Superior

For the past few months, Bode has been practicing two piano pieces for the Colorado Springs Music Festival.  The requirements were students had to learn one piece of the festival's choosing and then one piece of the student's choosing.  The students perform in front of two judges, and are graded on tempo, dynamics, errors, and musicality.  Leading up to the event, Bode showed no signs of worry or apprehension.  However, we could tell he was a little unnerved when we got to the event.  He asked if there were going to be people around when he played.  We told him only two people--the judges and Mommy and me.  While this sounds rather benign, after the event, I realized how intimidating this must have been to an eight-year old.

Bode's performance was scheduled for 2:50.  We arrived around 2:35 and checked in.  These performances were going on all day--the scheduled showed times from before 12:00 to 5:00, and each student had a 10-minute block.  There were two or three rooms where the performances took place, with two or three students sitting in chairs outside of each room.  A judge would come out of the room, bring the student in, introduce him (or her) to the other judge, and then the student would sit at the piano and play.  Then the student would leave while the judges decided on the student's grade.  The judge would come outside, present the grade, and that was the end.

When Bode was called in, I realized how hard this must be for him.  The room was the size of a large den, with a piano in the middle, and a table with the two judges on the one side.  That was it.  I realized this was far more intimidating than playing for a group of people.  The room was library-quiet when we entered, and it felt like all eyes were on Bode.  The judges were very nice, and told Bode to play when he was ready.  He did an outstanding job--a couple misnotes, but his dynamics and performance were excellent.  I'd show you a video, but no recordings were permitted.  He got a little flustered when he hit some wrong keys, but overall, we could not be more proud.

Afterwards, we waited, and I could tell Bode was a little dejected--he really wanted a superior and thought his errors would result in a lower grade.  We were elated when the judge comes out with the great news--superior!  We then snapped a quick photo with Bode's piano teacher, Miss Pat and the coveted blue ribbon.

Here's a close-up of the ribbon and his certificate.  It's a little blurry, but I think you get the gist.

This evening, I asked Bode to play the pieces for me on our piano.  He was busy playing on his Amazon Fire, but after some prodding, he came downstairs.  Unbeknownst to him, I had the camera recording.  He played the songs well, but I think he was better during the performance for the judges. Also, note there is some sheet music on the piano in front of Bode.  That is not the songs he is playing; everything you hear is from memory.

The festival is held every year.  If Bode gets three superiors in a row, he is awarded a pretty slick looking gold cup.  I think the expectations go up a little each year, but with practice, he'll do great.

Ashley is going to DC tomorrow, so it's just me and the maestro.  Pleasant week to all.