Kadie in Concert (and Mom too)

Thursday, April 28, was Kadie's spring concert day. Her orchestra teacher, Mrs, Ladman, had sent an e-mail to parents at the end of March asking for a volunteer to accompany a few songs. I can accompany, so I wrote back, "If you need help, I'm available." Apparently I was the second person to volunteer and she didn't want me to feel slighted, so she asked if I could accompany the cello solo, seeing as how Kadie plays the cello. So, I had to make it to 2 before school rehearsals, one during school concert, and one evening concert all for 1 song...(I'm not bitter at all.) But if the lady needs an accompanist in the future she should just get one, the songs weren't all that hard.

She probably won't ask me for help in the future. I got the message about the 2 before school rehearsals and asked a friend to watch Luke those mornings, but I somehow missed the message (contained in the same e-mail) about the during school concert. I only realized its existence an hour before start time, so I had to take Luke with me. I packed him a bag of distractions...what I thought were quiet distractions. He was pretty good up until it was my turn to play my 1 song. He grabbed two cars out of his bag, sidled up to me on the piano bench, and, as the 3 cellists and I began our opening strains of Minuet No. 2 by Bach, he began to bang his cars together like symbols. I tried to whisper threats in his ears, but he sensed I couldn't carry them out at the moment. He was a pill for the remainder of the concert. Following a blood curdling scream during the Can Can, I took him outside and we listened to the remainder of the concert from there.

At least Ken was present to wrangle him during the evening concert.

Kadie did an awesome job. The orchestra teacher said this has been one of the best groups she has worked with at the school. (I know, I thought she probably says that about every group that comes through, but she backed up her comments with proof. The kids played several songs at the concert that she hasn't been able to get to with other beginning orchestras because they weren't advanced enough.) Kadie was one of three cellists that made it far enough in her book to learn the cello solo. They sounded great.

The orchestra's last selection was Bile 'em Cabbage Down/Cripple Creek. It's a fiddle tune. They would play the tune and sing a verse of the song and then we, the audience, would join in with the chorus:

Bile 'em cabbage down, down

Bake them biscuits brown, brown

The only tune I ever did learn was

Bile 'em cabbage down

It was pretty fun. I love that my kids are old enough for concerts and recitals. They're my favorite! I can't wait for Reilly's choir concert in a few weeks.