A Special Swan That Plays a Trumpet

Have you ever seen a swan play a trumpet? In the novel, The Trumpet of the Swan by E.B.White, the swan plays a trumpet. Louis, a trumpeter swan, could not talk. He had to play a trumpet to communicate.

It all started on a peaceful island in Canada. Sam, a young boy camping with his dad, saw swans go by, a female and a male. They were going to have cygnets, baby swans. After the cygnets were born, it was discovered that one was not able to make any noise. His name was Louis. As Louis grew, his dad worried about him. 

Years passed. Louis still couldn't talk. His dad, the cob, was thinking he should steal a trumpet, so that his son could "talk" with his family and find a mate. Louis's dad stole a trumpet so that his son could talk. The dad got home and gave Louis the trumpet. Louis tried it. He liked it, but he felt guilty. He wanted to pay for it. 

Louis and Sam became friends. They went to school. Louis learned to write, because he could not talk. Sam was going to Camp Kookooskoos for the summer. Sam invited Louis to come to camp. He went with Sam. Sam's parents knew about the swan coming in the car. Sam told Louis that he could get money by playing his trumpet. Louis played taps every morning at camp.

At camp Louis was a hero. One day a man named Applegate almost drowned, but Louis swooped into the water and saved him! Everyone was amazed. Louis got a medal for saving one of the workers. Applegate thanked Louis. 

Louis thought that it was important to pay back the music store, where his dad damaged the store and stole the trumpet. 
Louis used his talent to make money, by playing in Boston and Philadelphia. And at the end, he earned a total of $4,420.78. That was enough to pay the store.

Louis loved his dad more than anything, but he also loved Serena.
Serena was a pretty young swan. Louis wanted to be Serena's mate. He had known her for a long time. He ended up saving her from a zoo keeper near the end of the story. Serena and Louis had cygnets of their own.

This story has an important message: Don't give up. Louis's dad, the cob, did not give up on his son. He had faith that his son could do great things in life, which is why he stole the trumpet. Louis did not give up. He learned how to write on his slate. He became a talented musician. He saved someone. He worked hard to pay off a debt. He had his own family too. 

My First Joffrey Ballet Experience

I was nervous at my first summer intensive ballet audition. Joffrey Ballet School has summer auditions all over the world like South Africa, Japan, Sweden, and Italy. My audition was in St. Paul, MN at Tu Dance Center on February 4, 2018. I had to wear a black leotard, pink tights, and pink ballet shoes.

When I arrived, I had to check in. I was given my audition number which was five. My mom forgot to print my number so the instructor had to draw it. It was no big deal. My mom helped me pin my number onto my leotard. I had to give the instructor a 5x7 photo of me doing 1st arabesque. 

The picture I used for 1st arabesque

After registration my instructor told the dancers we could stretch  before the audition began. I went into the studio to stretch. It was a big studio and it smelled like chlorine. There were big colorful balls hanging from the ceiling.  

Me stretching before my audition

The audition began at 1:00pm. First, we did barre work: develope, plie, tendu, degage, and arabesque. 

Barre work

Then we did center work which included spins and jumps. It was hard. I have only been dancing for one and a half years, so I have not learned all the moves yet. During the center work, my instructor told us she had worked with Misty Copeland. I was amazed! I think my mouth popped open when she said that. She was in Broadway, too. My instructor was a phenomenal dancer. At the end, we had to curtsy to her. The audition ended at 2:15pm. I had so much fun at the Joffrey Ballet audition. 

The next night, my mom received an email from the Joffrey Ballet School. It said I was accepted to the summer camp! Now we are trying to pick which summer intensive to go to. There is Colorado Springs, Colorado; Kansas City, Missouri; or Athens, Georgia. I will be going for two weeks. I really want to go to Georgia.

Orangutans at Henry Vilas Zoo

My family and I went to the zoo in Madison in April, 2017. The name of the zoo is Henry Vilas Zoo. It was fun! We saw a lot of neat animals, but I liked the orangutans the best. They were so strong that they could do the splits.

Orangutans eat watermelons, bananas, strawberries, leaves, insides of pumpkins, rambutan, and seeds. We watched the orangutans eat hay.

There are restaurants at the zoo: Badger Bites and Glacier Grille. I recommend this zoo because it is free.