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On Monday night Claire had her second concert with the studio where she takes violin lessons. June marks one year of lessons for Claire, and it is neat to see her little fingers really starting to move.

Just in the last few weeks she has begun to place her fingers on the fingerboard herself to play an E scale (technically just the first four notes of the scale) and an A scale. This is a pretty big step. Having played myself for so many years I forget just how many little skills go into something as 'basic' as coordinating finger placement on the left hand with bowing on the right.

She did well at the concert - my primary goals are that she be proud of whatever she did and that she enjoy herself. Both were true. She was glowing when we were done.

At each concert several musicians will stand behind the students and play background harmonies, which I did this time around. That excited Claire a lot. She kept telling the audience at the retirement home "That's my daddy" and pointing at me. Then not wanting to leave out her sister "That's Ella" pointing to Ella in the audience.