June 11th and 12th Concerts

That brings us to the year end concerts. Our homeschool fine arts group offers band, choir, orchestra, tonechimes, speech and drama. The drama group put on their play earlier in the year. June 11Th was orchestra, tonechimes, and choir. Kids out of high school and adults can sit in free with any group except speech, drama and the young children's choir. Younger son is in everything except orchestra. Older son in in just the band now. June 12 was the band concert.

The concert chorale sang "This is the Day the Lord Has Made" by Hayes, "Saints Bound for Heaven" arr. Burton, "Who is the Lamb" by Shafferman/Larson, and "Holy is He by Cloninger/Clydesdale. Younger son also played his trumpet for one song with the Chamber Orchestra that night. As for Tonechimes they played, "Praise to the Lord, the Almighty" arr. Leckie, "For All the Saints" by Vaughan Williams, "Sheep May Safely Graze" by Bach, and "Joybells" by Starks. Older son had to work, so he missed this concert so he could come the next night and play too.

The next day at the band concert both boys played with the younger cadet band and then the concert band. The concert Band played, "Ravensgate" by Strommen, "Soliloquy(A Musical Thought)" by Bloom/Yoder, "Blaze Away" by Holzmann, and "Hymn and March from Joam of Arc" by Tchaikovsky.

It was all very nice. It had been a long week because they had practice most days that week for one or the other groups and then I took my best friend to the airport on the 11th and picked up my niece from the airport on the 12th before the concert. I not thrilled about going to the airport, but I kind of know my way now. Unfortunately picking up my niece there was an accident right before she got off the plane that backed up traffic for ever! The 30 minute trip turned into a two nightmare getting home. We just made it on time to the concert.

After the concert the real fun started! Remember the last post, I mentioned we were lucky to get home from Michigan on all 4 tires? Well we came out of the concert at 9:30 and one of my tires were flatter then a pancake. None of my family was there. So about 5 teenagers and eventually 2 men changed the tire. My tire bolt things were rusted to the car and no one could get the tire off to change it. Good thing we are a homeschool bunch ;) One of the men found a hollow 6 foot pole that fit over the nut thingy (see my car knowledge!). The kids had to run from the front of the car to the back of the car trying to turn the nut thing. It finally came off and then there was a discussion between older son and an other teenager on the best place to place the thing that lifts the car. When the spare was on the car it only had 20 pounds of air and shook all the was to the gas station to get filled.

The next day I went to the car and the pare looked low again. Sure enough it had a crack in it and leaked most the air out. So off the the tire store. They put on 4 new tires and I told them to use the best of the last three tires for the spare. The car guy told me my cracked spare was the best tire of the four! I feel very blessed to have made it home from not only Michigan, but all the airport rides and express was driving. The tires could have gone anytime. At least I am good for 40,000 miles now!