Last Day at Yamaha and JMC Concert 2

I attended my last music class on Thursday (20th Dec) and coincidentally, it was also my Book 2 Mini Concert Day (I am already halfway through Book 3 now). Daddy and mummy had wanted me to finish Book 4 before "graduating" to individual piano lessons. However, due to "unforeseen circumstances", I am unable to continue with my lessons here and I am deeply upset by this abrupt stop. No more music classes for me at the moment :( 

Anyway, I had a wonderful year at Yamaha Music School (started in Jan 2012) and I looked forward to my music classes every week. I also practiced the piano at home at my own initiative and I enjoyed playing the pieces and listening to the music in the CD very, very much!

My last day at music class

I sang "Like The Wind, Like the Rain". Teacher Shirlene commented that I had a sweet voice and I could sing in pitch but I did not sing loud enough

I played the piano quite confidently too but slipped a few notes here and there. I played 2 pieces - The Frenchfry Bandit and Sweet Dance

I gave my music teacher, Ms Shirlene, a small parting gift because I liked her very much

Here are what I gave to her... a simple self-made card and a felt "piano puppy" keychain handmade by mummy (copied from the picture on my workbook)

My last day here ended with a pizza party :)

I Sang In My School Concert

My kindergarten's annual concert was held on Sunday, 14th October, in the Dewan Sivik Petaling Jaya. My classmates and I took part in the first item in the program lineup titled Nursery Rhyme Time where I danced to the chanting of My Grandfather's Clock and Bunyi Jam. I also sang a Chinese number, Wo Jia De Zhong and earned compliments from my teachers and family members. For the finale, we also "twisted" to the upbeat tune of Rock Around the Clock.

In my white and black polka-dot concert attire... pretty or not? *bashful smile*

View from the top... this year, daddy, mummy and Mah-mah who came along to support me, sat in the upper tier of the hall where they had a better view of the stage (though a bit too far for our camera to zoom in)

Opening performance by all the K2 pupils.  Can you spot me? Hint: I'm right in the centre of the photo, standing.

Dancing to the groovy beat of "Stand By Me" in the K2 Opening Performance (my face is partially hidden by someone's fist)

Cool and stylish dance moves in My Grandfather's Clock

Look who's singing?

Belting out "Wo Jia De Zhong" (The Clock in My Home) in my solo-singing presentation

Bravo to our splendid performance!

Rocking to the finale of the first segment... Rock Around the Clock

The grand finale... The Greatest Love of All presented by all the teachers and students

Kudos to all the teachers and students for putting up a great show. Daddy, mummy and Mah Mah enjoyed the performances very much and they were very proud of me :)

The concert ended with a big bang as usual where the stage rained confetti on us (concert kids) and the hall rained balloons on the audience, just like last year. My friends and I quickly helped ourselves to the balloons on our way out :)

With my friends, Nicole and Debora

We had dinner in Sushi King (I asked for this!) after the concert where I couldn't stop viewing the concert videos taken by daddy. I also received funny stares from shoppers who must be wondering "why is this little girl wearing such a fanciful outfit to a hypermarket?" hahaha!

JMC 1 Mini Concert

Yesterday was a very busy Thursday for me. I woke up at 6:30am to participate in my kindergarten's 3rd field trip of the year. We went to a pizza restaurant where I made my very first pizza (coming up in another post).

Upon reaching home at 3pm, I was forced to take a nap so that I could be "re-charged" for another big event later in the evening.... it was my music class (Yamaha JMC Book 1) mini concert where I had to perform a solo singing presentation and play a repertoire piece on the piano.

I felt very confident and at ease (mummy was obviously more stressed than me!) and I wanted to be the last to perform when my teacher asked for volunteers...

Finally, it was my turn. I was really the last to perform...

Teacher S helped me with my self-introduction

A few of my classmates suffered from severe case of stage-fright where they cried and refused to perform. Mummy was worried that I would follow suit but I turned out to be all cool, calm and steady. Overall, I did quite well but I was very stiff during my solo singing presentation of The Whales' Sneezes. I did not do any actions and I couldn't remember some of the lyrics. My mind was quite blank although I have been practicing hard for this. I was very, very nervous and it was clearly written all over me...

...I clutched on to my skirt like this throughout my performance @_@ 

Playing A Cuckoo Clock on the piano

Phew!! I'm so glad it's all over now! *ran happily back to my seat*

My performance was not excellent but it was not too bad either. For an extremely shy and timid person like me, it was considered good already. My Cuckoo Clock performance on the piano was also mistake-free. Daddy and mummy were very proud of me! 

After the "concert", we had a party, sort of like a mini makan-makan session along one of the narrow corridors of the music studio. It was a pot-luck party and mummy and I contributed this...

J.pops... baby donuts from J.Co

Nothing's Happening...

... which explains why mummy has been slow in updating my blog. Well, here are some random updates on what I have been up to lately...

Books
Mummy bought more books for me recently. Although she kept reminding herself not to buy too many books for me (and too frequently), she just couldn't resist the good bargains at a recent book sales. Here are some of the books she bought for me, just some...

