A Little Fun with Jon Schmidt

Caleb's arm was pretty much healed up now.  Although he was still wearing some steri strips to help limit the scarring, he was ready and able to do some fun things on the piano again.  

Recently, Caleb had seen a local pianist named Jon Schmidt on some YouTube videos.  Jon Schmidt is a pianist who seems to have a lot of fun playing the piano.  He is a pianist/composer who writes many of his own songs and fun arrangements of songs that you hear on the radio but mashed together with other songs.  

When he saw how much fun Jon Schmidt had sometimes backward at the piano and hitting it with his arms, Caleb had to do it himself.  We bought the sheet music for one of his songs and Caleb began learning it right away.  This was a song called "All of Me" where it incorporated the use of both arms to smash on the piano to play.  Caleb was all about that!  He even wanted a fancy video of him playing it where the camera kind of circled around him.  Well, we aren't the best camera people, but he had fun with it.  

Here is Caleb playing Jon Schmidt's "All of Me":

         

4-H Talent Show

Caleb and his brother and sister participated in a 4-H Talent Show this last month.

It was at a local nursing home and anyone could enter, so they all went to play their instruments and have fun.  

Caleb played a new song he was working on by Jon Schmidt.  Although in the middle of his song his dad flipped over the music upside down, but Caleb kept on playing!  

In the end, Caleb won a blue ribbon and "Most Exceptional Performer"!

Birthday Parties, Senior Centers, and Playing for the Mayor

Caleb was asked by his friend Dorothy to play the piano at her birthday party.  Caleb was more than happy to!  

He played her one of her favorite songs, "Somewhere In Time".

At the party Caleb saw the mayor!

He asked if Caleb would play for the city Senior Center.  Caleb wanted to, and had even offered to play there a year ago, but last year they did not want Caleb to play.  They did not like the idea of an 8 year old playing for their seniors and so they turned us down even though it was all volunteer.

We thought it was kind of sad, but the mayor said that he really wanted Caleb to play there and so he would work it all out.

A few weeks later, Caleb was allowed to come play for them.  He made a program of 10 songs that he would play.

The Mayor even came to watch!

Caleb had fun, and hopefully the senior center liked having him there 

(even if the Mayor had to talk them into it!)

Caleb's Comeback!

Caleb had gone through a tough time with his surgery, but he was healing up fast now, and it was time for a comeback!  Right away he began working on a new song to play in church.  He found another beautiful song by composer/arranger Aaron Waite.  This time it was a wonderful arrangement of the song, "If I Could Hie to Kolob".  

Caleb practiced and got to play it in church in the middle of February.  He did an awesome job and it sounded beautiful!  

Here he is playing it at home:

            

As you can see by his comment at the end, he thought it was funny if we called it If You Could Hie to "Caleb"!