Biggest Instrument

On Wednesday, the grade 3s had their first ever concert (for their parents).  The next day, I was talking with a violinist from the junior quartet (grade 5).

Girl: How was the grade 3 concert?
Me: It was good.
Girl: Now, be honest - did some of them sound terrible?
Me: Ummm... I don't think so... But I couldn't hear all of them, so I can't say with certainty.
Girl: Oh, now, are they going to play for the grade 2s at the end of the year?
Me: Yes.
Girl: Man, I loved that!  It got me so pumped up!  I really wanted to play the double bass.  I wanted to play the biggest instrument in the class.
Me: So, uh, how's that working out for you?
Girl: Yeah.  Not so great.

A Talk on Broken Hill

Walking with a grade 3 girl to her lesson, we started talking about NAPLAN (groan). 

Girl [excited]: But the good thing is, we don't have any homework next week!
Me: Well, that's a nice thing.
Girl: But - we did have three assignments this week.
Me: Three?!
Girl: Yep.  Well, one of them was a talk.  We had to talk about a town.
Me: Which one did you do?
Girl: Broken Hill.
Me: Ooh, what can you tell me about Broken Hill?
Girl: Ummm... Ahhh...
Me: Well, where is it?
Girl: It's, like, in the middle of Australia.
Me: Which state is it in?
Girl [in the "I'm giving a talk" tone of voice]: It's in outback New South Wales.
Me: Now, this is something I've always wanted to know - why is it called Broken Hill?
Girl [obviously pleased she could divulge knowledge]: Well, it's because when Charles Sturt jumped off the boat, he saw this ... hill... and thought it looked... broken.
Me: Ah.  So, is there a river or something?  For him to jump off the boat?
Girl [looking a bit confused]: Um... No, when he sailed on the ocean.
Me: Hang on a minute.  Australia looks like this [I drew a very quick squiggly outline of Australia in the air, with a tiny Tasmania at the bottom which made her giggle].  You just told me that Broken Hill is in the middle of Australia [vigorous nod] - so, how is Charles Sturt jumping off a ship on the ocean and seeing Broken Hill.
Girl: Ooh.  I mean, a lake.
Me: A lake?  Really?  Are you sure it wasn't a river?
Girl: Oh yeah.  Yeah, it was a river.

Well, I did learn 2 things.  Even more, really (I might include the end-of-lesson discussion soon).  But I didn't know why it's called Broken Hill, and I didn't know that Charles Sturt was the one who discovered it.

Stressed

Grade 3 girl.  I'd just picked her up from her class.

Me: How are you?
Girl: Stressed.  Do I look stressed?  I'm really stressed.
Me: Oh no!  Why are you stressed?
Girl: My little brother said he would shoot me.  With his Nerf gun.
Me: ...Why...?
Girl: Well, I took in some Dr Seuss books to school, and he said if I don't bring them all back, he'd shoot me.  But, mum said it was okay for me to take them in, so obviously she didn't tell him that.  So, I took 4 in [she names 3 - sorry I forget which ones they are] but I can only find those 3... The problem is, I have no idea which one the 4th book is.  So I'm guessing I'm going to be shot.  With a Nerf gun.  By a 4-yr-old.  Probably in the eye.
Me: In the eye???
Girl: Well on the weekend, J came over, and he shot her in the eye. 
Me: Maybe your brother shouldn't be aiming guns at people's faces?
Girl: Oh it was an accident.  He'd already aimed when she stood in front of him and was, like, what? and he just... fired... So now I know ... that he knows... how much that can hurt... so I have to find that last book so I can take it back home so I don't get shot by my annoying little brother, in the eye, with a Nerf gun.  Can you see why I'm stressed???

Best Friends and Alien Sounds

As I help out the grade 3 strings, I know what they're doing in class and what their goals are.  One of the pieces for the end-of-year concert is Lucy Locket, a piece they all know from classroom music last year.  It uses the sol-fa so, la and mi.  So to la is a step (they are only aware of major 2nds, or tones, at this point), and so to mi is a skip.  The class strings teacher has them starting with (for violin) 3rd finger on D (G) for so.  With this particular child, we'd played it in her lesson just like in class.  Then we got creative, and played it starting on open A.

Me: Now we're going to go back to starting on 3.  Instead of doing open A for la, though, what do you think we could do instead?
Girl: Ummm... could we use... [face scrunched up like this answer couldn't possibly be correct] 4th finger on the ... D string...?
Me [thrilled she worked this out without any prodding]: Yes!  Now, you know that 1 and 2 are not great friends... [girl nods] and 2 and 3 are best friends [girl nods] - what do you think about 3 and 4?  Will they be best friends or need a gap?
Girl [knowingly]: They'll need a gap.  You can only have one best friend.
Me: Good point.  You know another way we can tell?  If we put out 4th finger right next to our 3rd finger, it would make Lucy Locket sound like this: [I sing the beginning with a very squished up so and la]
Girl [laughing like this is the stupidest thing she's heard all day]: That's terrible!  It sounds like alien sounds!

I am pleased to report that her Lucy Locket sounded right, right from the start.