COME ON MAMA!

Today was a day where she had to "tolerate all the crap that comes before the thing you reaallllyyyy want to do". She woke up early, practised her clarinet hard and cycled off to school, desperate for it to be over..... She had fun at a new craft club that started this lunchtime but she ran out of school the second she was released with a MASSIVE grin on her face....

because today... today she starts wind band. 

She tolerated going home to eat her tea, practise piano and repack her bag. That was about all. We then had to go for the train to the city. We got a train that got us in early rather than cutting it fine so we went to get a babyccino. She didn't particularly tolerate me drinking my coffee slower than she took to drink hers. We went to the music centre (which is absolutely gorgeous). 

She has been epically excited about this. She's worked hard on the piece that they sent her music teacher to transpose into her Eb. As we arrived, I spotted a staff member holding a folder with her band name on so I collared him and asked what we should do. He immediately took her under wing and took us upstairs. She suddenly looked very small. She was at least 2 years younger than the next youngest kid. Some of them were 10, 11, 12. She looked every bit a wee six year old. She started a little bit of her early signs of nervous - the holding tight to my hand, beginning to drop back behind me, so I kissed her and gently pulled her off, making a swift exit. I sat and waited in the entrance hall and could hear the start of their tuning and warm ups begin. I was twitchy, willing the teacher to not come out and tell me she was upset/stressed. The plan had been that she would go for the first half, watch and possibly join in, maybe stay for some of break and then go home. When it came to break time, her band leader came down to me. He said that she had got right on with it and was doing brilliantly. He said that the woodwind teachers were already very impressed with her. Then her HUGE smiling face appeared over the railing. I rushed up the stairs to her for a cuddle. And she didn't want me! She didn't want to come and sit with mama, she wanted to go off with the big kids that she'd been getting to know in band. Then she went back up to do the second half!!! She came out and said "I thought it would be good, but it wasn't. It was really, really great! Can I go tomorrow?" I am SOOOO proud of her. So very proud. 

She told me later that during tuning up time she'd played her arpeggios and then practised the piece she had. I loved that she thought to do those things. I love it so much. She said that she had to sit on her own (she's the only Eb clarinet) but that it meant she didn't have to share her stand and she was near the other clarinets who helped her when she dropped her thumb rest. She told me there was a confusing bit where there were two notes at the same time but the woodwind teacher came and helped her because she looked at her. And that she was nice because she came anytime she looked at her because she was stuck. She told me that they didn't even play Carnaval (the piece she'd been playing) but that they're learning Happy. So everything she did today was sight-reading. I am so proud of this clever little munchkin. She grew up right in front of my eyes, in the space of 90 minutes. 90 short minutes and she came out looking a whole chunk more grown up.

Well done, BabyGirl. You've some wonderful years of band ahead of you.