Music and the Child

 

Piano: Isaac shows Mom up ... again

I am still clunking away ... painfully ... on the piano. Since the piano teacher comes to our house every Thursday to conduct NINE piano lessons between the Kotysnki and Kitsteiner families and she charges me a "bulk" price ... well, what is the difference if I just keep ... clunking away.

I don't want to quit. And so I don't. I am moving at a fraction of the speed that the children are moving but I keep on ... clunking away.

An example of my clunking is provided (for your entertainment) below:


Music comes so easily to Isaac. Sidge struggles a bit more, but works very hard. Abigail is really doing well with piano and seems to enjoy it. She does seem to be very "arts" minded. Hannah is still young, but she's catching on and doing a good job reading music now. 

But me? Well, it's an uphill battle. It truly is like speaking a foreign language. 

Only, maybe worse. 

But learning a language (Turkish) and learning an instrument (piano) was on my bucket list.

So, I clunk away ... 

Playing some hymns

The church that John’s parents attend is right around the corner from our house. It is very small — just a few dozen older folks that have grown up and raised their children there ... children who have now moved away. 

The piano player has to rotate between two churches so she is only there half the month. They asked Isaac if he would work on some hymns so he could play weeks when the piano player isn’t there. They gave him a hymn book, and he’s been working with his piano teacher. 

Seeing this brings me such joy. I pray the Lord uses this boy’s innate musical talents for HIS glory. Isaac has musicians on his birth father’s side of the family and his birth mother Bri is a great lover of music as well. You can tell this is something he was born with, and I pray it blesses others!!

Piano Recital Night

Tonight was our annual Christmas piano recital. The kids did great! Joni was here for it as were JB's parents. The Kotysnki family participated this year. A wonderful evening!

Hannah had Daddy go on stage with her -- feeling a little shy.

Our once shy little girl didn't bat an eye before playing. Abigail really seems to have a gift for the arts as well.

Super proud of Sidge. Piano isn't easy for him, but he works so hard and diligently!

Isaac did a great job! He was the grand finale of the performance with the "Hallelujah Chorus." I am continually amazed with the ease and confidence Isaac displays on the piano. He makes very few errors, he doesn't get nervous. He adds a bit of his dry humor to his approach and retreat from the piano. He's got a gift, and it's so fun to watch him in his element. The piano has gotten a lot harder for him recently. He's left the "easy stuff" and is onto really studying hard pieces. But he nailed both of his pieces this evening. 

Joni helping with the cake!

Grampa and Grama drove in from visiting Elizabeth in South Carolina JUST in time for the recital!

A great pic with the grandparents! 

Oh the ways in which we try to get Isaac to smile ....

Silly Joni

Silly Hannah

The Kotynksis are taking piano with us this year. In fact, our piano teacher comes on Thursdays and does TEN lessons in a row! 

I had to blow up this picture of my Hannah. I just loved it.

Give Thanks by Isaac Kitsteiner

At the end of 2007, John and I had been married nearly a decade and were still childless. That's when one phone call changed our lives forever. Bri asked us to be parents. Isaac made us those parents. Today that little boy is eleven, and like his birth grandparents on both sides, has a propensity for music and especially the piano that can only come from the wonderful way God made him -- perfectly created in his mother's womb and then placed lovingly in my arms. 

Every SINGLE time Isaac plays this song, I tear up. It leaves me completely speechless how thankful I am to be his Mama.

GIVE THANKS

Give thanks with a grateful heart

Give thanks to the Holy One

Give thanks because He's given Jesus Christ, His Son

Give thanks with a grateful heart

Give thanks to the Holy One

Give thanks because He's given Jesus Christ, His Son

And now let the weak say, "I am strong"

Let the poor say, "I am rich

Because of what the Lord has done for us"

And now let the weak say, "I am strong"

Let the poor say, "I am rich

Because of what the Lord has done for us"

Give thanks with a grateful heart (with a grateful heart)

Give thanks to the Holy One (to the Holy One)

Give thanks because He's given Jesus Christ, His Son

Give thanks with a grateful heart (with a grateful heart)

Give thanks to the Holy One (to the Holy One)

Give thanks because He's given Jesus Christ, His Son

And now let the weak say, "I am strong"

Let the poor say, "I am rich

Because of what the Lord has done for us"

And now let the weak say, "I am strong"

Let the poor say, "I am rich (I am rich)

Because of what the Lord has done for us"

Give thanks

We give thanks to You

And just for fun, here is Isaac recording himself playing one of his pieces with "attitude":

And here he is with a song he wrote right on the spot:

Isaac wins the talent show!

