MUSIC, MUSIC, MUSIC

A very busy season, but I found time to knit this sweet vest and matching hat and five finger puppets for Adam and Annie and Alma.

Haloween is upon us, and I took out my 'apple witches', and Iris and Elsa and I made new ones for the season.  They are fun to watch as the apple transforms over a two week hanging period.  The teeth are rice and the eyes are beans. 

Pretty scary if you ask me!

Andy is once again undergoing three intensive days of chemo therapy, so I am spending much time with the girls.  As Andy and Jonel have to leave early in the morning, I go there about 6:30 and the girls are generally already up.  This day they had a surprise for me, originally to be presented at 10:30 but they just could not wait. 

Iris has been playing the violin for quite some time now, and Elsa actually gave it a try, but she was convinced the instrument she wanted to play was the cello.  A Suzuki cello teacher was finally located, a tiny cello finally optained, and lessons began.

The surprise

an early morning concert.  Above is the playbill which they pinned to the 'curtain'.  The music for this event was original, composed and written by Iris.  Now Iris cannot read music yet, but she does know the names of the strings.  So she made up her own notation, taught it to Elsa,

and they were set.  Above is Iris' music sheet

and this, more simplistic notation....string D, long, long, long, long stroke, is Elsa's.  Some of Elsa's were noted with short lines, and some with both.

Iris tuning her violin.

Elsa getting ready to perform.

Iris beginning....as she said, "With a one and a two and a three", and Elsa chimed in with words and cello, too.

It was magnificent, really!!  They even composed some songs that depicted each of their cats, and honestly, I could tell which cat was each song. 

These girls truly love music.  I have a CD of Idzak Perlman that plays Klezmer music, it is one of their favorites, as they sing along with the Yiddish, and create scenes for the instrumentals.  Yesterday during a fast paced instrumental they envisioned and narrated...a rabbit running scared, he finds a bush, there, he hides inside it, now he is peeking out, oh, no, here comes the hunter again"  and on and on and on. 

You can imagine how much fun this is for me!!