Music to my ears

The kids had their end of the year piano recital last week. Last year’s performance was very informal in a small room at the school, packed to the gills with families and their little musicians. This year, their awesome teacher, Mr. Arnzen, arranged for it to be held in the school’s auditorium to give everyone plenty of space. Each of the 50 or so kids had to walk up on stage, introduce themselves and announce the song they would play, make their way across stage to the the piano, perform, and bow or curtsy when they finished. I started to feel nervous for them because they are so little and the auditorium is soooo big. So I was so proud when they walked up there with confidence and did their thing. It was beautiful!

I have to tell you a cute story about this first photo...For some reason, Baxter has been asking for a tie since he was a toddler, but we have rarely an occasion to get gussied up here in very casual Vermont. So I thought I would surprise him before the recital with his very first tie. He was so thrilled that it melted my heart. The audience “awwwwed” when he walked on stage. We just had to laugh when he paused for a moment to soak it in. Well guess who wanted to wear the tie to school the next day. What a ham!

"Hello, my name is Baxter Bishop and today I will be performing "Egyptian Dance" by Camille Saint-Saens, arranged by James Bastien."


"Hello, my name is Summer Bishop and today I will be performing "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring" by Johann Sebastian Bach, arranged by James Bastian."



Following the recital, I thought it would be great to do a couple of quick photos of the kids since they were already dolled up. I knew the ice cream truck was heading down the street and I promised a treat if they would cooperate. But it isn’t as easy as you would think to take photos of your own kids. Even when you’re a photographer. My kids always see me with the camera, so while they tolerate being photographed, it's rare that I request a little more formal set up. So I thought it would be fun to show the evolution of trying to get a decent photograph of my kids…




Oh well, who needs a formal photo anyway? this is far more fun!




We did it! We all deserved an ice cream cone when we were through!