Music with Ms. Crystal

"Music is the medicine of the mind." -  Logan

The Children had their last piano practice with Ms. Crystal a week and half ago. After, our piano was packed up there was not much piano practicing for the Christmas Piano Recital.   But, not to fear the Children did fantastic. It probably had to do with the fact that Ms. Crystal had a piano competition just before the recital. 

This Little Gentleman completed a full year of piano with Ms. Crystal.
He played Jingle Bells and Go Tell It On The Mountain.

The Little Man came in 3nd for the practicing competition this year!
He was super excited. He told Ms. Crystal that he was going to bring home a trophy the last recital. He followed through with his declaration.
He played a Minute (Beethoven Fabor Arrangement) and Up On The House Top.

The Little Lady came in 2nd place for the practicing competition this year.
She played Feliz Navidad, What Child Is This  and  Mr. Grinch.

 Momma should have gotten an award too. 

After totaling up all the practice hours for the competition, between the 3 of them, I listened to over 60 hours of Christmas Music during the month of October and November due to them practicing hard to win a trophy for the practicing competition.

 Ms. Crystal is the best! We are going to miss her so much. We wish we could pack her up with us. 

 It has taken her 7 years to build up her studio. But, now she has 45 children that she teachers and she drives to each one of their homes! This lady is amazing.  She is going to be super hard to replace!

  After the recital it was time for finger foods and hanging out with all our friends. 

Ms. Crystal makes it totally special for the children. 

Each student receives a Christmas present and the tables are decorated so festive.

The Children had a fabulous time.

 Lord, We know there is no replacing Ms. Crystal but we sure know you can provide the perfect person for  the children to take piano lessons from while we are on the other side of the U.S.

We ask for favor in this area and ask that you continue to bless Ms. Crystal and her business.

2014 Spring Piano Recital

"Your talent is God's gift to you. What you do with it, is your gift back to God." Lifestyle Quote

The Little Man played

This Land is Your Land

Down in the Valley

 

The Little Lady played 

Colors of the Wind
Surfboard Boogie

 2nd Place Practice Award! 

 2014 Recital Group

The Little Lady Playing

"Talent is good. Practice is better. Passion is best."  - Frank Lloyd Wright

2013 Piano Christmas Recital

"You don't get harmony when everyone sings the same notes!" Pin quote


                                         The Children had their Christmas Piano Recital today.

Ms. Crystal, the piano teacher, had about 30 students to preform this year.  Each child played two songs a piece. And then she had a Christmas Piano Party afterwards too.

The Little Lady played ''We three Kings"  and the "Little Drummer Boy". 

The Little Man played "Joy to the World" and "Come All Ye Faithful". 

There was a 2 month practice competition this year as well.  The Little Lady came in 2nd this year. Our next door neighbor's girl came in first. And, our other neighbor's girl came in 3rd.  Let's just say we think the "Bloom Street" girls did a fabulous job sweeping the awards this year out of all Ms Crystals students!

                                               My Handsome Man standing with the girls.
                                              He won't be alone with the girls for long.
                                             Brother joins the recital ranks in the spring too.

Music Fills The House

 

"When life leaves you speechless, songs give you lyrics to find meaning."" - Unknown

 

Piano is weekly again.

The summer break had us only going ever two weeks.

Ms. Crystal is now doing all three of the older kiddos.

I am extremely spoiled with Ms. Crystal as a teacher.

She has a Classical Piano Degree.

She comes to my house.

She is a Christian.

 

I will cry if she decides not to travel out to our home but I would totally understand. 

She drives from an hour away.  So, she has to evaluate it every year because of the Military turn over in the neighborhood. This is our second year. And, this year, there is no worry about it because she has a monopoly on my road. She starts out at my house around 1 in the afternoon. She goes to the next door neighbors house after mine because they homeschool too. By the time she is finished with our homes,  the public and private school children on our road are home. Then, she just goes from home to home on the street late into the evening. (She has over 60 students that she travels to weekly).

Fancy likes the piano

There are two means of refuge from the misery of life - music and cats.  ~Albert Schweitzer

 

 

She crawled up in the Little Lady's lap while she was playing.

 

Spring Piano Recital 2013

 

"Life is like a piano... what you get out of it depends on how you play it." - unknown

 

 

The end of the year Spring Piano Recital was last night.

 

 

The Little Lady played a duet with her teacher called "Spring".

She also played "Fur Elise".

 

 

Their teacher gave out awards for several different things

such as a

Practice Award

Best Improved

Hard Worker

 

 

The Little Miss got 1st place in the Practice contest

 

 

Ms. Crystal gave out state awards for those who went to competition as well.

 

Little Man played "Alouetta" and "Meet the Flintstones"

 

 

He received a certificate for finishing 6 books in level Primer

 

 

Ms. Crystal passed out a little something to her students who were also moving away.

.... this part comes with being apart of a military town.

But, we are so happy that we will blessed to have her still!

Practicing Christmas Music

"If you hit a wrong note, then make it right by what you play afterwards." - Joe Pass 

First Recital

 

"Only a teacher can provide the push that allows the infinite perfectability of music to take flight."  - Thad Carhart

 

Since we have moved here, the Children have been taking piano lessons from a Lady named Ms. Crystal. They started back in October.  Crystal is amazing and extremely talented. She has a degree in Music and Classical Piano. 

 

My Children adore her.  Apparently, everyone else adores her too!

Below is a picture of her 33 students that preformed in the recital last night! 

(I believe she has 45 students or so...)

 

Mrs. Crystal has a great set up for us moms!

She comes to our house once a week!

I love the fact that she comes to MY house. 

