Matching Tracksuits

The Boy has joined the Carolina Youth Symphony. Their mission, according to their site:

Our mission is to encourage artistic excellence in a nurturing environment by providing the highest quality orchestral training and performance opportunities to qualified musicians, grades K-12, and make participation possible through many financial aid and work study programs.

CYS Website

Auditions were in May, but since the Boy's middle school band teacher is one of the conductors for the CYS, he pulled some strings and got the Boy an audition in September.

Practice is every Sunday from 1:15 to 2:45, and it takes place on the Furman University campus in the north of the city. It's a private university with a lovely campus complete with a lake and its famous tower. So while E plays, I go for a walk.

K and the pup went with us today since she had the free time, and we went for a four-mile walk while the Boy rehearsed with about 50 other local kids.

Of late, the Boy has really become focused on his music. We have an hour-long private lesson for him every Tuesday, and he returns home from that lesson and plays for another half hour or so, usually on the back deck. He told me that someone once shouted "Good job!" at him when he finished playing.

The Boy auditioned for (and made) a regional youth orchestra. Try-outs were in May, but his band director from school (the gentleman in the lower left corner of the below picture) is also involved in this orchestra.

"They need low brass," he said. And pulled a few strings. And they opened a rehearsal for him last week. And they were impressed enough to re-open the audition for him.

In one week, he learned the audition pieces and got to where he could play them well. "They're so much harder than what we play at school," he half-complained, half-bragged.

We lose every Sunday as a result, but it's worth it. Plus, we get to go to the Furman campus ever week now for a walk.

At the encouragement of his band director, the Boy went to sit in today with the Greenville Youth Orchestra. "They need low brass," Mr. K. said. "And you've improved so much!"

So the Boy went and sat in today.

And Mr. K., when he arrived, went straight to E to talk to (and presumably encourage) him.