Chopsticks

As a child, I never really had the desire to play an instrument.  I joined band in 6th grade because almost everyone did.  My poor parents had to hear me "play" the Cornet for months.  I have no idea why I chose a trumpet over the flute or something that sounds pretty.  It was the HORNS for me.  I remember lugging that giant instrument case back and forth to school.  Not only were you responsible for the instrument, you had to maintain it as well.  I had to oil the valves and pistons, clean the mouthpiece, and swab out the spit release--YUCK.  Thank goodness Karson has chosen to play the piano.  Although I love hearing her play, her OCD tendencies can kick in where she is constantly playing the same songs over and over again.  I'm quite certain I've heard Chopsticks and Good King Wenceslas over 100 times this month.  Part of that constant practicing and perfecting had to do with her spring recital which was Monday night.

 I think the other part had to do with our recent purchase of a new portable keyboard.  Karson started out on a 49-key Yamaha.  However, as she has grown as a pianist and is playing slightly more difficult songs, she needed more keys.  She told me a few weeks ago that she couldn't play some of her songs because she didn't have enough keys.  I began the online search for a better-suited keyboard for her.  I have never been in the market for an actual piano.  They are large, bulky and quite simply, we don't have room for one in our house.  I know piano is something Karson is going to stick with so I really wanted a nice keyboard for her to use.  I ordered one off Amazon.com thinking it would be perfect.  It was a total piece of junk--light weight, cheaply assembled (heading back to Amazon).  It was NOTHING like our Yamaha.  The upside was it cost less than $100 (our Yamaha was free).  I knew I would have to grit my teeth and spend some dough on a nice one.  I went to a local retailer to look over their keyboards and get a feel for what she might need.  I also talked to my sister about it--her kids have been in piano for about two years.  Her advice:  get a keyboard with a built-in metronome.  She said as Karson's pieces get harder, she will rely on that a lot.  I started my online search again and finally found the perfect fit for her--a 76-Key Casio.  It wasn't terribly expensive and had exactly what she needed.

Karson was the second performer at her recital.  The recital took place in Greenwood High School's auditorium at 4 p.m.  I am always amazed by Karson's abilities.  She is certainly an over-achiever and is constantly pushing herself to learn something new.  I am one proud momma!  Enjoy CHOPSTICKS!