 

Apparently, many military and home school families do as well.

She has over 8 Families that she does in my subdivision alone.

(4 Families are on my road)

She comes out to our subdivision on the same day and just goes house to house! 

(Apparently, she does this with several subdivisions not just military ones.)

 

My Little Ones very first recital.

 

The Little Man was nervous.

 

The Little Lady thought it was "No big deal."

 

They both did well!

 

 

Ms. Crystal had a "practicing" competition for the month of October and November."

She gave out awards for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place.

Also, Best Improved Awards as well.

 

She gave out Christmas ornaments to the Moms.

 

She gave out Goodie bags to all of her students.

 

Then, a Piano Family reception afterwards.

 

 

 

 

A big, BIG Night!

Grand Banging with a little Music

"Practice Makes Perfect" - Unknown but I know my Mom said it a 1000 times!

 

My antique baby grand has taken a beating over the last year due to several circumstances. It had to have several keys repaired.  And, then after it being repaired one of the hammers broke again. Beloved and I didn't necessarily want to put any more money into the old thing but figured we would wait to see how it made the move and then go from there. Well, it didn't make the move well at all.

 

So, Beloved bought us a new baby grand!    

 

So excited!

 

And, because it is something new everyone is playing it!

 

The Little Gentlman cracked me up.

He said, "Mom. How old is this piano?"

Me:  "It is brand new"

The Little Gentlman, "Seriously, How old is the piano?"

Me, "It is brand new."

The Little Gentleman "You mean it isn't 100 years old?"

Me:  "It is brand new"

The Little Gentlman to the Little Man,  "Dad must have bought it then."

 

Apparently, I have a reputation!

 

Lessons can now continue....

A "G" in pencil

"Music is the poetry of the air." - Richter

Going from the D on the right hand to the G on the left hand was giving her a fit! After about two days, I took a pencil and wrote the letter G above the note because I was constantly going by and hitting the correct note.  The whole senerio made me smile because I was reminded of the scene in the Music Man where Amaryllis was always missing the note in her song during her piano lesson.

I am pleased to say, with very little carpet in this house,  I can now open the windows so that the melody of "Jesus Loves Me" filters out into the air sweetly.

The Little Man 1st Lesson

Life is like a piano... what you get out of it depends on how you play it. ~ UnknownWe just can't find a Piano teacher in our area that I don't have to travel an hour or more to go see. It seems our biggest issue is finding someone who won't charge me for the months that we are on the road just to keep a spot open for the Children. So, at the suggestion of a friend whose Children play beautifully and all learned by Madonna Woods CD Piano Course for Christians, we are taking her advice.

Joyful Noise

Make a joyful noise unto God, all ye lands:

Sing forth the honour of his name:

make his praise glorious.

Psalms 66:1-2

I think it has to do with being in pajamas!

It must be!

She gets into them and gets into mischief.

I thought she was with Beloved.

Beloved thought she was with me.

3 of our 4 Children were accounted for so is it possible that she could be the one "making the joyful noise" on the piano?

A Vintage Baby

Music washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life. ~Berthold Auerbach

My 1920's Baby has been restored.

This Piano even had the experts scratching their heads!

Everything was hand made back then so it made it very difficult to replace things.

Matter of fact, the experts had to make parts for it.

The neighbors are probably going to wish that the piano action had remained mute.
"BANG! BANG!"

Yes, It is time to set up those piano lessons for the Little Ones again.

LIttle Lady's 1st Piano Lesson

A painter paints pictures on canvas. But musicians paint their pictures on silence. ~Leopold Stokowski
Sweet Little Fingers!

1920's Baby Grand

My Beloved recently bought our family a 1920's Baby Grand Piano! I was thrilled! First of all, I love antiques. And it just so happens this piano is in excellent condition. It has a wonderful sound to it. The funny thing about having a piano in the house is that no one in our "little" family can play it! Oh, my Beloved and I can pound away on it but actually making something beautiful and relaxing come forth from it----well, only a child could appreciate our attempts! However, I am still tickled pink by having my very own little piano in my home that I have become inspired to bang away on it for the past couple of weeks for at least 15 minutes a day! And, I have succeeded in clicking those keys and making it through some very basic books! And although beautiful music might NOT be floating through the air, sitting down and practicing does bring back some wonderful memories! The first thing that typically comes to mind is remembering my Mom playing the piano. I can guarantee, if she is at the piano, she will eventually play "A Time For Us" from Romeo and Juliet! And at my Grandma's house, I can remember music being played right before we headed out to church on a Sunday evening. I was also blessed to hear her play every Sunday because she was our Church Pianist! I also have memories of my Uncle and Aunt playing the piano too. So you may be asking, "What happened to me?" Well, It wasn't because I didn't have lessons that I can't play, because my parents did give us lessons! You see, I remember my Mom trying to teach me basic stuff at the age of six, then my sister and I had lessons when I was nine, I took lessons from my Aunt when I was just out of high school for awhile, and my last attempt at taking lessons was that one lonely semester of piano in college! The truth about me is better spoken through Elizabeth from Pride and Prejudice, ".....I never took the time to practice!" And so my regret is deep! Particularly now that I have little ones that seem to enjoy sitting and banging out notes too! (You always want so much for your own children when you see your own mistakes!) However, Hope is not lost on me, I might not be a Concert Pianist or good enough to play in Church, but I am excited and determined to enjoy this beautiful instrument that God has so richly blessed our little family with! So, I will continue to go through book after book until I get out of this season of life in which I am in (taking care of babies and toddlers- and not able to make time for lessons right now) and then I shall enjoy taking lessons right beside my children!