Challenge Nails

Last week were the middle school challenges for all orchestra or band students who wanted to challenge for a higher spot.  Ashley had to learn two pieces of music because she both challenged up to Chamber Orchestra and because she was challenged for her chair in Strings Orchestra.  The latter is practically a given since she is currently first chair in the Strings Orchestra.  She picked up her music and had 10 days to prepare.  I was looking over her practice chart and realized that cumulatively, she put in over 7 hours of practice in 10 days.  I wish I could tell you how it turned out, but I won't know until tomorrow.  Plus, everyone who challenged another or who was challenged played in front of one another in one practice room.  NO PRESSURE!  Trent and I really wanted to stress with her that we are so proud of how hard she worked and prepared and that that alone is a win.  So, in addition to telling her all of that, I spent Monday afternoon of Martin Luther King Jr. Day preparing her challenge nails.

She can't have her nails long since she plays a string instrument, and I am no pro, but I think it turned out o.k.  She heard about some picture her teacher saw on facebook and then after googling wanted two owls sitting on a branch along her nails on her bowing hand so that while she played, it would look like owls were sitting on a branch.  Her other hand says hooo across the nails.  Lots of amateur mistakes, but she thought it was great, so that makes it so.  Perhaps we've started a tradition.....

 

 

For any interested in what pieces she had to prepare, for Strings Orchestra, she had to play a selection from Integrity by Larry Clark.  I should have recorded her playing, because I can only find band clips on youtube and it sounds different.  For challenging up to Chamber Orchestra, she had to play a selection from Farandole by George Bizet.  You can listen to that here.  For those of you have or have  had Little Einsteins fans, it is the piece from Annie's Solo Mission, which ironically, was on last Thursday.  I recorded it and all of kids watched the whole thing.  Too funny.  Every time I listed to her practice, I was singing, "here I come.  I'm off to save my friends.  I'm flying Rocket.  Can  you hear my rescue song."

 

 

UPDATE:  Ashley's Strings teacher found her in the cafeteria today.  She did not win her challenge into Chamber Orchestra.  Sad I know, but he did tell her that she played so well that he will be adding a chair to Chamber Orchestra and moving her up, so everyone wins.  Hooray!  So excited for her and grateful that I don't have to find a new long black dress for the Spring concert.  That is harder than you would think.