Matthew has never had piano lessons. He has learned a little bit of music theory and the basics of reading music when he was in the school band last year. I've helped him a little bit and encouraged frequent piano exploration since we've moved. But he has picked his way through several songs and is doing pretty well. I try to help a little and he's still working on his songs but I've been impressed with how far he has gotten on learning some of these songs - again - with no real piano lessons. This video is a little long - he is working his way through My Favorite Things. He then taught Anna how to play the right hand of the song and Anna taught Grant how to play just the beginning of the right hand of the song. So the blind leading the blind. :). We're working on it.
Anna struggled with how to complete an optical illusion drawing assignment for school. There was much frustration and a few tears and I=in the end she came up with this. I thought it looked nice.
And Grant has had a little guitar for a while but we haven't done anything to try and actually learn how to play it. I don't play guitar but I know a little bit and can pick out a few chords. I mean, I hardly know anything, so it is the blind leading the blind again, but I've been sitting down with Grant and helping him learn a few things recently. This is a song he's been working on. He also sings with it, but has a hard time figuring out what key to start in (with the singing) since the chord is lots of notes together I know its a little tricky to figure that out with guitar. He was also feeling shy so had me sing for him while he played - so please excuse my weird singing. This is a full size guitar that he was using - we also have a small one - and he has trouble holding the guitar upright while playing since it is so big for him, so that's why its laying down as he plays. We told him we could get him one that's an appropriate size for him if he continues playing.
Another piano song John is working on. Now we are to the point where we are trying to learn the notes on the staff - so that's a little tricky.
This is a video Anna made with John and Emma. So this might be more of an Anna talent. Anna made an escape room last year during quarantine and then made a little video to introduce the escape room and lay out the rules. This was after we had gone to an escape room in Salt Lake for Matthew's birthday (last year) and Emma had been frightened by a skeleton (which was intended to be silly) in the intro video we watched prior to doing the escape room. So they made a non-frightening escape room video. Good job guys!!
