One Happy Dog Speaks

It is Easter Break or Spring Break (though spring is hiding well)… and the boys are busy… fighting, playing together, fighting, arguing with mom, playing music, playing together… The nicest part is the music. Yes, it needs work but I almost think about getting more instruments. I even looked at music instruments for sale… thinking about getting me a clarinet. Yes, I played the clarinet for years. But I borrowed mine. I had to give it back. And… that was the end of my clarinet career. Still, it makes me want to add more noise to the family. I could really make them cringe with the squeak the clarinet can make. It would make for some fun at the holidays. Learning music together. They actually sound good together… not sure I could catch up fast enough. They have been playing for over a year and a half. I may be able to read music but it takes practice to get decent at it. And I hardly have the time to clean house. Sigh… maybe another time.

Not sure if it is the same everywhere… but my son is ‘level 2′ on the piano. Since he made As on the written and aural part… I’m waiting to see how he does on the playing part. Today he had to play 3 memorized pieces… which he had to tell the tester the name of the piece and the composer. I just hope he remembered! Also, they would pick random scales and other things for them to demonstrate… along with a new piece of music that they must site read. We’ll find out Monday how he did. I like this. It is about 10 different piano teachers in conjunction with a college here that puts this together. My son loves doing it. I love the fact that it helps the teacher know what he needs to learn.

Considering he made me print out blank music paper so he could start writing his own music… I am wondering how long before he asks for an akai lpd8. I can see him wanting to do so much more in music. Being able to get the beats he wants and set it all up with the controller… then add his trumpet or piano to it. Yep… I see him playing his trumpet and then sneaking over to give his brother’s drums a try. Showing exactly how much he loves coming up with different beats. I’ll see when this comes up… I’m sure it will be soon.

It is an interesting musical world in my family and I’m learning to embrace it and love it. I hope that the boys understand how much I love hearing them… even as they are learning.

Faced with a decision to get a new dishwasher to replace our broken one or get a used piano for my son… Continue to wash dishes by hand or listen to my son play a piano… This is what we did:

Yaa, I would rather hear the music than the dishwasher. I washed dishes by hand for many many many years. I can do it a while longer.

Why is it when one kid decides to play his instrument the other must join in as well? It would be find if they were practicing the same tune… but usually they are going their separate ways. ARGH. I wonder if I bought something like the top ableton software if they would work together to make some cool music? Somehow they would find a way to fight over that as well.

I would rather have lots of crazy music than none at all… guess I’ll go find my earplugs!

First she tells me I need to get my youngest singing lessons… as that will help with his piano. Just last week, she told me (with him standing there) that he should learn guitar. D’oh. He has been asking for a year to learn guitar. Since he realized the drum teacher my oldest goes to is a guitar player as well. Right now, the teacher has guitars and some small pieces of equipment here and there, but I wonder if he ever considered superb orange cabinet from guitar center. You certainly wouldn’t miss seeing it! Ahhhh… music.

My house has been quiet lately. The boys are tired, I’m tired… so not much in the music department. I am hoping to change that for Halloween. My family should be happy I can’t get a karaoke machine for me to use. They play and I sing! Yaa, they would shoot me. I have a horrible singing voice.

I have to say that youngest’s trumpet instructor said he had a good voice. He was able to be on pitch. I still won’t let him sing… he prefers to sing songs in silly voices. And it is awful! When he starts, I start and that fixes the problem. Everyone stops. So, back to getting them to play their instruments!

The piano recital was awesome! He got to play on a Steinway. Sweet! And he did a great job of it. Here he is getting a picture afterwards by dad… just a little blurry:

The lighting was not good for picture taking… here he is with the piano’s name showing:

My favorite part after hearing him play was the conversation with the lady running the show and my son… it went something like this:

Lady: I was so wrapped up talking to you I forgot to announce your songs, would you please tell them the first song and then the second song.
My Son: The first song was the Piano Playing skeleton (he points to himself) which is apparent as I’m dressed as a skeleton…

(the audience laughed and so did I)

My Son: The second song was the Worst Ghost. (as he walks off the stage, he points out to the audience and smiles).

I love my boys, but my youngest if finally finding something that is uniquely his and I’m so proud of him.

It’s going to be fun. I have never been to a real piano recital. I have been to band concerts but not a recital. Now my youngest is going to be dressed up as a skeleton and playing the piano. His teacher is going to accompany him. It sounded really good at practice. How he can have someone sit on the same bench arm to arm with him playing one tune while he is playing another is beyond me. I played the clarinet in band and get the tuning out of others and just playing your piece… but I didn’t have someone RIGHT NEXT TO ME. Ugh.

Maybe I should consider getting getting my boys custom name plaques to be displayed in their rooms. I would have the oldest having something about drumming and the youngest something about the piano… It would be fun and funny!

I blinked and Monday was gone. And it is a short week for the boys. They have Friday off of school. What is going on here? Did someone wave a wand? I can’t believe what is happening here at this household. The new things to get done keep piling up. From getting staples removed to a new piano concert. Egads!

Yes, my youngest is going to perform at his first piano concert in a couple of weeks. I have got to find the battery charger for my camera!!! He is going to wear a skeleton costume and play Halloween music. I love it!

I’ll let you know about the new stuff that will be added as it comes up! As I’m sure it will. GRIN

Technology rocks. The boys actually have a website that the music teacher had us sign up for that records them and let’s them know how they are doing. Very cool. It has a metronome and background music as they play. Along with that, I saw a korg nanokontrol on a website. I could see us with one of those. The oldest loves to do movies and had his own music to them. This would certainly make it easier. I could see him going crazy with this… hmmm… maybe I shouldn’t do this. yaaa right! You know if I can figure out how to do it I will. I think I would like to play with it.