Holiday job

For some years now both Mulan and Miya have helped out with the family business.

We're Chinese4All, and throughout the day we have students of all ages coming to our home to have Chinese lessons in the classroom we have set up here.

With some of the younger students (preschool and primary age) Mulan and Miya help out as assistant teachers, getting involved in the lesson activities and role-modeling the language points.

A couple of years ago they also both had paper delivery runs, until the delivery contractors changed and they were no longer needed.

But now Mulan has a real job.

This summer she has a part-time job at Kyoto, a sushi restaurant at our local shopping centre.  She bikes there, and at the moment it's two days a week, from 7:30am until 3:30pm.  For the morning shift her main job is making the sushi in preparation for the incoming customers.

I'm hoping it's a transferrable skill, and she'll occasionally make us sushi dinners.

Music

Here's another end-of-year summary.  This time for music.

Miya:

Miya's main instrument continues to be the clarinet.  For the second year she's played in the West City Youth Concert Band, and they had their final playout of the year last Saturday, playing at the Te Atatu Christmas Parade.

She's also been having private lessons and working towards her clarinet Grade 7 Trinity exam, which she sat on Thursday.  (UPDATE: Miya passed!!)

We're coming to the end of homeschooling, and Miya has enrolled to start at Westlake Girls High School at the beginning of next year, in Year 9.  Westlake emphasises music, and a few weeks ago they had their auditions for their 2024 orchestras and bands.  Miya had two auditions -- one at Westlake Boys High School for their senior combined schools Concert Band, and one at the Girls school for the girls' orchestras.

Happily, her auditions went well and they accepted her into the Westlake Concert Band.  Junior students who are in one of the senior groups are also required to be in a junior girls group, and Miya has been accepted into the Symphonic Band.  She's also signed up for the Year 9 Music Academy, which is the extension subject course.

Next year Miya will have private lessons for her clarinet through the school, and has also decided to try out the French horn, with lessons in that, too.  (If/when Miya does NCEA Music, it's good to have a second instrument.)

Miya's thinking she probably won't continue with the West City band next year, as she's going to be pretty busy with everything else.

Mulan:

This year Mulan also played in the West City Youth Concert Band, playing her third instrument, flute.

She played her second instrument, cello, in two Westlake school orchestras -- the Symphony Orchestra and the Chamber Orchestra.  She also had private cello lessons through the school.

And she continues to have private lessons in her first instrument, recorder.

Mulan sat NCEA 2 Music this year, and achieved excellence in all her music internal assessments.  She's now finished her exams, and we're awaiting the results.

Next year Mulan will do NCEA 3 Music, and again, after auditioning, has been accepted into the Symphony Orchestra and Chamber Orchestra.  She's also decided to join the Cigno Voce choir, and will have singing lessons.

We're also not sure if she'll continue with the West City band, as she'll also be pretty busy.