The next day after Tom's birthday I went in to visit.
I'm never too sure what prep he has, each day it's different, we have a schedule pinned up in the kitchen so I should know. Anyway Tom said he'd done his prep and had tucked into some colouring. He loves drawing - he really does but at school his appetite is never satisfied, so when he has the chance, he makes the most of it. At home I have a large whiteboard in our spare room / office and Tom is regularly covering it with expansive, detailed drawings. I wish they had a whiteboard in the boarding house for doodling on.
The evening includes two 20 minute slots, one for academic prep, the other for music practice. A fire alarm type bell indicates turn-around, that way half the choristers practice whilst the other half do prep. Makes sense but as a parent, you kind of figure it out as it's not yet been completely clear as to what you do, when and your permissions.
Apparently one parent used to hang around in the dining hall (where most of the prep gets done) whilst his son practiced (upstairs), unaware he could join in.
This evening Tom was quite clear he had cello and piano to practice and I love watching / listening.
Tom even volunteered to ask the director of music if we could take the cello home for half term - we could. Apparently the cello is as good as Tom's until he grows out of it, which is nice.
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