Since Avery has had her taste of sports, we figured it was time for her to try something new. So back in June, she started taking weekly piano lessons. We simply wanted her to expand her horizons – we had no idea that she would enjoy music so much! It usually doesn’t take much prompting for her to practice each day, and she never has fussed about going to her lessons.
For about the past six weeks, Avery has played almost nothing but Christmas music. It all culminated yesterday when she had her first public performance at a local nursing home.
As we waited in line for her turn to play, she started growing a bit nervous. I told her the audience didn’t care how well she did; they would love her playing and applaud her no matter what! I also think she didn’t want to go up to the piano by herself. But I was so pleased when she bravely walked up to the piano when it was her turn.
Sorry that I didn’t get a better view of her, but you can see her little head behind the piano:
In case you can’t tell, the first song is “We Need a Little Christmas,” and the second one is “Jingle Bells.”
I was so proud that she played so well! She flubbed just a bit because the audience started singing “Jingle Bells” as she played it. She wasn’t used to that!
After she finished, her teacher asked her to play one more time in the separate Alzheimer’s unit. After a little convincing, Avery agreed to play her songs again. I could tell she was much more relaxed the second time around.
I’m so excited that Avery has found a new hobby! I think she’ll be sticking with music for the foreseeable future!