cadence

This.

I wasn't quite ready for this.

Yeah, I knew it was Senior Night.  But, in the chaos of life, I hadn't really processed what that meant.

Until he arched his back, thrust his quad drums forward, and hammered out the signature Tiger Band percussion half time opening.

Then...

Then it hit me that this was the last time I would see this son... with those drums... on this field.

Even still, the emotions of that realization didn't fully hit home until I later pondered posting pictures to facebook and I decided to grab his first band pictures to put with today's.

Yeah, then it hit me just how fast they grow up.

I'm a very proud band dad.  I have loved every second of every band concert and half-time show I have been privileged to attend, and I'll still be attending for my other band kids.  But, I'm really going to feel the void in the percussion section.

Dylan, I'm proud of you and the eight years of work you have put into band.  From a parent's perspective, it feels like I ordered your first set of bells such a short time ago. Then it was cymbals, snare, quads, and... boom... Senior Night!  Thanks for making me a proud band Dad!  I love you... YMFD!

Life marches forward.  Rapid is the cadence...

triple play

I regret that I was never in my school band.  For this reason, I have given a nudge in that direction for three of my kids.  All three have followed that nudge and I've now been a proud band Dad for six years.

And, even though I've listened to my fair share of sour notes (times three) wafting through my house, I love the excitement of a newbie.  I love the look of awe as they hold their very own instrument for the first time.  I love seeing them invest the time to go from learning how to hold it to actually making music.  And... with its occasional squeaks and screeches, I absolutely love the debut concert!

Lily has been working hard this school year to learn the trumpet.  Her fifth grade debut concert was tonight.  I had to take off work an hour early to make it on time, but I didn't want to miss it.  

It always amazes me just how much kids can learn about music in only a portion of a school year.  They sounded great and I'm really proud of the hard work Lily has invested.  If she decides to stick with it (and I'm pretty sure she will), it's just two more years until she will be on the football field on fall Friday nights with the marching band!

Lily said she was a little nervous when she got up on the stage, but Mrs. C. made them giggle by whispering to them just before they started playing to pretend the audience was naked... oh my!  Here's a sample of what fifth graders are capable of... 

Great job Lily!

You did great tonight, Lily... once again making me a proud band Dad!  Keep up the good work.  You're my favorite Lily in the whole world!

Lily is inked!

No, no, no!  I did NOT get my 11 year-old daughter a tattoo!

Absolutely not!

She doesn't even have her ears pierced!

But, I was recently told by a faithful reader and adoptive mom that "Lily doesn't get enough ink!"  So, I figured "inking" an update was in order.

I am actually well aware of the fact that, although she is the one who started me on this blog path, she now tends to receive the least press.  It is not intentional.  It has nothing to do with boys vs. girl, or anything like that.  It's just the way it works out.

Benny gets the most press, because... well, he's Benny.  There's often no shortage of material there!

Dylan and Zachary seem to get press because they are the oldest and have often experienced firsts.  They have also been my adventure partners over the past years... overnight bike rides and backpack trips... things I enjoy recording in the blog.

But, Lily lives fairly under the radar a lot in our home.

She's a good girl, fairly quiet, mostly easy to get along with... but amazing in many regards. And, in ways we often take for granted.

Technically speaking, Lily is a "special needs" kid, or a child with a "disability".  In her case, I prefer the term "differently-abled".  Whatever it would be called (and calling it something is a moving target with the political correctness police at the door), I barely even notice.  This is due, in part, to the fact that her "disability" (if it even is such) is overshadowed in our home by Ben's multiple disabilities.  On the surface, that might look like like a negative, but I'm not so sure but what it may be a positive for her.

Before Ben, I tended to focus more on Lily's limb difference.  In the process of adopting her, it seemed huge.  In those days, I would often try doing things with one hand-- zipping my jacket, tying my shoe... stuff like that-- to see just what life for my future daughter would be like.  I pictured it full of struggle and difficulty.  During the early times of her life in our family, there was more fussing over her... as though we two-handed people needed to teach her how to do things with one hand... kinda ludicrous, if you think about it!  After all, who has more experience at that... her or me?

But, along came Ben and the world of developmental delays, therapies, assessments, diagnoses, multiple disabilities... stuff that demanded more attention than Lily's limb difference.

