6 MB)
  The Gimlet relocates and Thing One is revealed.
• Hoedown from Rodeo by Aaron Copeland (8 MB)
  How does one deal with an itchy nose during a performance?  Thing One shows how it’s done.

* Aside:  Can Thing One really be almost a high school student?  Wasn’t he in kindergarten, like, yesterday?

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Just when we left Team Gimlet teetering on the edge of Kilauea (check out what’s been happening since we were there – wow!), Thing One’s homework, cello practice, and musical practice schedule really picked up and has been taking most of our free time. But I’ve resolved to bring the blog up to date. Upgrades are available for the blog and photo gallery programs, so expect a little down time while those are installed. The Gimlet and Thing One went to Walt Disney World for spring break, so look for a post and some photos; meanwhile, Thing Two’s new interest in birds led us to install bird feeders in the yard, which has made bird watchers out of all of us.

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Here are some of the things we’ve been doing this summer:

Thing bling! Thing Two has been wearing Mardi Gras beads, both at home and out on the town. At his haircut this week, he didn’t cry for the first time. It was a proud moment for Sheila, who has been trying to make friends with him all year since his first haircut last summer. She thinks her success may be due in part to complimenting him on his accessorizing savvy.

Thing One has started taking karate lessons and private cello lessons. He wasn’t sure he wanted to try karate, but after observing his friend’s class, he liked it more than he thought he would! He completed the full course of Red Cross swimming classes this spring, so we’re glad to find another activity he enjoys. Classes meet twice per week, which has us a little worried how that will work out once school starts, but we’ll take that as it comes. As for the cello lessons, we’re delighted that Bobbi is available to teach. I’ve missed my own lessons and have hopes of restarting them once Thing Two is older. Thing Two loves having his big brother home to play with him, and Thing One is not only patient and almost always willing to play, but also generous with his toys.

I had my first appointment with the dressmaker for my JASNA ball gown. Click on the detail to see fabric samples: satin and lace. Both fabrics drape beautifully and the satin has a lovely silvery sheen to it. The gown is based on a particular London model depicted in at least two different fashion magazines from the Regency period. Once the gown is finished, I’ll post pictures comparing it to the original fashion plates.

The Gimlet is expected to make a full recovery from his week at scout camp.

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The title references the charming poem: The Junior High School Band Concert by David Wagoner (1999), featured on a recent Writer’s Almanac.

The school year is finally wrapping up in our area, bringing with it the inevitable displays of student progress, whether they be science fairs, model museums, or, in our case, concerts. Thing One is very fortunate to attend a school with a top-ranked music program which consistently sweeps the awards at regional competitions. Not only are we happy that he’s getting such a good musical education, but it also makes the concerts a pleasure to attend. The performances range from mostly painless to surprisingly good. (We think one unnamed section may have mixed up their sheet music and kept playing Shostakovich during a Tchaikovsky piece, but still — mostly painless.)

The end of the year concert was held at a newly remodeled high school. This school is also known for its excellent music and drama programs, and the new theatre is a jewel box of green and gold (the school colors). The Junior Orchestra (Thing One’s group) played Handel’s Concerto Grosso, Op. 6, No. 9 in F and Brahms’ Hungarian Dance #5. Two Senior Orchestra soloists were particularly outstanding: the bassist playing the allegro moderato of Antonio Capuzzi’s Concerto for Bass in F major and the cellist for Tchaikovsky’s Variations on a Rococo Theme, who received a well-deserved standing ovation.

As the musicians concentrated on their art, it was hard to remember they were all 11-13 year-olds. At the end, they milled about in the lunchroom/lobby area: ties loosened, munching on cookies from the bake sale, collecting instruments, bouquets, and hugs, all see-saw voices and unsteady in their dress shoes. One could almost dismiss them as ordinary pre-teens once again, were it not for the school’s motto in large letters across one wall: What I am to be, I am now becoming.

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