Isaac finished first place in the 13 and under category. His friend Carlie finished second.

A picture of all the participants.

A few members of the choir performing. There's Ana on the left and Kari on the right.

A close-up of Isaac with his prize money! ($30!)

Isaac participated in the homeschooling talent show playing piano for the second year in a row. Despite the fact that the piano and that Moose Lodge is horrible not the best, he managed to win first prize among the younger kids. Oh and our friend Emma (pictured on the far right of the picture above in the maroon-ish shirt, finished first place for the older kids.) 

Isaac was totally shocked. Afterwards he told me he didn't realize that there were actually awards and that someone would win. His hand literally flew to his mouth in surprise when he won. Win or not, I am super proud of him for performing.

I can't help it, listening to him play the piano just makes my heart so happy!

 

A Piano Superior

 "Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and life to everything."

Plato

Today Isaac finally had his piano competition at festival. He scored a Superior score (top rating) in the East Tennessee State University (ETSU) music festival competition this morning. 

He is the youngest student his teacher, Ms. Leslie, who has been doing piano for 40 years, has ever taken to festival. She told him to assume he wouldn't get a superior in his first attempt.

But he did it! We were so proud of him. Here is a video of JB telling him what his score was later in the afternoon as well as some pictures from the festival:

Isaac in the practice room before his performance. No one was allowed in the room with him. Jus t him and the judge.

Sidge and Isaac before Isaac competed. 

Wendi

Introverted Piano Player vs. His Mom

 "Introverts are word economists in a society suffering from verbal diarrhea." Michael Chung

I had a friend mention they hadn't seen Isaac on the Blog in awhile. There are two main reasons: 

1) Isaac had the flu. :( He was down and out for about two weeks. This poor guy gets hit so much harder than his siblings when an illness runs through the house. Mostly just due to how he is wired and his asthma. We are pretty sure that JB had the flu too, but since there is no call-in-sick-policy for physicians (don't get me started on that) he kept going on as normal. (Yes, everyone had had the flu shot here.)

2) Isaac is an introvert. Flat out. No question about it. He and Abigail are definitely introverts. He's quite "private" by nature. He avoids pictures, will tell me "don't blog about that" and will stop playing the piano if he senses a video capturing it. He has always been this way. I mostly try to respect his wishes, and keep things private and let him fly under the radar a bit.

But his piano ... oh this guy's piano. It makes my Mama heart soar to hear him on the piano. His piano teacher is having perform at festival this year -- the only piano student she is taking and the youngest student (4th grade) she has ever taken. She has told us that she will only teach him for another year or two before she encourages us to move to another teacher in town who is more suited to Isaac's needs. 

The kid speaks music like a first language. The other day JB asked him what he was playing and he said: "You know Moonlight Sonata? Well I'm playing that. Backwards. And in a different key."

I continue to take piano ... like walking through the mud. I have thought about quitting every other day. John has asked me to stick with it for right now. We've been in a very busy season, and I don't want to throw in a towel I will later regret throwing, but I just don't have the time for it.

"Aaahhh," but JB says, "We only have time for what we are passionate about."

(He is retelling a statement made by an old German man when we were vacationing when JB told the guy he isn't learning Turkish because he didn't have time.)

"Aaahhh," the old man said, "We only have time for what we are passionate about."

So I'm passionate about writing. And studying Turkish. And raising my kids where the green grass grows. But piano? I dunno about that.

I think this video very accurately shows the great divide between mother and son (who started lessons at the same time.) 

If you are interested, Isaac jumps in at 2:16. Literally. The song takes me like four times as long as it does him? (Did I do my math right? Not sure.)

