indiebird

Sounds like you got away lightly then TR. I remember Julia's Asilo ones that lasted about 40minutes and then you had to sit through an hour and a half of Babbo Natale giving out prezzies to the kids and the world and his wife making bloody speeches whilst the kids were supposed to stay sitting nicely.

Between us, I do miss the Christmas concerts that all the kids do in the UK. I know that H's primary school in the UK always laid on a Musical extravaganza for the kids in yr 5 and 6 and H will miss out on doing that. Drama is sadly lacking in schools here (well for the kids anyway, the teachers obviously always play out their dramatic parts each and every day! )

TestaRossa

The elementare one was much better than the materna one! Once they started they just carried on until they had finished, no scene changes etc!! They were very good. Also I was impressed with the recorder players - most of the school except Prima - they played every tune from memory with only a backing tape for help, as one of the tunes was Tannenbaum it was pretty impressive!

indiebird

oh God! Wait til A gets her recorder then!! H did lessons at school for the last two years. There is a special part of the ear that an out-of-tune recorder hits that sends most mothers into orbit. We had a choice this year so I made J take H out to buy him a xylophone just so I didn't have to listen to him practising bleeding recorder this year!!

Pecora Nera

A xylophone.... I was given a triangle!!!

indiebird

Triangle wasn't on the list. I do find here that Teacher's lists of equipment is much more free and easy when the money for the items comes out of the parent's pocket and not the school budget....

Pecora Nera

In infants school I was once allowed to use the cymbals. We marched around the hall making a dreadful din. When it was my turn to bang the cymbals together I managed to nip my nose with them. I remember them being very large and my arms very very short. The boy behind me laughed when he heard me yelp. So I turned around and clattered his ears with them. The teacher in her wisdom swapped my big shiny cymbals for a crappy triangle.

indiebird

Why am I not surprised??!! I played recorder at Primary School but my mum never let me practice at home! Maybe that was too advanced for you tho PN.....

Pecora Nera

No a recorder would be out. Drums maybe.

I love music but my OH says I am tone deaf. She on the other hand sings like an angel. She can move me to tears when she sings (Honestly I have heard her in concerts). I can make her cry by singing, especially if I don't stop when she asks me.

indiebird

I think I'm tone-deaf when I sing too. I used to play a lot of instruments and enjoy it too when I was younger, but I'm sure I've mentioned before that I lost my enjoyment for playing music and also my ability to read music when I had post-natal depression... I also couldn't remember my pin number for my debit card for a fair while too.... I just don't have the ability to play anything now though. I used to play Saxophone at secondary school and guitar but now I've just forgotten it all totally and I don't think it's like riding a bike either as I attempted to play things on the kid's keyboard that I knew by heart and I can't do that either now. Thank Christ I never forgot how to read English though... that would have been far worse!

Pecora Nera

Gosh Indiebird, I didn't think it was possible to forget how to play an instrument and I would love to play a sax. Sorry that you had post natal depression. It must have been really hard. I forget lots of things. To be honest I think I just have a shocking memory which makes learning a new language so hard. My OH has a fantastic memory I asked her yesterday which month we picked some friends up from manchester airport ( 6 years ago) She gave me the date!!!!!!! I never tell her porkies because she remembers everything I have ever said or promised and when..

indiebird

It's really weird as I always thought playing an instrument/ reading music was one of those things that you didn't forget, but my brain just seemed to scrub things out and I don't think they will come back without lots of effort either. The only thing I do still have from my Sax days is a good lung capacity. You needed that with the Sax.... if you need any balloons blowing up then I'm your woman! I am really forgetful now which is why I have lots of notepads and try to make notes of everything but things still fall by the wayside. In hindsight I think I had some sort of depression from my first child but it was just worse after number two. I try to be honest about it and not hide it as it is something which is quite common at some level and if it isn't acknowledged and then treated then it can seriously go on for years and years and years and that's no good for anyone. Your wife sounds amazing by the way... my OH can be a bit like that too. He is good at keeping a lot of balls in the air which makes it quite hard when you're the one who never seems to 'shine' at anything. I just take comfort on the fact that he seems to think that I'm alright enough to have been through a lot of the crappy times with me and stayed by me too.

Pecora Nera

Without waving her flag to much, she is very clever, and was classical educated. But she can be very intolerant when I can't remember an italian word or sentence that she told me a day before. I also can't play cards or games with her because if I win (and I am very lucky at cards) She gets very frustrated and sulks with me. If I try to let her win and she catches me she goes berserk. It is a shame because I love playing scopa and have to wait until one of her relatives is here.

duffer

I've got a balloon shaped like a lifesized woman you can help me with...

indiebird

Awww if only I lived closer Duffer.....

TestaRossa

Alex got to grade 4 in descant recorder and 2 in treble and he now plays clarinet, so I honestly have no problem with Antonia learning it! We still have all Alex's recorders and books so it will be good to put them to some good use!! Better than violin....What she really wants to do is learn guitar - so she can play Alex's electric one....