First Violin Recital

Ayden was so nervous for his first violin recital.  It took Brent all of twenty minutes to talk him out of the van!  We didn't want to make him play in the recital per se, but we wanted him to give it a shot and not be held back by fear (he said, "I'm afraid everyone will laugh at me!" which of course is not true at a kids' music recital, since everyone is in the same boat and just thinks all the kids are amazing for getting anything resembling a coherent noise out of an instrument).  In the end Suzie got him to warm up, and he was last on the roster so he had a chance to see that many other kids were at a similar level to him.  And then he rocked it, and he was so pleased with the experience in the end!
Sometimes it can be tough to know when to respect your child's space or preference for something, and when to challenge them beyond their comfort zone, in hopes they will discover something they truly like.  I'm not sure Ayden passed into the category of actually liking violin, but he got to experience the joy of performing, and audience applause for a job well done.  Verrrry cute.
We are also taking Ayden out of voilin lessons for the time being, for financial reasons, so this was his first and last recital, for now.  I'm sad because (a) it is a dumb reason to quit lessons, (b) he was hitting his stride with practicing, feeling confident, and learning to like it, and (c) he has an ear and affinity for music, which he was born with.  And also (d) I played violin for years and it was cool to have a kid choose the same instrument I enjoyed for so long.  AND also maybe (e) it was good for Ayden to participate in something that took work to master.  He tends to prefer to master skills quickly and easily, and to quit if he doesn't.  That approach isn't going to particularly help him in life, so challenging him to persist when a skill has a steeper learning curve has been helpful.  Our plan is to 'take a break' from lessons and hopefully return to them when we can afford to again.
Go Ayden!  He played "Good King Wenceslas" and played well.  Most of all, he was proud of himself once he finished, and people were genuinely pleased at his bravery and cuteness.  Woot!

Ayden and his teacher Suzie setting up