So, for the most part, we stopped fussing over her "disability" and she has grown up mostly as though she has none.

Which is why, if I were forced to put a label on her limb difference, I like "differently-abled".  In other words, having different (not less) abilities than a "typical" person.  Yeah... I dare you to find something a "typical" 11 year-old girl can do that she can't, or even that she struggles with, for that matter.  The reality is that "differently-abled" in her case probably means that she has MORE ability than you or I!  She can do with five fingers what it takes the rest of us ten to accomplish!

Lily is very independent.  She asks for help with almost nothing.  And, she is always one of the first children in my family ready and in the car when it is time to go somewhere... shoes on and tied, jacket zipped... no sweat!

Among Lily's accomplishments this year is blowing the trumpet in first year band.  She is sounding pretty good and I am looking forward to her first concert in the spring.  Even her older brother Zachary (who is in his fourth year and among the top trumpet players in the marching band) has complimented her skills.  On some occasions, they both have their trumpets home at the same time and have been known to put together some two-part duets... it's a very cool thing to hear reverberating through the walls of my home!

She is also in her second year of girl's basketball, which is something she has completely taken the initiative to do.  Both years, when sign ups for the team came around, she approached us and told us she wanted to play. She is one of the smaller girls on her team, but that doesn't seem to bother her.  She handles the ball with five fingers every bit as good as her ten-fingered teammates and has, I think, one of the nicest foul shots of any of any girl on her team.  Recently a family member of one of her teammates mentioned how they were impressed with her and how they didn't even notice her limb difference until another parent pointed it out (in a complimentary way).

I sometimes wonder if I am doing her a disservice by focusing so much on Benny's disabilities and largely overlooking hers.  But, if most of the world (with the exception of a few mean kids) don't really notice her limb difference as any kind of a disability and she grows up largely unhindered and unlimited, isn't that better than fussing over her and causing her to be dependent?  I think maybe it is.

Regardless, whether I'm doing it right or not-so-right as a parent, I'm proud of Lily and I'm proud of her strength in taking "disabled" with a shrug and instead rocking out "differently-abled"!  Rock on, girl!

trumpet with honors

Again this year, Zachary applied and was chosen for the OMEA District 5 Middle School Honors Band.  The Middle School Honors Band is comprised of select 7th and 8th grade band students from school systems across three counties, who come together for a concert performance at the historic Stambaugh Auditorium.  They meet just three times: Wednesday evening at an area high school for position tryouts and rehearsal; all day Friday at Stambaugh for rehearsal; then, a Saturday morning rehearsal followed by an afternoon concert.

This year, there were 22 trumpets in the band.  Zachary's audition netted him the position of 1st trumpet, 7th chair.  I was very proud of this!  However, Zachary's reaction: "I could've done better without these stupid braces".  Unfortunately, braces and trumpets are not very compatible.  He has learned to adapt, but his note range suffers a little.  And, that's not all that suffers... with the hours of rehearsal, his lips took a beating between the braces and the brass mouthpiece.  He takes it in stride... he loves blowing that horn!

Zachary (dark hair, white shirt, black tie, just left of center)

I took Lily and my parents with me to the concert, but we almost didn't make it.  I knew there was construction on the interstate, but Jen said there were no backups yesterday morning when she took him to rehearsal.  I figured if it wasn't backed up on a Friday morning, we'd have no problems on a Saturday afternoon.  No such luck!  Part way there, we encountered 3 lanes of this...

... miles of bumper-to bumper traffic as three lanes merged into one.  My stress levels increased as I watched minutes tick away as I crept through traffic at an I-can-walk-faster-than-this pace, fearing I would miss my son's performance that he had worked so hard for.  At my first opportunity, I exited and took an alternate route.  We arrived at Stambaugh... I dropped my passengers at the door, parked the car, jogged across the parking lot, and settled into a balcony seat just as the conductor began the first piece!  That was close!

Stambaugh Auditorium is a very majestic concert hall.  It is an honor for these students to play in such a venue.  And, both years I have attended, they have delivered a performance worthy of Stambaugh.  I was amazed at the talent of these young musicians.  I am thankful for band directors, like our own Mrs. C, who instill a love and appreciation for music, and who pour time end energy into refining the talent of these kids.  Events like today have to be very proud moments for our area band directors.

