Makayla, my oldest granddaughter, loves being involved in musical endeavors. She sings, plays the piano, tuba, flute, oboe, guitar, ukulele and who knows how many other instruments. Lately, she has taken to playing vibraphone in her high school's Indoor Percussion Ensemble. I happened to get the chance to attend this group's mini concert last week.
Because of Covid restrictions, the band director had to get very creative about just how to allow these kids to prepare for the competition as well as give a concert for their families and friends. They gave out 4 tickets to each family to come to one of three shows. Each show was only about 10 minutes, so it worked for our larger group to take turns using the tickets.
The rules for the competition were very specific as far as timing and how the students moved their instruments and props on and off the stage. In an actual competition, each movement would be timed as part of the 6 minute "show." In this unusual year of Covid, the rules stayed the same as far as timing, but the student performers had to videotape their entry for competition.
And they had to wear Masks. (Never a good look for stage performers.) Anyway, they embraced the instruction and coordinated their masks to match their Pirate costumes. The theme of their show was MUTINY. The music told the story of Pirate captain who kept and hid most of their loot for herself. When the crew members discover this, they mutiny and throw her overboard.
Regardless of not being able to see the expressions on the performers faces, their performance was still executed very well. It was 6 minutes of exuberant fun! Makayla gave me the instruction to sit right in front of the stationary instruments (xylophones, drums, marimbas, vibraphones, etc.) so we could see the real show. That meant I got a front row seat to see the mallets in action!
Another proud grandma moment!
Another proud grandma moment!
RSS Feed