After the school year finished in December we set one week aside for a new project. Music has been a large part of our lives for quite some time now, with almost all of us playing something, and some of the children taking lessons in more than one instrument. Exams are scattered throughout our calendar, and all the required practice makes silence an almost unknown idea around here. One thing we are short on though is performance opportunities, so I set out to rectify that situation. With my schedule regularly stretched beyond its limits and my diary overflowing with things to do, I've been looking for things that will suit more than one goal or purpose. In this case, our need for performance opportunities could be coupled with our desire to promote a culture of life in New Zealand and to help build community (if only in a small way) by presenting a musical program to several local rest homes.
Danielle took responsibility for this project: preparing, designing, and introducing the programs, contacting the venues to book concerts, and letting us all know where we had to be and when! We presented one concert daily for five days, each day at a different rest home. I also took the siblings busking several times using the same program already prepared, giving them additional and different performing experience, and a little pocket money for their effort in practice and performance.
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| : : A couple of the rest homes gave "thank you" gifts : : |
