Multicultural Wyndham

Just received a note from Beth's Chinese school principal.

The school has been invited to take part in Harmony Day as part of the annual Weerama street festival, and Beth and her friend Jennifer S have been selected to be in the choir.

It'll be interesting for Beth to be a participant for a change, and to have a chance to demonstrate her Chinese-ness to our predominantly angmoh community.

Wonder what songs they'll be singing?

AMEB Progress (The First Month)

I admit, I am very impressed by how readily Beth has taken to her new music schedule.

She has one hour of group keyboard class with her Junior Extension Course mates on Sat morning, followed by 30 mins of one-on-one piano (AMEB Grade One) with her teacher Rebecca.

What amazes me is how little she is complaining about the additional work required, and how self-directed she is about practice most days. It's almost like another Beth coming to the surface.

Perhaps all she needed was a good challenge...and the right tutor. :-)

3 yo Makes My Day

Dinner tonight was a hasty affair: penne carbonara, with sauce straight from the jar. I did add some chopped mushrooms and ham, okay.

As we sat down to eat, Jordanne paused and said: "You're a good girl Mummy. Thank you for cooking dinner."

I am going to savour those words...for the rest of my life.

When Is A Child Ready For Auditions?

Received a call from Yamaha Music yesterday, asking if Bethany can make it next Thu (18 Feb) for her audition for the Melissa Perrin Scholarship.

There was a tiny pause when I thought: should I inquire about alternatives? But I decided I wanted to be pro about the whole thing, so I said yes of course. The coordinator was very appreciative; she knows it's a hike from Hoppers Crossing to Carnegie (42 mins if we follow the recommended route), and the audition's right after school (4.45 pm).

According to the follow-up email, Bethany is required to play one of her favourite pieces and there will also be guided, unprepared activities. Just as well. The more preparation required, the more stress and tears there might be for both of us! :-p

Getting Our Learning Act Together

Beth has just been offered a 30-minute slot with her current Yamaha keyboard teacher to start on the AMEB pathway. We had worked out that if she is to attain at least a Grade 5 before Year 6 (the year scholarship applications are submitted), she must start the AMEB now.

We're very excited because the arrangement is perfect: it's straight after her Sat group lesson so we don't have to make a separate trip on a weekday for lessons.

Yesterday was her first lesson with the Yamaha Junior Extension Course. It's so different from what the routine has been like for the past two years. For one, the emphasis is on self-learning, so parents are no longer required to sit next to their children during the lesson. The kids are expected to follow instructions independently; the parents sit at the back of the class and observe. What a relief.

The material is also significantly different. This year's focus is on Solfege singing and reading and Ensemble playing, with a lot more music theory homework (no more childish coloring in!).

Am having to work with Beth to overcome her biggest weakness: expecting Mummy to read the score for her when she should be attempting to sightread!

Yesterday was also the first Chinese class at the new venue: Point Cook Community Learning Centre. The location is splendid for parents who want to go shopping for groceries across the road: Coles, ALDI and Glory Asian Groceries are all within walking distance. And for display home tragics like me, all the new estates like Waterhaven, Innisfail, Alamanda, Featherbrook and Karinya are within 5 minutes' drive.

We spent an hour grocery shopping and the rest of the time on Old Geelong Road looking for a bunk bed for the girls. Have finally found one that both CA and I like, and that we think Beth will love. The colour scheme is white and lilac, perfect for her newly painted bedroom. At $867 for the frame and $219 per mattress, it's going to blow a hole in our budget, but this is just one of those things you can't avoid. If having her very own bunk bed encourages Beth to sleep in her room, I'll consider it more than worthwhile. I'm getting tired of being squashed between two bodies every night, especially when Jordanne keeps kicking me in the face or stomach.

Four Syllables And More

Jordanne is using four-syllable words like 'rhinoceros'.

CA taught her 'hippopotamus' yesterday and she got it after a few tries.

We are constantly amazed at how naturally and comfortably she expresses herself in complete sentences.

At Sunday School today, the kids got started on their mural project for the new church SS room, based on Ecclesiastes 3.

J wanted to take part in the painting too, so CA sat in with her and they had a great time putting together J's interpretation of 'A time to be born': a baby inside its mother's womb. She says that's her inside Mummy. :-)