Andrew Joins The Band

While we are on the topic of gratitude and family, I may as well tell you about my night last night. I've said it over and over, like many of the other recent blog entries too. You are probably sick of hearing about how much I love my grandmother, my husband, my kids, my parents, my oh-so-talented brother-in-law Freddie! Well, too bad! Part of being grateful is maintaining that gratitude, and another part is voicing it. I'm doing both, and I hope that my friends and family appreciate it (Or just scroll beyond it if they aren't in the mood!) It's OK, I can understand not being interested in the sappy stuff all the time, and the beauty of a truly loving relationship is the ability to be simultaneously loving and brutally honest. I can take it! :)

Last night we had another Partridge Family band practice here in our Hburg home. Band practice is fun. I enjoy singing with my family and listening to them play. There are times when I can take it or leave it, but I think that in the grand scheme of things, I am glad to have the opportunity. I am certainly glad to be surrounded by such talent that my husband, Fred, Karissa, and even Cheese (even though he's not technically family) possess. I especially appreciate the exposure it gives my children. I can play classical music for them. I can sing to them myself, take them to concerts, or listen to CD's. There are lots of ways that a parent can expose a child to music, but not all parents have the privilege of having a band literally right in their basement! No, we're not playing Bach, but I don't think the genre of music is incredibly important. We are stimulating the musical centers in their brains, and Andrew in particular is highly receptive.

When we have band practice, Andrew is right there, on the couch or somewhere in the room. If he isn't actively paying attention and listening, then he is passively absorbing it as he plays. He doesn't want to be somewhere else while the band is playing. He needs to be in the hub of it. Sometimes he wants to play with Greg a little. Sometimes Fred will let him fiddle with his guitar. Fred always plays Andrew's goodnight song before bed. But last night was different. Andrew found his own miniature drum set behind the couch while the guys were playing. He began playing by himself on his own drums during one of the songs. I took the drums and placed them in the middle of the floor with Greg and Fred. At first, Andrew was hesitant, but with some encouragement, he found his niche. He played many songs, and he played them loudly, just like his dad! He then found the microphone and tried to rock out his own versions of "Take Me Out To The Ballgame" and "ABCD's" (as he calls it). In fact, we had to drag him up stairs for bed around 9 p.m!

I was able to video tape some of it, shown below. It's a long video, so if you don't want to watch the whole thing, at least take note of the following parts: at the 2:20 mark, Fred plays the lead directly beside Andrew. Andrew just watches at first, but then he really loves having Fred right next to him! Then around the 3:55 mark, Andrew notices that Greg is using only the sticks to tap the beat. Andrew imitates Greg and is right on beat! Watch him, and tell me that he isn't a drummer - or some kind of musician - in the making!

Today, my gratitude is three-fold. It's gratitude for a talented child, for the gift of music in my home, and for a family that brings everything together.