SUPAF

This week our pianists performed at the Southern Utah Performing Arts Festival. This big event happens every February for a lot of musicians including choirs, bands, and other instrumentalists. This is the 3rd year that I have entered my students and it was another success! I am so proud of them all! This is such a wonderful experience that everyone learns from..including myself. It's not a competition but a performance for oneself. After performing their song a student is critiqued and encouraged by an adjuticator. I have felt nothing but postiveness from them all. For the most part everyone goes away wanting to do better and to continue on as a musician! All the hours of practicing and instructing sure pay off in a small moment like this. As cheezie as it sounds, I often get teary eyed during performances..because I know what has been invested...so to all my students..CONGRATULATIONS for a job well done and to all of you wonderful parents..it couldn't have been done without you!!!! THANK YOU, THANK YOU! You probably all feel the performance piece was just as much yours as it was your child's!

Katie, you are such a wonderful teacher to my kids..they did amazingly well. Thanks! All 3 of them left with a "superior" rating which is the highest you can get, 90-100 %! Way to go my Hancock gang!

Carter performed first with "March Militaire". It was virtually flawless and had a wonderful steady beat as a march should go. Comments from his judge included; very nice accents and strong tones. Good dynamics. You will go far as a musician. One thing that I found funny was that she told him she could tell that he LOVED piano. I think deep down he does, but like most of us all feel, it is a chore to practice! Carter is the most vocal in expressing his dislike of practice time. I just had to chuckle inside! She was also impressed with his suit. She called him a "little man" to which Carter wasn't too thrilled about.
Caden was next. His song was called "The Merry Farmer." He too sailed through it! It was one of her favorite songs and she liked his steady beat and was impressed with his memorization of it.

Emery was the last one to perform with "Yankee Doodle." Another perfect performance. The judge told her she is such a cute girl and that she was so brave at 6 years old to come and play her song memorized and to not be scared about it!
After the festival I rewarded the kids with a lunch to Taco Bell and a treat at Maverick. They were pretty stoked to be missing school. What a great mom day! I loved it!

Today I had the rest of my students perform. They all did so well with pieces all memorized and received many positive comments and high ratings. These are the ones who performed: Wyatt and Jaratt Earle, Aydia and Elle Melo, Taylor and Shaylie Jesienouski, Katie Blake, Emma Lawes, and McKenzie Thornton. Job well done guys! Thanks for all the time you took to practice. It was worth every minute. Now we can all take a great big sigh of relief...AHHHH!