Boreal Witch

It's even harder when you make a mistake. 

Arthur's piano teacher suggested - since he was doing so well - that he perform in an upcoming recital that a cohort of hers was organizing for her students. There was no hesitation on my part: I agreed. I reasoned it would be good practice for him to perform in front of a room full strangers. After all, if he continues with piano, he will have to become comfortable with it. I believe that proficiency in public speaking is important and a skill that took me far too long to acquire.

He spent the next month practicing his song, "The Wagging Tail", every day. At first, it was frustrating learning the keys and remembering the hand placement; eventually, it became second nature. He could play that song without his sheet music and would often show off by playing the song super fast. 

In the days leading up to the performance, he spoke of nervousness. He was kind of scared of getting up in front of those people and playing his song. Robinson and I assured him that he knew the music so well that he'd be wonderful. We told him that no matter how he played, we'd be proud of him.

He had to restart his song and made a few mistakes throughout his performance, but considering he's only been playing for three months, he managed quite well. Even his instructor praised him for his perserverance. The night ended on a high note: with ice cream sundaes and cookies. (Unfortunately Balin has recently informed us of a supposed peanut allergy, which rendered him unable to indulge in the cookies. A surprising situation, considering this is the boy who would eat nothing but sweets if I let him.)

Here's a video of his performance, should you like to see it.

Blessed be.