My new collection of hard cover Enid Blyton story books (only RM7 each)

Because of daddy and mummy's crazy book-buying spree, we ran out of bookshelf space some time ago. Our home has been "littered" with hundreds of "homeless" books piled up at almost every corner until daddy could no longer tolerate the mess and decided to give those poor books a proper "home"...

Let me help you, daddy... I know how because I watch Handy Manny, you know ;) 

Our spanking new Billy bookshelf from Ikea... it was immediately filled up from top to bottom, leaving no space for future new books :(

My new-found love... Where's Wally?

Kindy Field Trip

I went for my kindergarten's first field trip of the year on 1st March. I joined the K1 group to Taman Tasik Permaisuri, Cheras, where we went for a nature walk followed by a lunch picnic at the playground. Mummy did not go with me on the trip but she managed to steal some photos from my kindy's Facebook :p

One for the album... with my teachers and some of my friends

Milo ice-cream for dessert at the picnic (we had chicken rice for lunch)

Loose tooth

Since late last year, mummy noticed that my teeth are very widely spaced out, leaving unsightly gaps in between, especially on my lower jaw. This "widened jaw" is a sign that I'm growing well and that I'm ready to "change to a new set of teeth". 

Big gaps between my teeth (they used to be close and neat before this)

As expected, one of my lower teeth started to feel shaky last month. It is so shaky and loose now that it can even move side to side, revealing a huge gap that many times fooled mummy into thinking that the tooth had dropped. 

See the "hole" on the bottom row of my teeth? The "hole" is actually a gap as all my teeth are still intact! 

Skinny

Many people have been commenting that I have lost weight, esp Ah Ma and Mah-mah (both my grandmas).  Even friends and other people close to me have been commenting that I look very skinny lately. Well, as long as I'm eating well (I actually eat quite a lot) and growing healthily, being skinny doesn't bother mummy that much. 

I'm skinny because I am tall... I am growing upwards, not side ways, that's why!

Music 

Playing the piano is my latest passion and look forward to attending music classes every week. I am still very self-motivated and I will practice without being told. I can play all the pieces in Book 1 (most of them self-learned) and mummy is considering letting me skip a grade or maybe send me for individual piano lesson sooner. The class that I am attending now is more suitable for 4yo and I find the lessons too simple and not challenging enough.

Here are 2 videos of me playing two of my favourite pieces - I Am King and Hot Cross Buns...

Better Late Than Never

After months (and years) of procrastination, daddy and mummy finally enrolled me for music lessons. My journey in music did not start out smoothly. It all started way back in my young toddler days when mummy tried teaching me the piano. It was a futile attempt that often ended in tears, frustrations and unhappiness. Mummy was impatient and fierce. I was slow and easily distracted. I couldn't follow her instructions and I disliked the way she taught me (wrong approach). After a couple of lessons plus many more re-tries as I grew older, mummy did not see any improvement in me so she gave up teaching me.

In early 2010 (when I was 3y5m), mummy decided that I needed formal music lessons so she brought me to a music centre only to be told to return later because I was too young (for the program of her choice). Later, somewhere in early 2011 (when I was 4y5m), mummy brought me there again. This time, mummy was very disappointed with the customer service of the music centre. Nobody attended to us after a long wait so we left. She tried contacting the person in charged via email but her email was never replied! Mummy was angry and upset.

She then went to inquire about this music program in another branch and was told that I was over-aged. How can I be "over-aged" when I was only 4+ and the music program is for kids aged 4-6? Mummy left feeling baffled this time.

Meanwhile, I began to lose interest in music and whenever mummy suggested music lessons to me, I would say NO and refused to go until very recently (late December) when daddy and mummy decided to "force" me there. They "dragged" me to the music centre again.

Finally, in Jan 2012 (at 5y5m and being one of the oldest in class), I was accepted into the January intake of Yamaha's Junior Music Course (JMC) for Book 1 (just in the nick of time, in their last available slot) and classes began in the first week of this year.

Solfege singing with a group of new friends

As of today, after attending just 2 lessons, I'm madly IN LOVE with music now. I could play the first few pieces in the book (I learned them all by myself) even BEFORE attending my first lesson. Now, I can play 70% of the pieces in Book 1. Most of them have not been taught by my music teacher yet. Mummy did not teach me too. I learned everything on my own by listening to the CD and watching the DVD a few times everyday. I love the catchy tunes and I sing and hum to them almost all the time.

Singing and playing the piano is my favourite pastime now

I practice the pieces on the piano very enthusiastically everyday. Of course, mummy's constant praises and encouragement motivate me too. Mummy regrets not enrolling me earlier. Anyway, it's better late than never, isn't it?

My 1st MPO Experience

Last Sunday, I finally went for my very first MPO (Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra) concert. The day was quite an eventful one, I would say.

On the morning of the concert that we have been waiting eagerly to attend, I woke up with a big smile on my face. I looked perfectly alright until I crawled into daddy's arms and snuggled under his armpit. My body felt warmer than usual and the beeping sound of the thermometer confirmed daddy and mummy's worst fear... I was down with a 38-ish fever. A few days earlier, mummy was down with fever and cold too and I must have caught the bug from her. It was inevitable cos I kept sticking close to her despite being shooed away repeatedly. Sigh...

