Auditioning for the Junior Orchestra

Over the summer, I learned many new pieces. One of those pieces was called Variations on Puccini Theme by Charles Dancla. Dancla was born on  December 19th 1817, and died on October 10th 1907.  He was a famous violinist, composer, and teacher.

This piece has 3 parts to it. The first part is melodic and sweet sounding, and not very fast. The second part is a little faster, and it sounds as if someone has the hiccups.The last part is very fast, and was the hardest part of the piece for me because it was at the very end and my fingers were tired.

As summer came to an end, my sister and I auditioned for a junior orchestra. To get into the orchestra, I had to prepare scales and one violin piece to play for the conductor.  After the auditions, the conductor let me know that I had made it to the first violin section. On the first day of rehearsal, the conductor gave us many pieces to practice at home.  The theme of all of our pieces is music by Russian composers such as Tchaikovsky. The orchestra members come together every Thursday for rehearsal.  It is my responsiblity to make sure that I come prepared and know my part well. In January, we will have the first concert of the season.  The concert attire for girls is all black (either a dress or skirt), black tights, and shiny black shoes.   I am really excited to show off all of our hard work to my family at the show.




This is Hannah, and I also auditioned a piece for the orchestra. It was called Concert by Reiding.  I like this piece because the first part is slow but then the second page gets a little faster. I also like this piece because it has loud and quiet parts.  I had to play the Concert  for the conductor at the orchestra. After she heard me play, she put me in the second violin section. Now I play every Thursday. I have to practice all my violin pieces that the conductor gave me. I have to play them every day at home. I have a stand partner named Rachel, and she is very nice. She is ten, and she plays a little better then me. She has been playing at the orchestra longer than me, and that is why she plays a little better then me. Soon in January, there is going to be a concert so I have to practice a lot at home. For the concert, I have to wear a black dress and black shoes.

Did you enjoy the pieces we chose to play?

Locks of Love

My hair before I cut it

Over the summer my mom took me to the
hairdresser to get my hair cut.  Two years ago, my little sister Hannah cut her hair and donated it to an organization called Locks of Love, and last year Miriam did the same. Finally it was my turn.  Before I cut it, my hair was twelve inches long. To donate, one needs hair to be at least 10 inches or longer. Locks of Love makes wigs for children that have lost their hair. I had wanted to have a short hair cut and was glad that it also could help a child who doesn't have hair. I now have very short hair, that almost goes to my shoulders. I think I like it better this way.

Getting measured

When we came into the salon, there was a long line of many adults and children waiting to get their hair cut. Finally it was my turn. The hairdresser had me sit on a tall chair in front of the mirror. Then she  measured my hair, and put a rubber band where she wanted to cut my hair, at 10 inches. My mom took a quick photo, and then the hairdresser cut it off. I held my hair in my hands, and it felt weird holding my own hair away from my head. Meanwhile, the hairdresser did some snipping to make my hair even and pretty.

When I got home, I showed off my hair to all my siblings. They all liked it, and also now want to get their hair cut too.


 
 

Have you ever had a funny or different hair cut?