It is that time of the year -- school is out in less than 3 weeks. That means that it is officially recital season -- that period where kids show off all that they've learned this year, whether it is in ballet, piano, or school. Today was the piano recital. Cate played a duet with good friend Abigail (they played Ode to Joy) and Cate also played a solo of old standby "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star." She did a great job. Learning to play a duet was especially good -- there's a lot to learn about staying together (or getting back to together if somebody makes a mistake).

Cate hasn't always loved practicing what she's supposed to practice, when she's supposed to practice. Not many kids do. But she does love playing. She just would rather compose her own little ditties or try to pick out favorite songs by ear than do her theory book. I think she'll enjoy the summer break from lessons when she can play what she wants to play and just enjoy messing around on her keyboard.

It's been an interesting discussion trying to figure out an instrument for her. She's practicing on a very small keyboard that a friend gave us. It's 2 octaves and sits on the floor. She can't really get great posture or a good place to set her music. It's been a great instrument for the first year of lessons but if she's going to stick with it, we'll need to upgrade. We hate to invest in a piano -- even good used ones are several thousand dollars. And they take up a lot of real estate in the house, too. I think we may invest in a higher quality keyboard that has more octaves and will come with a stand. We'll have some time over the summer to figure it out.