hide-n-(sensory)-seeking

A few weeks ago, I mentioned that I had started teaching private music lessons again . This has proven to be interesting and fun in many ways. Some I expected. I always enjoy working with my students, seeing them go from little to no knowledge of an instrument to learning basic rhythms in just a few short weeks! Seeing the light bulbs go on as they recognize things, or something suddenly makes sense.  Some ways, have surprised me. Like teaching in the age of mobile technology. At a lesson with one student, she brought her iPad so I could explain how to use the metronome app that I had recommended she download. I did and then we practiced with it together several times.  She seemed more relaxed when we played her exercises together I noticed. So I asked her if she knew how to record sound only on her iPad (which, of course she did, she's nearly twelve after all). And I offered to record myself playing the exercises, so she could listen and play with them...

This week was tough. And those feelings were fairly evenly distributed throughout the many veins of activity that contribute our family pulse. The kids were draggy about schoolwork, even the fun stuff. An unusual excess of energy was never quite burned off, despite bouncing and crawling around on the floor like puppies. So the noise level and bickering that often ensued was very painful and exceedingly annoying to this mommy this week! Much grumbling occurred in regard to chores and who might be neglecting them, including me. I spent a rather embarrassing amount of time doing nothing but drinking coffee and watching my kids play with the chickens. An unprecedented amount of spillage happened, with relatively few witnesses,  but many fingers pointed at the cat. But the things he spilled could easily have been set in places he has little or no access to by said finger pointers. Because of the above, I have basically been washing towels ove...

Today was Grace's first violin lesson after a few months hiatus (my fault, I got tired and let it go). She's been asking me for a long time to start them again, and as I resolved in my post last week , today was the reinstitution of her lessons.   She's really quite a natural. Once she gets some more stamina, she won't have any trouble learning the rhythms or the notes and fingerings. She has a naturally good bow hold and curve of her fingers along the neck. Her biggest obstacle will be her stubbornness. She has a tendency to argue, and can get a bit mouthy sometimes. That was one reason I stopped her lessons before, she didn't want to listen to what I was trying to teach her, she thought she already knew it all.   She has been more cooperative lately in general, and today she didn't argue with my directions at all. So that is a big indicator to me that her interest is genuine. Big Brother Too     I asked Zak if he would like me to teach h...