Day 290 - Saturdays in October

I never tire of Saturdays. The violin shop was the last of our series of Saturday destinations. I'll come back to that.

The doughnut van is the first thing I see most Saturday mornings when I arrive at Victoria Market. As long as I remember it's been in the same spot. Note the old-fashioned spelling.

My first stop is at the egg stall. I remember when white eggs were commonly sold, but now you have to look for them. I always get these at Easter time when we colour them.

The outdoor flower stall adds colour to the visual delights of the market.

Bread's good here, and I hope they never get rid of the old signage.

Back to the violin shop, we got a shock when we went to have Mr 16's violin bow rehaired and were told it wasn't worth repairing. The cost of a new bow for his level starts at $1,000. Starts!! A good bow can be $10,000 and up to $20,000. I will now attempt to lift my jaw from the ground.

Day 266 - Lalo Symphonie Espagnole

Maxim (Mr 16) has just started to learn Lalo's Symphonie Espagnole - Andante (4th movement). This is in response to Susan's request to hear him play. Pity about the bad sound and picture quality, and obviously the piece is in its early stages.

Day 265 - Once upon a time

It's interesting to look back. I was weeding out the filing cabinet and I found something Maxim had written at the start of grade 2. I remember he suddenly decided he wanted to learn the violin, and later that year we found a teacher for him. Here he writes: 'I want to play vialin and I will'. He did. And he still does.

Day 251 - Audition day

So relieved that Mr 16's audition for the Victorian College of Arts Secondary School is over. Now I can unfocus and refocus. Breathing easily. Mr 16 was happy and enjoyed a drive through Maccas lunch on the way home. Parents weren't permitted past a certain point in the school building but I managed to take a picture from the front entrance of the ceiling. Then a second picture through the window in the cafeteria.

The next photo is a bit of a worry. See the red tower in the photo below. Apparently this expels all the underground exhaust. I wonder where I can research this.

Day 246 - Still smiling about yesterday

Last night my younger son competed in the school's annual soloists competition and won. It's so good to see him happy. He doesn't always see his abilities realistically, and would never have expected to win this. The competition was fantastic - a wonderful group of talented musicians. It would have been difficult to judge; Max Cooke was very positive and constructive in his feedback. I hope this experience lifts my son's confidence for his audition into VCASS next Tuesday. I also hope he doesn't catch my virus.

I borrowed the photo from Guest Photographer.

Day 237 - Still life with string instrument

Still life. How many of us have a still life? Is it true that, with our busy lives and the creeping of technology into every little nook and cranny, we have unlearned stillness? I read 'All our heads full of noise' by Isabel Allende. Interesting. http://www.thedrawbridge.org.uk/issue_8/all_our_heads_full_of_noise/

Day 233 - Scales

Last night we enjoyed a (mainly) soloists concert at Mr16's school. It was a good chance for him to get performance practice before his upcoming audition for Victorian College of the Arts Seconday School. I've been following the news about Melbourne University's takeover of the Victorian College of the Arts. Even Geoffrey Rush has stepped in. From the ABC news:

'Oscar winning actor, Geoffrey Rush joined the chorus of voices railing against the planned integration of performance and fine arts courses into the so-called Melbourne Model, led by Melbourne University.
Opponents say the changes would force students to take more generalised, theoretical subjects and would reduce their ability to specialise.'

I'm not sure if that's true or what the implications will be, but I know there are many people who see it as a bad thing.

Day 34 - Violin practice

Here's Mr 15 doing his violin practice. He's changed to a new teacher and has to step up his daily practice to at least 2 and preferably 3 hours a day. Not sure how he's going to fit homework in.

Day 24 - Summer School concert

Tonight we went to the concert which is the culmination of 5 days of rehearsal attended my younger son, Maxim, at the annual Summer School. Tonight's program for the symphonic orchestra was Sibelius and Tchaikovsky.