Violin...

Even though we've taken a break from formal schooling, we do violin practice every single day. It took a lot of diligence to make it part of our daily routine, but now the girls will reach for it at the end of the day if they haven't yet practiced. It's nice to see them taking more responsibility.

I've asked them to help me teach my littlest violin student. She absolutely adores Sydney and Kayleigh and actually has had better lessons since they took over a couple weeks ago. She'll do anything they say.

The girls' playing level is way above their reading level so when they are learning a new piece I usually write it out with a string name and finger number. Last week I had the bright idea to write it out on art paper and tape it to the wall. They loved it and actually fought over who could learn it first! The novelty has worn off a bit, but they have learned it much faster than past pieces.

We are still playing monthly at the local nursing home. Here Sydney is leading two of my younger students in a trio. She likes to lead and teach and is actually quite good at it!

Also...Sydney got an expander and some braces last week. The expander is to open up her upper pallette since it's smaller than her lower pallette. This will help make room for her teeth as they continue to come in. She had a small gap between her two front teeth and because we were doing the other orthodontic work, we opted to put braces on her four, top teeth to close the gap. She was very uncomfortable with everything the first few days, but she seems to be adjusting pretty well. I have to turn a key in the expander every day and that's not very fun for either of us. Hopefully in 6-9 months it will all be done!