I was given a dose of paracetamol right after my morning milk. In the meantime, daddy and mummy had to determine whether or not to bring me along. They discussed other options (Plan B), thought long and hard, imagined all the possible consequences and even contemplated "dumping" me at Mah-mah's house and go ahead without me *sobs*. By the time they came up with their decision, my fever had already subsided haha! So, off to KLCC we went.

Our concert tickets... daddy bought the RM30 seats (with 10% discount for Petronas Mesra cardholders)

I slept in the car throughout our 30 minute journey there. Upon arrival, I looked rather listless and refused to walk. I wanted daddy to carry me...

The mighty daddy carrying his 20kg+ princess everywhere he went!

We reached KLCC at 12pm and headed straight to the Signature Foodcourt for lunch. After lunch, we still had some time to kill before our 2:30pm matinee so we walked around the outer display area of Petrosains.

Daddy bought me something from the Petrosains shop

Yay, concert time!

This was the theme we chose... Summer Beach Party. Too bad we couldn't dress to the theme. We had to wear smart casual... no shorts, sleeveless (for men) or slippers!

Walking into the hall, my first words were "Mummy, it's so orange!" (referring to the lighting) I had expected a dark hall like in a cinema haha. I finally saw all the orchestra instruments in real life! I could identify a few of them while mummy told me the rest one by one... the harp, tuba, violin, cello, double bass etc. As we were seated in the middle of the auditorium, we had quite a clear view of all the musical instruments. (Photography was strictly prohibited in the hall)

Daddy and mummy have been to many MPO performances before this but this was their first Fun For Kids show. It was a very interactive and engaging performance and I enjoyed it very much. Mummy caught me tapping my fingers to the rhythm. We also did actions, clapped to the beat and during the last two pieces, I even got up and danced to the Carribean calypso and Samba hehehe! When asked if I would like to come back for another show, I gave them a resounding "YES!"

After the concert, we headed straight home. I slept in the car again on our journey home and to mummy's horror, I was feverish again. This time, it was just low-grade hovering around 37-ish :(

Back at home, she gave me a quick bath and cooked me a simple but yummy dinner. I downed the whole BIG bowl of meesua soup with fish, carrot and egg. I was given another dose of paracetamol after that. I then spent the whole night playing with that "something" bought from the Petrosains shop earlier...

Wisdom Bead IQ Puzzle (it was only RM8.40 after a 15.5% discount for Petronas Mesra cardholders)

With 180 possible arrangements for the flat triangle and 2 possible arrangements for the pyramid ... it looks easy but it is NOT!

There are 9 levels to this game. I played the 1st level for kids. It was too easy. I played the 2nd level for teenagers, it was easy too. I played the 3rd level for "elders", it was ok but not challenging enough. I played the 4th level for adults... well, this suited "my level" hehe.

Hooked to the game...

I did it!

My fever was gone just before bedtime and it never came back again after that. Yippee!

She Sings

She sings all day long. Sometimes, her mummy complains "VERY NOISY!" but she doesn't care. She turns on the music (CD) on her own and starts singing whenever she feels like it...

She sings during the day...

She sings at night...

She also sings in the car, in the toilet or when she's playing with her toys. She loves singing!

A Happy, Noisy Sunday

We usually spend our Sundays at home, especially after a crazy morning-to-night mall outing on Saturdays. And whenever we are at home, there is never a dull or quiet moment. With blaring music, chatters and laughters, we sometimes feel that our home is the noisiest on the block!

Recently, Tai Koo-ma gave us some CDs and books from the Yamaha JMC music program. I love the songs and music very much and I listen to them almost everyday. I also like to gather some of my musical instruments and dance to the music. Just look at my happy face...

I was exceptionally cheerful today... dunno why

Dancing, shaking and tapping to the music with my percussion instruments... castanet, shaker (maracas) and tambourine

Here's a video of the very gleeful, ever-smiling musician...

Music Appreciation Day

I think it's pretty obvious that I love Music & Movement. Here's me dancing to Ni Hao Kai Lan's theme song in the morning. I do this EVERYDAY without fail...

I just love this cartoon and everytime the show starts, I'll dance to the theme song with my eyes closed.

Later, I went to the piano, switched it on and selected a pre-recorded piece randomly...

Playing, conducting and humming to Marcia Alla Turca by L.V. Beethoven.

Piano lessons? Mummy tries to teach me every now and then, but I'm still not ready for it yet (fingers too stiff). She can't wait to enrol me for the Yamaha's JMC next year.

The Little Dancing Princess

While strolling in Colmar Tropicale, we saw an open stage along the walkway. After asking for mummy's permission to go up on the stage, I boldly went up and danced happily...

I was happily tapping my feet, following the rhythm and dancing to the beat when a few passers-by walked past and gave me a big applause! I was so shy, I stopped in my tracks and smiled bashfully at them...

Dancing with daddy...