 

My Two-Item Bucket List

"If we did the things we are capable of, we would astound ourselves." Thomas Edison 

I don't have a lot of dreams. I never really did. I wanted to be a mom. I wanted to follow the Lord. That's really about it. I grew up without a lot of money. I never dreamed of traveling the world or doing all kinds of money-requiring things. 

But there were two things that I had always wanted to do. 

(1) I had always wanted to learn a language. 

So in 2010 we moved to Turkey, and I decided to dive into Turkish. I definitely learned the language -- although I am far from even sort of proficient at it. I even stopped studying it for a number of years. But when our Turkish wwoofer, Duygu, came to the farm, I was amazed at how easy it all came back to me. Since she left last year, I have been studying Turkish every single day on Duolingo and trying to keep my skills up. While I have a long way to go, I am really proud of what I've accomplished with learning this language. 

(2) And I had always wanted to play the piano. Specifically I had wanted to be able to sit down and play Christmas carols for my family. When the kids started taking piano lessons in 2015, JB suggested I take lessons too. The teacher was already coming to our house. Go for it! While I consider quitting every week since I really don't have time for this, I've stuck with it, and this year I was able to play my first real Christmas carol:

What's on your "bucket list"? I know it seems like we don't have time for it, but I encourage you to give it a try. Why can't a mom with four kids who lives on a farm speak Turkish and play the piano?!

 

Give thanks with a grateful heart

There are moments that feel absolutely perfect. I managed to capture one of these moments on video. Grama Joni arrived here today. We opened Christmas presents and then she played one of my all-time favorite songs on the piano for me. What a blessing to have this family, this home, these people in my life.

Give thanks with a grateful heart

Give thanks to the Holy One

Give thanks because He's given Jesus Christ, His Son

Give thanks with a grateful heart

Give thanks to the Holy One

Give thanks because He's given Jesus Christ, His Son

And now let the weak say, "I am strong"

Let the poor say, "I am rich

Because of what the Lord has done for us"

And now let the weak say, "I am strong"

Let the poor say, "I am rich

Because of what the Lord has done for us"

Give thanks with a grateful heart (with a grateful heart)

Give thanks to the Holy One (to the Holy One)

Give thanks because He's given Jesus Christ, His Son

Give thanks with a grateful heart (with a grateful heart)

Give thanks to the Holy One (to the Holy One)

Give thanks because He's given Jesus Christ, His Son

And now let the weak say, "I am strong"

Let the poor say, "I am rich

Because of what the Lord has done for us"

And now let the weak say, "I am strong"

Let the poor say, "I am rich (I am rich)

Because of what the Lord has done for us"

Give thanks

We give thanks to You

Improvising

"My heart, O God, is steadfast, my heart is steadfast; I will sing and make music." Psalm 57:7

JB will often pick choose some basic chords and let Isaac improvise. His piano teacher has told us he appears to be leaning toward more of the "Composing" side of music and listening to him just play what comes to him is so so so fun.

What a great snow day,

December Piano Recital

Christmas Piano Recital

This year we had a Christmas piano recital in addition tot he one we have every spring. We had it at an assisted living home where we performed for the residents. 

This was an exciting recital because FIVE members of our family participated. Hannah actually performed for the first time which was just so sweet. Here's a video of Hannah. (She's on the keyboard because she needed stickers on the keys and we couldn't put those on the fancy piano): 

And Isaac did his first-ever accompaniment. They only practiced one time and I wasn't there for the rehearsal so I was soooo nervous for this part. I kept thinking: "If he messes up, everyone messes up." But he did so good. It was truly one of my proudest mom moments to-date. I am not a crier, but I found myself tearing up listening to him just play without any hesitation. He does not get nervous which is just so amazing!



Abigail sounded so much more grown-up this year. She really is taking to the piano so well:



And our Sidge. He really didn't like piano when he started, but he is totally getting the hang of it. It's hard being the "twin brother" in his big brother's shadow, but he takes it all in stride, and just keeps improving!



I also performed, but gosh darn it, I can't find the video of me, so, oh well!

Performing in Town

I have been wanting to find a way for the kids to "give back" to the community. But they are little, and there are four of them, and I wanted it to be something that didn't leave me, as the mom, with my head spinning off. 

