2 months ago Sierra's teacher introduced them to the Bass Clarinet. It has the same fingerings as a Clarinet and it has a reed, but that is where the similarities end. It's actually considered a Brass instrument not a woodwind and it's about 3 times the size of the Clarinet (it has it's own kickstand to hold it up).
The kids who were interested took it home and tried it and brought it back the next week. Sierra, however, took it home and has been playing it ever since.
When I went to return her Clarinet (since she wasn't using it) the guy at the music store was highly impressed and said that they don't generally offer a Bass Clarinet until high school because it's such a hard instrument to play. The younger kids just don't have the increased lung capacity and mouth control that it takes to pull it off until they've been playing for a few years. So when I told him that she hadn't played anything until 6 months ago he was amazed. That's my girl! Sweet!
Now for the bitter...
Due to California's financial crisis, education is being hit hard and any "extras" are the 1st to go. As we were at the band concert a few miles away the school board was informing everyone of all the cuts that were to be made, including the music program, class size reduction program, sports, 12 teachers, and that the only middle school in the county(where Deven attends) will be shut down entirely. And that's just the tip of the iceberg, the list goes on and on. What now???
