A first

.... a clarinety first....

For the first time Katie identified a "bad reed"....she mashed her reed at band last night, so we put a new one on today. She didn't like it at all. She didn't like it's tone, how it played.... it just wasn't right! So we swapped it for a different one and the new one was fine. I'm learning as we go along with this music lark and "the search for the elusive perfect reed" is something I've heard clarinet players talk about. This one may not be perfect but I found it very interesting that she now had enough technique to know it wasn't right.

Apart from during clarinet and piano practice, we had quite a lot of "Monday-itis on Tuesday" today. She was quite uncooperative and beastly to get to school. Which was a little ironic as today her school report came. It was absolutely glowing, at target or exceeding in every single element and a wonderful teacher report. Including how impeccably well behaved she is, follows whatever she's asked to do extremely precisely and is "a role model to her classmates". He said she works her hardest at everything she does and won't settle for anything less than high quality work. He talked about how strong her reading and her love of books is, how she seems to adore to get lost in a story. Another well done there, little one!

They had a bit of a surprise at school today. In her school, they work as a cohort of 60 in FY and are split into two classes in y1. These class groupings then stay together for the whole of the 6years, apart from setting for maths and reading. Today they found out that it has been decided that her year need re-grouping. They had a trial day in their new classes today. And Katie and Bobbins are back together! Katie is really thrilled, Bobbins is pleased but sad to be parted from some of her good friends. Some of the "colourful" class members have been separated so it will be interesting to see how things work next year. She seems happy with the teacher they're going to have, though it's someone I have little knowledge of.

Dancing tonight. She came out pleased that she's got back her weakest of the three splits. She'd got them all in about February but left leg forwards has always needed her to be very very warmed up into it before she could do it. Now she can do it straight away. She had a great time at class and took a bit of convincing to go to bed.