1,2,3,4

3.25.2015

gah! I'm gonna miss that face! who's taking over #augustdaily while I'm gone?
it wasn't until recently that andy started appreciating the music of indie pop singer-songwriter, feist. for the most part, we've adapted our tastes in music to conform pretty well to each other, but he never really got on board with feist. that is, until we discovered that she collaborated with the gang at sesame street to sing her most popular tune for the show. a clip! for your reference and enjoyment: here

august LOVES this song.

since his birth, august has been drawn to music. not particularly surprising, i know. when most babies begin discovering their senses, sound is one of the first to develop, but he seemed to show an interest beyond the curiosity of what is that noise? whenever he was distressed, it was music that calmed him down. and when he became mobile, it was music he wanted to make, banging on the floors/tables/pots, until we finally got a clue and bought him a xylophone.

we have a few other instruments in the house, including a harmonica, a small keyboard, and andy's acoustic guitar, which he calls the "ding-dong-doon" (probably because we call it that too, but some of the words that kids say you just don't correct, am i right?) anyway, several times a week - usually at bath time - andy will bust out the guitar and play a full set while august splashes and sings along. the point is, we are constantly exposing august to and surrounding him with music, but where do we go from here?

i've mentioned before that i grew up playing the piano. i didn't choose the piano, it was chosen for me. all my sisters played it and my parents invested in a beautiful one for the house, so without question, from the age of seven i began taking weekly classes with a private instructor. every day i didn't have lessons, i practiced. the clock on the kitchen timer would be wound to 60 minutes and i would be confined to the piano bench until it rang. i had a love/hate relationship with the instrument. sadly, by the time i actually started enjoying it i was in high school and when i got to college, i completely let it go. i haven't played a lick since.

andy, on the other hand, didn't pick up an instrument until high school and he taught himself to play. now, he gets the guitar out practically every day and has an ear for music that i was never able to develop in my tens years of study. all he has to do is listen to a song and he's already naming what key it's in or picking out the chords. stone temple pilots, led zepplin, bob dylan, ryan adams... he's developed an awesome playlist and august + i get front row seats to nightly performances.

andy and i have had a lot of conversations about the role music will play in august's life. back when i was pregnant with him, we were already making plans for him to learn the fiddle, but really we'd be happy with any instrument. i just wonder which route do we go? do we stay on course, letting it evolve organically and letting him follow his attraction to whatever instrument at whatever level of interest. OR do we provide more guidance and structure by introducing him to the instruments we know and putting him in classes?

i know of several friends who went the private lessons route, loved it, and still play today. but having witnessed andy's musical journey, i'm really drawn to how much more naturally it evolved. for those of you who've either played yourselves or have children who play, any insight? i'm probably getting a little ahead of myself right now, but i did recently see my old piano teacher and she said "the sooner the better!" (she began at age three). in the mean time,  i guess we'll just keep feist on endless repeat.

11 comments:

ursula @ Nothern Ambitions said...

How fun! I'm a big fan of Feist so happy to hear she collaborated with Sesame Street. Also your story about kitchen timer was the same for me. Except mine was voice lessons and I had to practice all the time. In hindsight I'm so happy I took music. But at the time I grumbled about it nonstop

melaniekay said...

This picture is just adorable!!!
Melanie @ meandmr.com

Valerie Price said...

Such a cute photo!

Fiona Harding said...

That's so tricky, I'd be inclined to go the natural route but I imagine even if a kid was exposed to all the common instruments out there they'd be a little muddled themselves into which direction they wanted. I think what you're doing is great, maybe if he he has access to visuals of instruments or kid-related band clips you'll find him pointing or being directed to one instrument more than another?!? Oh my gosh, just wild thoughts! I'm sure he is way above just by you guys having serious thoughts and exposing him to all this musical goodness :) He's such a cutie by the way!

Annie Montgomery said...

I love Feist and she was(is) dating the leader singer in my husband's favorite band, so it made me like her even more ;)

lucinda said...

ha! that's funny that you had a similar experience. i completely agree with you though, even though it seemed like such a chore at the time, i'm so glad my parents held us to the practice. xo

lucinda said...

thank you so much for you comment, fee. i love the suggestion of showing him visuals and clips of kid-related bands to see which instruments he's more drawn to. you're the best. xo

Erin said...

Ugh, Andy is so lucky to have that sort of natural ability with music! I played violin all throughout elementary school, and shed it when I changed schools for 5th grade. I sort of wish I hadn't given it up? But it wasn't like I was a prodigy with it; my mom still reminds me of all the off-key screeching I made that beautiful instrument do. But! I do fully intend to gently force my future bébé towards some musical instrument. It's just so good for their development, or so I've been told. Even if it's a kiddie bongo set or something :) xo

Petra said...

the younger one of my boyfriend's daughters goes to the local music school. she is four. just turned four. all they do there is let them play and experiment with different instruments. it's more of a general and very playful music education, the idea being that the kids can choose for themselves what they want to play if anything. or that it becomes easier for teachers and parents to deduct what might be a good choice for them. I like the concept. even though M isn't all that interested in anything at the moment. a lot of my friends are professional musicians and they all struggle with the same questions. 'make' your kids play whatever their parents are playing. let them choose for themselves. I can see how this is a tricky situation.

lucinda said...

i feel the same way about giving up the piano! i just *hope* august inherited his father's talent!! kiddie bongos are not a bad idea, by the way, i think children are born with an inherent beat in their souls. ha! ;)

lucinda said...

that is so fantastic that the music school is designed in a way to expose the children to everything and let them find their way (or not!). that's kind of the direction we're leaning towards. you know, providing a variety of musical resources and just seeing where he goes with it. oh man, i hope his interest sticks! :)

 

© current tempo All rights reserved . Design by Blog Milk Powered by Blogger