Children’s Pages v1 n1
Novelty Violin Cake
You will need for decorating:
- Coffee/Milo coloured icing
- 4 thin straps of licorice
- 14 silver cake decorating sugar balls
- 4 licorice lollies or Cola bottle lollies
- Wide, flat licorice pieces (as found in licorice assorted box)
- Wafer biscuit or unusable old bridge
- 1 teaspoon darker icing
- Chocolate drop
- Hire a cake tin for a guitar or create a shape from two circle tins.
- Cover cake with soft Coffee/Milo icing.
- Use wide flat licorice for tailpiece, fingerboard, and chin rest.
- Use 10 silver balls for the metal that holds on the chin rest and 4 for the fine tuners.
- Place chocolate drop for the button.
- Place on bridge/wafer and line up four thin licorice strings.
- Add the lollies for the pegs and etch in fork marks for the scroll.
- Lastly, with darker icing, draw on the ‘F’ holes.
Book Review
The Music Master
Retold by Vera Gissing from an original story by Alain Thomas. Illustrated by U. Wensell.
This book tells the story of an old and lonely music teacher. All of his pupils have grown up, and he is too shy to get some more. Then one day, he has a great idea for making friends, and his new friends introduce him to an old one. This book is more suitable for younger children, and the colourful pictures will keep them amused for hours.
Reviewed by Alexander Parish
Auckland (10 yrs)
Christmas Busking
By Jessica Laing, Auckland (9 yrs)
Before the Christmas holidays, our studio went busking for Greenpeace. We wore special hats and T-shirts for the occasion. The T-shirts are red and white; they say “Talent Education Suzuki Music Studio.” Our mums made us Santa hats to wear on our heads because it was the Christmas holidays. We learnt some Christmas carols to play, and even the Twinkles played a carol; they played Jingle Bells. We collected over a hundred dollars in the Greenpeace boxes. Some people even stood and listened for the whole hour we played, enjoying our music. I’m glad we busked for Greenpeace because it will help save our seals and our world.
From Amelia Lynch, Auckland (7 yrs)
Our family went to the Snells Beach Music Camp. I played with my friends Raiha, Courtney, Melanie, Sophie, and Rachel. I play the violin, my sister Monique plays the cello, and my brother Benjamin plays the recorder.
Violin Camp
By Danielle Consedine, Hamilton (8 yrs)
I went to the Suzuki music camp in Rotorua at Keswick Conference Centre. I loved it because I met lots of new friends from Auckland and Wellington. I also liked the bunks. I think the top ones are great. The food was great, but you had to line up. We went into groups in the morning, and different music teachers took us. I especially liked Kerry Langdon. Mr. Nakamura was really funny. He often tried to trick us out. We had a play-in every night. He would do all the wrong things, and we had to remind him to do it right. There was also a chance to learn folk dancing. I have only been learning the violin for less than a year. I can’t wait till the next camp in Wellington in August. I practice every day.
The Rotorua Suzuki Camp
By Timothy Consedine, Hamilton (6 yrs)
I went to a violin camp with my sister. I had so much fun. My violin teacher was there. I learned lots of new tunes and made some special friends. I hope we can go to Wellington in August to the next one. They are neat fun.
A Poem: My Violin
By Danielle Consedine, Hamilton (8 yrs)
My violin is a clever thing,
Not too big, and it’s not too small,
With its own four long strings
That aren’t so hard to play at all.
The ‘E’ string is oh so high,
But ‘A’ is sort of in between,
Now ‘D’ it’s inclined to sit close by
With low old ‘G’ string who’s not too keen.
I have a shoulder rest that’s fine,
My brother Tim’s had one all the time,
But I’m so glad to have one that’s just mine—
It’s so so hot, I need a glass of lime.
The Farmer’s Parade
By Sarah McCracken
One sunny Sunday, I played in the Farmer’s Parade. It was in Auckland. Mummy drove us in the car, but we couldn’t find a parking place, so we parked on the wharf down by the sea. We had to walk a long way to find my float. I was on Little Toot. I was dressed in a sailor’s hat with a spotted scarf around my neck. We had to wait a long time until the float did go off. While we were waiting, a man gave us some streamers to throw out while the band was playing, but we didn’t get to throw them out because we played all the way.
The children of the world float was in front of us. The clowns’ float was beside us, and they were waving flags. The Christmas princesses were behind us. It took us one and a half hours. There were 250,000 people watching us. There were 25 floats in the parade. We played Jingle Bells, We Wish You a Merry Christmas, and The First Nowell. We played them lots and lots of times. The TV people took a video of us, but we were not on TV.
Catherine and my mum watched the parade. After the parade, we went to a party. There were lots and lots of tables with cakes and drinks on them. I was very tired, so we went home.