I'm the editor of our entertainment section, so I know about so many things that I wish we could go to. One of the local theaters is doing "Peter Pan" soon, and I'm hoping to take Biscuit to that. It's hard, though, because tickets are expensive!
Anyway, when I was writing about the symphony's performance for the entertainment section, I got very interested in the guest performer.
A young French male pianist taught himself to play jazz when he was a kid and into his teens. He got a job at a grocery store in Paris, then somehow, he became associated with a big-deal piano teacher. He took professional lessons for four years, then placed fourth in an international competition that is a really deal in the piano world.
I went to his website to check out some videos of him playing, and I decided that I had to take Biscuit to see him.
The concert started at 8 p.m., and Biscuit's bedtime is 8:30 p.m., so I was worried about how long he'd be able to stay awake. A friend of mine who goes to the performances quite often said that she's seen lots of parents take kids out during intermission. So I told Biscuit that we'd stay until intermission and then we'd decide whether to stay or not.
The first thing the orchestra played was by Schumann, then the pianist joined and they played a Beethoven concerto. It was really good, and I enjoyed it a lot.
The conductor was pretty lively, and I was glad because Biscuit loves conductors. Biscuit had his hand near his lap and was waving along with the conductor. I felt so bad for him because he got so sleepy toward the end of the Schumann piece. Picture him doing small conducting movements with his hand while he eyes were getting droopier and droopier, and his head even bobbed a couple of times. It was so cute that he was still moving his hand.
But when the pianist came onstage, Biscuit was wide awake.
When it came time for the intermission, Biscuit and I slipped out a side door. As we were walking to the car, we were behind an older couple. The woman turned around and started chatting with Biscuit.
"Did you enjoy the music?" she asked.
"Yes, yes I did," Biscuit said.
"Which did you like better, the Schumann or Beethoven?" she asked.
"Oh, I don't think I could choose," Biscuit said.
He told her that he was taking piano lessons, and that he thought it was cool that the orchestra played a Schumann piece, and he's learning a different Schumann piece. Biscuit and the lady talked about that all the way to the car.
Just as the lady got into her car, Biscuit said, "Mom? I didn't tell that lady which music was my favorite because I couldn't remember which one was the Schumann and which was the Beethoven."
"Then you gave her the perfect answer," I told him.
Then I wanted to drive home one thing about the pianist.
"Did you notice anything about that guy's face when he was playing?" I asked Biscuit.
"Yes, I did," he said. "He smiled a lot while he was playing. He looked excited about playing."
"That's why I wanted you to see him," I told Biscuit. "Some musicians are so serious when they play. It seems like they treat it more like a job than something they enjoy. But the guy tonight, he was enjoying what he was doing. And even when the orchestra was playing, and he was waiting his turn to play, he was moving his head along with the music and smiling."
"I'm gonna be like that, too, Mom," Biscuit said. "I'm quite the jokester, you know. And I want to have fun no matter what I'm doing."
"That is a great way to be," I told him. And I was glad we went.
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