Through a series of chance meetings, I was connected with a Senior Living Center in Greeneville, and I headed up our Homeschool group going there to perform some piano, guitar, and ballet. (This idea originally came to me when we did it as guests with my friend Michelle's group in North Carolina.) 

I hope we can do this once a month for the residents and that we will get more and more kids who want to share their talents. 

Here are a quick few videos/pics:

Isaac is soooo cool and collected. He actually sat down and just randomly played songs before we got started at 10am. He is never nervous and just simply loves to sit and play.

Hannah provided "emotional support" to her big siblings. :)

Gabriel playing the guitar

Ay-La -- a beautiful ballerina

Isaac on piano

Ay-la on piano

Sidge on piano! P.S. Abigail did two songs too but I forgot to take a picture! Ugh!

Recital Pictures

We had our third annual piano recital. I compiled a post showing videos from each year the kids participated. (Abigail started a year later than the boys.) Here you go. It's so crazy to watch the kids grow (physically and in their piano!) We've also been so honored to have Joni here with every single year.

Abigail in 2017:

Abigail in 2018:

Sidge 2016: 

Sidge 2017: 



Sidge 2018:



Isaac 2016:



Isaac 2017: 

Isaac 2018 (includes two songs -- his and his duet with Grama Joni): 



Wendi 2017: 

Wendi 2018 (played duet with Isaac)



Pictures from 2017:

Pictures from 2018: 

A lot of Homeschool Excitement!

We've had some fun at our homeschool co-op this last week. 

First up, Sidge took an "Inventions & Inventioneers" class. It is a 4th-7th grade class so Sidge was taking it a year too young. (You can do this at you and the teacher's discretion.) 

Each student had to "invent" something and create a board presenting their invention. Sidge came up with "The Farmer's Hose Clip." I really think it was a GREAT idea, and we actually are going to use it on the farm. 

Sidge ended up winning second place in the competition! The two first place winners tied and were just ONE point ahead of Sidge in the finishing. We were so proud of all his hard work. 

Here is a blow-up of one section of his board followed by some of the pictures we used as he prepared for the project:

Next up? Isaac participated in a The First Annual Heritage Home Scholars Talent Show. They hope to make this a yearly event. I did not push the kids to participate. Isaac wanted to play piano, and he did a great job. He got some fantastic feedback from one of the judges who was a professional piano player too. The piano was pretty out of tune and hard to play, but he still did a fantastic job presenting his talent. Here's a quick photo we got of him at the show:

All right ... but the adventures didn't stop there. The boys each presented a "Board" on a specific area of Asia for the Geography class they are taking in co-op. Isaac did Japan: 

Sidge did Lake Baikal (a very famous lake in Russia). His board featured a picture and comment from our former Turkish wwoofer, Duygu, who had actually been to the lake! Thanks for participating Duygu! 

A quick note -- this lake is over 5,000 feet deep but the sediment below that is over 20,000 feet deep! Incredible!

But the fun goes on! Yesterday was the Annual Geography Bee. This is the third time we have had a boy in the Bee! Here is a post from the first Geography Bee that Isaac did when he was just in 1st grade. But here is a Blog post from the second year that both boys participated when they were in second grade. That year, Sidge finished fourth and Isaac finished second.

A picture of all 16 participants. (There's Isaac and Sidge who randomly pulled numbers right next to each other on the far right.)

Isaac ended up finishing fourth in the Bee. That left Sidge with two middle schoolers. 

And then the kid in the green shirt went down leaving just Sidge and one other young man, Aiden.

Aiden ended up winning the Bee. But Sidge finished second. Being much younger (and smaller) than the two other finishers, he was VERY proud of his accomplishments. 

 So much fun (but SO nerve-wracking!)

But it wasn't just the kids who had opportunities this past week. 

John spoke to our Nature Time class about mushrooms! (Ignore the yawning student and Abigail chattering with her friend Morgan -- lol!) He also spoke to the "Health and Safety" class but I didn't get any pics/videos of that.

John showing some of his artwork in the discussion. 

A video of JB's talk. 

It's been a very full week here in our life. Tonight we actually had our piano recital and Grama Joni was here for it! I'll try to Blog on that tomorrow!!!