Since Ryan was about a year old, we have been going to music classes, specifically, Music Together, on Thursday mornings.
Music has always been a big part of my life and my family’s life. My grandmother can play the piano brilliantly from ear. She can’t read music, but she can sit down and play any ANY song. She has performed in public many times, in various states and venues. My parents always encouraged my siblings and I in music, and I studied the flute from the time I was in 5th grade all through high school. I still have one and pull it out play it on occasion. I played the flute in the youth symphony during high school, as well as in marching band, jazz band, and orchestra. I participated in a lot of competitions and always really enjoyed them. I can also play the piccolo, piano a bit, and percussion- the mallets and xylophone. I also was in choir in school, and enjoyed singing, but my real love was playing the flute. Our band in high school actually got to be in a Disneyland parade, so I got to play the flute while marching down Main Street in Disneyland.
My older brother played the violin during Jr. high, and high school, and was also in the youth symphony. One of my younger sisters inherited my grandmother’s talent for the piano, and she can play the piano by ear, and she can read music. She also plays the violin, and taught herself (yes self taught) herself the clarinet. She also was very active in music during school, and played in the youth symphony. My youngest sister played the french horn, my mother sings, and my father can play the bass and has an amazing “musical memory.” He can tell you which composer, which orchestra, etc. plays a certain piece of music.
So by now you have gotten the idea how big a part of music has been in my life, and we hope to pass that down to our children. The Music Together program emphasizes that all children can learn to sing in tune, and keep a beat, when taught early enough. Ryan sways to music already, and his teacher says that is how small children keep the beat. He can hear a song, and “drum” the correct beat. He seems to really like singing, dancing, and playing instruments already. He is really interested in the guitar; I think because our MT teacher lets the kids come up and play her guitar after class. Joe and I have been talking about starting Ryan with an instrument when he is four, all though I don’t know what instrument it will be yet.
During the course of the class, we have also gotten to play with drums, tambourines, triangle, rhythm sticks, individual bells, and mallets just to name a few.
Our teacher is wonderful, and she allows siblings up to a year old to come with the older sibling for free, so Cole has been introduced to music as well, since before he was born. He bounces along to a lot of the songs, “plays” the rhythm sticks, and claps. Sometimes at home if I am singing, he’ll just start bouncing along with the beat- it is really neat to see. So I hope by attending Music Together, it will intoduce and start Ryan and Cole down a road for a life-long love of music.
Here are a couple of pictures of Ryan and I at class when he was about 18 months old (they are the only pictures I have of us during class, and were taken by my sister when she visited a class with us. The program encourages parent participation, so I am usually too busy participating to take pictures. 🙂 )
