I’m so thankful that our drum teacher and ballet studio found ways to continue with lessons during quarantine.  Of course there are days that James and Anna don’t want to practice, but it really has been great to give them something else to do in addition to at-home learning.  Because we’re home more, there really aren’t any excuses for not practicing. 

James is supposed to be practicing daily, but when we were in school full-time and had homework every night, there were days here and there where drum practice just didn’t happen.  Now, I set up the laptop in front of James’s drum set every Tuesday afternoon, and he and his teacher have a lesson over Skype.  It’s working very well and James is improving!  I so enjoy listening to him practice and he’s become very diligent in making sure he gets to the basement every day.  

James and Kenny made this video in March to share with James’s 5th grade teacher.  

And a more recent video he made this week.

James teaching Anna some drum technique

Anna’s ballet class was once a week before and there wasn’t any homework or practicing she needed to do at home.  Just show up to class once a week.  In this new online format, she has access to all of the different classes in her level.  She’s been able to try jazz, hip-hop, and a broadway class.  She’s discovered that she really loves jazz in addition to ballet!  Since we suddenly had access to all of these classes, we decided that each weekday she would take a class of some sort.  So, she’s really been improving and keeping up her skills which is great.  We still don’t have a teacher’s input and correction like we would in person, but this is still working out well.  She moves the coffee table in the living room, we cast the class from my phone to the TV, and away she goes!