Tuck-a Bow and Songgs

This is one of those posts that feel like I need to just put things down without analyzing them too much, other wise, nothing will get written. I like to be eloquent, but it's either an eloquent post that never gets written, or a rough update that does…

My last post was right after a lesson that wasn't the best the Maestro has ever had. It seems like everyone it treating it like part of the cyclical nature of a three-year-old's temperament, rather than a problem that needs addressing. I guess I'm used to being in panic mode around here, and was pleasantly surprised to find that no one was worried about it.

We continue to work on the practice bow-holds, colouring in instruments on a plastic coated card-stock when he does some. Originally, we had planned to have all one hundred finished by this Wednesday, but I'm not sure now that that is going to happen. Both the Maestro and Hildr have had colds all weekend, and haven't been the best at co-operating. Hildr likes to fall asleep best with me holding her hand, or her head, and the Maestro has had a very short fuse in regards to a lot of things.

I realized this morning that this is the first time I can think of that the Maestro has gotten sick and was still willing to eat food. Knock on wood. Usually he gets a runny nose and immediately goes on a soy-milk only diet. Sometimes he even swears off that, refusing to consume anything at all. He's a little skinny, in case you wondered. I think his nervous system is starting to catch up with where it needs to be. He isn't totally worn out by the sensory demands of school, and he can feel sick and keep eating. This is progress, even if it interrupts the bow hold routine.

The Teacher stopped by last night to put some stickers on the finger board of Carolyn, the Cello. She didn't explain why she did this, I think so he will be curious about them at his lesson. She promised to tell him about them then.

She also helped us build a "Tucka Bow." The fist variation of "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" that he will learn is a variation on the rhythm. Tuck-a Tuck-a Stop, Stop. Tuck-a Tuck-a Stop, Stop. The Tucka Bow is a large dowel, about ¾ of an inch diameter, with a thick paper cylinder around it, about 10 cm wide. There are two elastic bands that keep the paper from sliding too far in either direction. The Practice Bow is to work on holding the bow. The Tuck-a Bow is to work on the bowing motion. He holds it near the end in his left hand while his right hand slides the paper up and down in the rhythm of the first variation, Tuck-a Tuck-a Stop, Stop.

We went to the part tonight to burn off energy from napping. All the way home we sang "Tuck-a Tuck-a Stop, Stop." Of course there was lots of "Pop, Pop," and "Tuck-a Tuck-a Wop, Nop," going on as well. That's just the way we roll in this family. We live on the edge.

So I don't know what will happen at his lesson this week. We have built up this next lesson as the one at which he gets his real bow back, after doing all his bow-holds. He gets to learn about the stickers on Carolyn, and he gets to see what's inside that poster-tube that the Teacher was carrying. I'm not sure he can handle having all the anticipation and then being told that he was a dozen bow-holds short. What a mess that would be…

We seem to be going full-steam ahead though. His bow-holds look good when he does them, so hopefully that isn't going to be a problem. Whether he is allowed to put his real bow on his strings, when he gets it, that could be a bigger issue for him. I will let Riley and the Teacher get that figured out, though.

On a non-Maestro note, Hildr has decided that she loves music too. She keeps asking for "Songg!" so she can dance around the living room. The Maestro always responded well to music; sometimes it was the only thing that would get him to calm down. I don't remember him requesting it the way she does, though. And, she loves to dance while he never would. He, at three and a half, has only recently begun doing the actions for kid's songs when asked. Even so, it depends on who is doing the asking. Hildr calls for the Songg! and prances up and down the room regularly.