Another Pianist

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"First Lesson" Austin, 2018
Photo info: Motorola Moto G (4), 3.64mm, f/2, 1/17 sec, ISO500
 “First Lesson” Austin, 2018

こんばんは。How’s it going?

So, continuing with the music theme that has dominated the family news lately, Koa has started taking piano lessons. His first class was tonight and he said it was fun but tough to remember all the fingering for the scales. I’m excited to hear his progress, though! And it was fun to dig up Bay’s old piano books for Koa to use. 懐かしい！

In other news, Bay is getting ready to head off to a summer architecture camp. He’ll be gone for four whole weeks! It’s at USC, though, so it’s nice that my family in California can take care of him. I hope he learns a lot and enjoys living in the dorms. I know I had a great time during my university years! They grow up so fast, don’t they?

I hope you had a great day!

またね～

Another Instrument

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"Vibes" Cedar Park, 2018
Photo info: FUJIFILM X-T10, 18mm, f/2.8, 1/9 sec, ISO500
 “Vibes” Cedar Park, 2018

This afternoon Koa and I brought home a vibraphone from the high school so he could practice over the summer. This instrument is a beast! The tech at the school helped disassemble the vibraphone and load it into the car, and then at home, Koa and I reassembled it. It was actually pretty easy.

Now we have yet another large instrument in our living room… and the vibraphone is LOUD! Really need those earplugs soon. 😄

I hope you had a nice Wednesday.

おやすみ！

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Braces and Earplugs

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"Braces Time" Austin, 2018
Photo info: Motorola Moto G (4), 3.64mm, f/2, 1/30 sec, ISO160
 “Braces Time” Austin, 2018

What a day! So, Bay finally got braces on his teeth, but just the lower ones. He’s going to do Invisalign on top, and then also on the bottom after the braces come off. The appointment went smoothly and I met his orthodontist for the first time. He’s great, and we like him a lot. He even has a child who is the same grade as Koa and will be going to the same high school next year! The orthodontist office is really nice too, with a great, open design that looks out towards nice oak trees. A really nice setting!

Later in the morning, I took my other son to get fitted for some custom earplugs. He’s starting high school band and it is recommended to get some high-quality earplugs for the percussion section. The earplugs are expensive, but I think it’s a good investment to make sure your hearing isn’t damaged. The process for making the mold was pretty interesting, with some gel being squeezed into Koa’s ears. Then after it hardened, the mold was removed. It turns out that Koa’s ear canal curves upwards, which isn’t uncommon, but was surprising to us.

"Earplug Molds" Austin, 2018
Photo info: Motorola Moto G (4), 3.64mm, f/2, 1/30 sec, ISO400
 “Earplug Molds” Austin, 2018

Anyways, it was an interesting morning, but I had to go back to work in the afternoon, which was a bummer. 😝

I hope you had a great day!

またね～

Ukulele Time

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"Ukulele Music" Cedar Park, 2017
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/5, 1/80 sec, ISO6400
 “Ukulele Music” Cedar Park, 2017

こんばんは。Today’s photo is of my ukulele and some sheet music. I’ve been practicing “Remember Me” from Coco using the video below and it’s been a lot of fun! I realize that 6 strings is too complex for my brain, but 4 strings is just fine, so I love playing the ukulele.

It’s cool that Bay and Koa play music, but sometimes we have a conflict because when one of them is playing piano, I can’t hear my ukulele. 😄 I’m saying that light-heartedly since I can just wait a bit, but if they both need to practice their piano and percussion, there can be some time conflicts. I suppose it’s mostly because they wait until the last minute to practice… if they just got their practices taken care of earlier, everyone would have plenty of time.

Oh well… I am just happy they are musically inclined. It’s really cool to hear their music filling the house.

I hope you had a great day!

またね～