Spring Piano Recital!

Since my brother and I have been taking piano lessons since September, (I did start s-l-o-w-l-y teaching myself some piano about a year before we started lessons) we both got to play at our teacher's piano recital! Although I was excited, I was very nervous! The song I was going to play for the recital was "Morning Has Broken" and it was very difficult to play correctly. I started practicing that song back near the beginning of April, and I thought I'd have enough time to pratice, and play it comfortably at the recital, which was on May 17. I kept playing that song over, and over, and over, and over...you get the idea, before the recital, and I'm sure everyone in my family (including myself) was tired of hearing the same song over, and over, and over, and over. As the recital got closer, I didn't think I'd be ready to play the song, but I kept working on it, hoping, no, praying that I would do well at the recital.

So I'll jump ahead to the day before the recital.

It was the evening, and I was playing my song for the last time that night, as well as the duet my brother, Aidan, and I were going to do at the recital as well. Aidan had his own piano solo too, but he had mastered his (he often tends to master things quickly, no matter how difficult they are). We were ready with our duet, Aidan was ready with his song, "O Sole Mio", but I was still struggling with mine! Yes, it is the night before the recital, and I'm still making mistakes. I went to bed that night a very nervous girl, but determined to do her best.

The day of my recital was Sunday, so we went to church, and, although I was nervous during the drive to church, the service was a good way to get my mind off the recital for a while. But when the service was done and we went home for a quick lunch, I started getting nervous again. And I mean REALLY nervous. After lunch, my family and I hopped back into our van, and drove to the church for the piano recital. My grandparents were there, and we met them at the door. One of my grandmothers asked me, "Are you nervous?" And I answered, "Yes! But I'll do my best."

Of all the children playing at the recital, by brother and I were very last, which meant I had to wait for a long time, getting more nervous by the second. Suddenly my name was called. "Amara? Come on up!" "Oh dear," I thought, "it's come at last!" It was so quiet as I walked up the stage steps, that I'm sure you could hear a pin drop on a pillow! The crowd of people looked like there was no end, but, in reality, there weren't that many people. I anounced what I was going to play, and sat down at the piano. I took a quick look at the piano keys, took a deep breath, and started playing the song I'd played so long. My hands shook and they got very sweaty as I played "Morning Has Broken". "Wait a moment," I thought, "was that a mistake? No! Praise God it wasn't!" I thought I was about to make a mistake in my song, but I didn't! The song flowed smoothly without mistakes! I was so happy at the end (partly because I was done and partly because I was pleased with the song) that I couldn't help but grinning at the audience! Next my brother and I played our duet "The Imperial March" and that was such fun! That song went well, too. Then, it was my brother's solo, and he played it beautifully! I'm not the only person that thought so, because when the recital was done, my brother and I had many people come up to us and tell us that we did very well! All around I enjoyed the recital (once it was finished), and I would love to do it again! It's funny I was so nervous for this recital...I've never been so nervous before in my life for anything else I was performing! 

Here are some pictures of the recital:

This is me playing "Morning Has Broken"

This is Aidan and me playing "The Imperial March"

This is Aidan playing "O Sole Mio"

This is what I fixed my hair into that day.

And I couldn't resist the picture of what my hair looks like while I'm writing this post!

I like mouse ears. :)

In Christ,

Amara