A Spring Piano Recital

SHE DID IT!

Our annual spring recital was last night. Franchesca has only played in 1 ever even though she has been learning the piano since she was 5. It could be labeled "Extreme Performance Anxiety". I began working on her early this spring, offering lots of encouragement (and bribes). I REALLY wanted her to have this success under her belt. She finally agreed to the agreement that we go horseback riding and that she and Doug can soon watch "The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe", something lots of people have seen but we feel has been way too intense and complicated for all but the oldest in our family.

I didn't intentionally invite anyone as this makes her much more nervous, she has always been this way-even on her birthday. I waited all day for the tummy ache to start and the withdrawn spirit but it never came. She said she wasn't even nervous. We even took the day off of all lesson work to have fun and get some energy out (planting garden) but she seemed fine all day. The drive there could have been trecherous but still, just smiles. We arrived WAY early, practiced, sat in the FRONT row (her request-boy that is brave too; probably so we didn't see just how many people were behind us) and patiently waited 6:30 to arrive.

Franchesca played a duet with her teacher, Mrs. Koeman. Nathan offered to play with her but she felt more secure with a more mature person. She also requested that they go FIRST. Apparantly Mrs. Koeman doesn't get many requests to go first, was pleasantly surprised and they opened with fanfare playing "Stars and Stripes Forever".

I was so glad for her. This felt great, not to negate Nathan and Adrianna's performance which were equally great, but didn't require quite so much courage. Nathan accompanied AJ on "Chopsticks" and then went on to later play a beautiful rendition of "Beauty and The Beast".

Now-to find that place to ride horses!