Philadelphia International Music Festival: Part II

I just received these pictures from Maxim Kuzin who was kind enough to post them on Facebook and give me permission to use on my blog. He was the conductor for Lexie's orchestra, and was amazing. He is from the Ukraine, and as you can see had such a great time with the kids. Most of these kids who attended the PIMF range in ages between 10 to 18, and from what Lexie was telling me had a couple of ten year olds who are prodigies! It really inspired her to never give up on playing, or practicing because if these young 10, 11, 12 year olds can do it starting off at a young age then every child can do it, and continue to get better at playing too.

^^^ My young music geniuses!" -Maxim Kuzin ^^^

Having Lexie making it into the top two orchestras that played at the festival tells me that all those lessons, and hard work is paying off. She truly had an amazing experience and has been going through a bit of withdrawal lately. Not only is she missing her music peeps, but I think she's missing the intense feeling of playing the heck out of her violin the most. Music has become a huge part in her life, and she uses it for good. Music definitely touches the heart, mind, and soul. I personally don't know how to play an instrument, but one thing I do know is the feeling that it brings into life. 

Especially my life. 

I thought that with Sierra being gone I wouldn't be hearing too much of the piano being played, but I was wrong. As much as Lexie loves to play the violin she has been teaching herself to get better at the piano, and she is making some excellent progress. She along with her sister Chelsea have been learning to play the guitar as well. Having musical instruments constantly being played in the home brings solace, and moments of clarity. I'm especially grateful for all my girls to be so musically inclined. I never want them to give up on their dreams, or stop playing. I never want them to feel they are not good enough to enter into a university that is known to be a good music school. I never want them to not audition for an orchestra because you'll never know if you'll get in. 

Music has been around for centuries, and when its played depending on the genre and the mood you're in can really have an affect on our emotions. I love listening to all kinds of music, but especially the kind that brings goodness into our hearts. The kind that makes us happy. The kind that uplifts us. The kind that heals us. The kind of music we can listen to over and over again. The kind of music that Alexandra played last weekend. The kind that relaxes you yet builds so much energy to uplift you. And when you have a conductor like Maxim Kuzin that leads them in an orchestra who conducts with so much emotion...you'll definitely feel his energy as much as theirs. 

And you'll be leaving yearning for more.