Emily's Christmas Concert

Emily had her junior high Christmas band concert this evening - the first concert of many to come, if Rachel's career-arc tells us anything. A big occasion. She's been practicing hard though we're clueless of what we exactly we can expect.

The weather turned off bitter - temperatures in the mid-20s with wind speeds at least twice that number, and a needling of snow, just for good measure. Which meant no Grandma and Grandpa. Rachel had too much end-of-the-semester homework to contend with so that meant only me and Clara in attendance. That was okay. We carried the Emily fan-club load.

Let's start with some embarrassing photos, shall we?

Since it's just the one junior high - usually these things are held jointly with another school - we're in the Brink gymnasium. Not bad seats. We've got a good view of Emily:

That's her right behind the girl in the red. Can't see her? I'll get closer:

Clooooser:

Ah. See her now?


Note for next time: Emily should wear red.

They were under the guiding hand of the ever-patient Mr. Ortega, who addresses the crowd here:



Mr Ortega's been teaching these kids a long time - he taught Rachel and his wife gives private lessons to the girls. We love both of them and tonight was another fine example of just what Mr. Ortega can do with these kids. (I liked him from the minute he addressed the parents of Rachel's sixth grade class when he said that any child who wanted to play an instrument could learn to play an instrument. And he's proven himself right ever since.) He trotted them through some of the lessons they'd learned this semester - some Christmas-themed, others not - and then finished with an amazingly good rendition of Winter Wonderland. The perfect sendoff to a chilly night.

Emily was very good and it was thrilling to see her perform. She's got quite a future ahead of her.