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. 

A Summer With The Orchestra.

Words cannot express how amazed I was at the summer band program that Lexie attended for the past two weeks. She was completely transformed & seemed different when she came home, but in a very good way. She really takes her violin seriously & has no intention of ever giving that up. As soon as we arrived for her grand finale concert she mentioned how next year there's a possibility of having the summer program being three weeks instead of two. So she'll definitely apply for the program next year and hopefully get another scholarship because this camp is not cheap! 

She has become a bit spoiled for the past two weeks being that she was surrounded by amazing musicians, involved in master classes, & taking private lessons from Barbara Govatos who is a member of the Philadelphia Orchestra. If I lived in Philly, and could afford lessons from her she would definitely be Lexie's teacher. She learned a lot in the two weeks she had lessons from her.

I can understand why Lexie said she was "spoiled" with this program because when you're surrounded by people who can actually play and know their exact measures and all the music jargon & other kids who really take their music seriously (in other words they practice) tells you that these kids are talented and don't mess around when it comes to music. 

Although she told me is was a pretty strict camp with attending classes all day, having a hall monitor that walks the hallways at a specific time to make sure they hear you practice, waking up everyday at 7am, and being in bed by 11pm she managed to enjoy her time with her new friends during her lunch hour! Luckily they had a beach trip to Ocean City, and a movie night to relieve any kind of stress. 

Although she was sore from playing so much on her first day she immediately got used to it. See...when you don't play as much and only practice for 30 minutes instead of two hours you're wrist will be sore for the first day or two. She literally put in about 22 hours of practicing in a 14 day period! I'd say that's a lot. Apparently they presented an award for "who practiced the most" and it was given to a young girl who practiced for 17 hours. When I asked Lexie how that could be when she practiced for more than 17 hours she said that apparently they gave everyone a sheet to log in their hours but misplaced hers, and didn't focus on jotting them down. (we later found it at home mixed in with her certificate, and music sheets!) She just wanted to practice and play. Obviously getting an award for "who practiced the most" didn't mean anything to her, and that's okay because she knows that she practiced. 

Going to her Grand finale concert this past weekend was a perfect end to my Fourth of July . Personally I don't think I would've wanted to be anywhere else. The entire day at this camp was filled with concert after concert with different composers and I can tell that all of these kids really worked hard & take their music seriously. They all played exceptionally well, and I'm so proud of how well she played. There was so much to record, but really wanted to sit back and enjoy the sounds of beautiful music so I only recorded two pieces. You can listen to them here, and here. I seriously got tired of holding my phone, and even more tired watching their arms! Totally amazing performances! 

I met a lot of her new friends & in an instant could distinguish how well they all played compared to a regular band in high school. The Wind Ensemble played a few pieces too, and because it was the Fourth of July I had to record a snippet of their performance which you can see here. If you listen carefully you can here the piccolo player in the background. She was awesome. They all played amazingly well too! Too bad Lexie's high school doesn't have an orchestra where she can get to pay the violin more. Although she loves piano the violin is definitely her forte. She hopes that she'll be pumped up for band this year being that she had an amazing experience with musicians who know their music, practice, and really know how to play! 

Philadelphia International Music Festival.

It only took two days since school ended for Lexie to go away and spend two weeks at Bryn Mawr college where the Philadelphia International Music Festival is being held.  

The PIMF is a summer music program where she will be residing for 14 days. I was so excited when I got the phone call informing me that she won the Alice Downs Scholarship for young violinists! Lexie's violin teacher encouraged her to apply for the scholarship where she had to compose a 300 word essay on the importance of classical music studies for youth.

And she nailed it!

She received the scholarship, and for the next two weeks Bryn Mawr will be her home.

She is done with her first week, and guess how many times I've talked with her on the phone? Twice. Texted? Three times in the morning to wish her a good day. It looks like the experience with Sierra being gone since January has helped me to deal with the fact that Lexie is gone too. Luckily it's only for two weeks and not five months! She said that it is a very intensive program. She absolutely loves it, and has already made new friends. I wasn't nervous or afraid to send her off into unfamiliar territory. Then again it's not like she's across the country or anything, plus she's a very mature 14 year old with a very good head on her shoulders.

I was very impressed with the staff at orientation, and all that this program is offering Lexie. She is one lucky girl being that this festival offers private lessons, and master classes with a member of the Philadelphia Orchestra, daily music education courses, chamber music rehearsals, and competition opportunities. When I was talking to Lexie she said that her arm was so sore from constant practicing, and playing, but is now is getting used to it. Apparently they're working the heck out of her, and I think that's a great thing! She is really focusing on learning so much from the staff, and their teachings. So far she is loving it, and we are looking forward to the grand finale concert on the fourth of July.

Bryn Mawr is a beautiful area in Pennsylvania, and the campus is nice. It kind of reminded me of Princeton. Lexie's dorm is nostalgic, and the doors have stained glass windows. Apparently they were decorated, and I had a chance to snap a few photos of two that caught my eye. I didn't want to be a creeper, and take pictures of every single dorm door, but these two caught my attention. 

Harry Potter, and Peter Pan anyone??

As we were walking around campus we spotted some hammocks where Noah and Chelsea relaxed for a few. They have them them all hanging against a line of trees. I think it's pretty cool for the school to have them there for students to just kick back and relax. 

It has felt a little "off" having my two oldest daughters away from me, but luckily it's only temporary and that I'll have them both home soon. It has been nice giving my full attention to these two. There are times when Noah will tell me that he misses his sister, and how he can't wait for her to leave the castle! He said that Lexie's a princess living in a castle. I have to agree with him!

We are so proud of her for yet another amazing accomplishment and hope that she will come home mastering the violin better than when she left. Even if it doesn't affect her long term in becoming a musician (she'd like to be a doctor) knowing that she has a skill in playing beautiful music on her violin is good enough for me. She can always take that with her no matter where life will take her. And no matter what she decides to do with her life...she'll never stop playing her violin.