Week One at CSAA...

Levi during morning assembly

Day One- Exhausting! Excellent kids...some great singers...some good effort...all in all not a bad first day. Levi seemed to really enjoy it. He told a killer joke during our afternoon break that cracked everyone up. "What is Mozart doing in his tomb?...decomposing." Cute, huh? He actually asked me to sit with him in the cafeteria. I took a moment to appreciate that...I know it won't be long until he wants his "space." He was a bit rowdy in my class...we'll see how it goes tomorrow.

Day Two- What a day! Levi got the chance to meet Todd Ford, an artist from Texas that he researched last night on the internet. He made quite an impression on Mr. Ford- who gave him a signed painting to take home. Pretty cool, huh? He, in turn, drew a drawing of a monkey holding a banana for him. On the flip side of things, Levi was not making the best choices today. We're working on it... My classes went well. Most of the kids are enjoying vocal music and having a good time.

Day Three- Classes went really well today. The kids seem to enjoy the music the more they sing it! We did a "Musical Math" game that they really got into. Some clans are more competitive than others. Levi's clan played boys vs. girls. The boys were in the lead and then the girls tied them. We had a play off and the girls won. It really bummed the boys out! On a personal note, I'm feeling very discouraged by my sons behavior at Academy. I'm seeing what his teachers see. Time to reevaluate how we need to handle this as parents. Meds? Home Schooling? Juvenile Hall?

Day Four- This was the biggest lesson that I planned for the two weeks...wasn't sure how the kids would respond. They really surprised me! We finished learning the first two songs for our showcase and began the third one. The kids really seemed to enjoy the rewards of finishing these songs. They wanted to sing them over and over again. It was a lot of fun! I'm really proud of their progress! A bit of a downer- Noah threw himself at my feet tonight and sobbed! I kept asking him why he was crying and he wouldn't say. I held him for about 20 minutes and he stopped. I think it's pretty traumatic losing Mommy all week...

Levi's clan, "The Panthers" after using their artistic skills to learn some new Chickasaw words in Vocal Music

Day Five- The boys slept in this morning...had to wake them up at 7:30. (we have to be THERE at 8:00) We're all looking forward to sleeping in tomorrow! The kids did well today learning some new words in Chickasaw. It was challenging, but they all tried their best. We also auditioned for some solos. Lots of talented singers! I've got some serious decisions to make...Levi had a good day for once! I was really proud of him. Now we're going to enjoy our weekend together and gear up for another week at CSAA.