Piano Festival

On Saturday, March 6th, Sarah and Rachel participated in Pocatello Music Club's Piano Festival. This was Rachel's 4th year, and Sarah's 3rd year participating in the festival. The were really far behind when we got there, so we had to wait an extra 30 minutes past our being 10-minutes early. The tension and nervousness mounted after waiting that long. We even had to take a walk around the building to work some of it out. Then, they moved Rachel to another room, and got her right in and Sarah followed right after. Both of the girls played really well, and felt "pretty good" about their performance. Rachel received a Superior rating, and Sarah received an Excellent rating. I was so proud of them. Sarah was pretty sad, and disappointed. After 3 superiors, she earns a gold cup and now she missed it this year by one point! Sometimes an extra week of practicing makes a huge difference, and sometimes the judge's expectations make the difference. Whatever the reason, she still got an Excellent, and did her best. I hope she can learn from this, be proud of the "best" that she did, and move forward with greater resolve for next year. I'm so proud of my girls. I wish I had taken my mom's "don't forget to practice" reminders more seriously when I was a teenager. I'm sure I would be able to play better now. I hope they always want to play the piano and realize the potential they have to bless others' lives with beautiful music and their other talents.