The guest conductor for this year's Middle School group was Dr. William Ciabattari, Director of Instrumental Ensembles and the Music Department Chair at Lycoming College in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.  He shared with the audience how he stresses the importance of his college students playing chamber music, which is small instrumental ensembles.  He spoke of how it is sometimes easy for musicians to "hide" behind the large band or orchestra, but small groups of chamber music forces them to refine their talent and it builds their confidence as musicians.  He shared how he stressed this message to the students and taught them that they really have learned a lot about music in their short career and they are often capable of more than they realize.  To reinforce this message, he introduced a piece titled Activity March, composed by Harold Bennett.  He told the audience that he had confidence in the abilities of the students and he was going to prove how capable they were by starting the piece and then walking off the podium, leaving them to play the entire piece without a conductor.  He did just that, and they did not disappoint!  It was a very cool concert moment and a very valuable lesson for these kids!

Zachary, today was a proud Dad day!  I am proud of your music abilities and I am glad you push yourself with opportunities like this.  Hopefully, on to High School Honors Band next year!

Here is a friend's video of one of the Middle School Honors Band selections, titled Revenge of the Dust Bunnies, composed by Dan Adams.  The piece showcases the student's serious talent, while performing a not-so-serious rendition. Enjoy!

band legacy

I was not in my school band, but I wish I would have been.  So, I'm a very proud Band Dad.  And that's why I'm tickled that another of my children has joined the school band!

In our school system, band is an option beginning in fifth grade, and Lily decided to follow in her two older brother's footsteps and give band a try.  She is more literally following in Zach's footsteps... also choosing the trumpet as her instrument.  That can make for some competition or camaraderie between the two middles... time will tell how it goes with two trumpets in the house!

I am confident she will do well.  Her fourth grade class learned to play the recorder in music class and the teacher had a "karate belt" recognition theme.  Throughout the school year, as they performed increasingly complex songs, they got a colored yarn "belt" tied around the bell of their recorder.  Lily was one of only three students who achieved all the way to black belt and asked for more.  The teacher had to make up some other belts for her... she has a glitter belt and a few other fun ones.  Her music teacher also recognized her at the fourth grade Grandparent's Day performance for her determination and her self-driven efforts to compensate for her limb difference.  With that determination, I'm sure she will master the trumpet!

Lily is a black belt and beyond recorder master!

I'm looking forward to her debut 5th grade concert later this school year and hoping she stays with band for the rest of her school career.  Go Lily!

Zachary plays Stambaugh

I know he's my son, and I'm biased... but I was wowed!

Zachary approached us a few months ago about the possibility of trying out for the Ohio Music Education Association District 5 Junior High Honors Band, which is a band performance made up of three Junior High band students from each of many school districts across a tri-county area.  The schedule involved a Wednesday evening rehearsal, an all day Friday rehearsal, and a Saturday morning rehearsal, followed by a Saturday afternoon performance on the stage of Youngstown's historic Stambaugh Auditorium. 

Zachary has excelled in his three year career with the trumpet, and the family schedule made it possible for Jen to taxi him at all the required times, so we encouraged him to apply.

Apply, he did, and was selected as one of three to represent his Junior High School!

The guest conductor for the Junior High Band was Timothy Loest.  Mr. Loest is a published composer (he composed two of the five pieces in this performance) and the Band Director at F.E. Peacock Middle School, in Itasca Illinois.  It was a great opportunity for the participants to work these two days under the tutelage of someone who has uniquely chosen to use his musical talents in this combination... composer, conductor, middle school teacher.

A few weeks ago, the music selections were sent to every participant to learn and practice at home.  This past Wednesday evening was the first rehearsal at a local high school.  Jen said things sounded a bit rough.  Friday was the first rehearsal at Stambaugh with Mr. Loest and Jen said the Friday transformation under Mr. Loest's direction was pretty remarkable.  Saturday morning was spent with Mr. Loest, fine tuning and making final preparations for the concert.

I was expecting the afternoon's concert to be pretty decent... but it was better than decent... it was VERY good!  It is amazing that these kids have only been playing their instruments 3-4 years and it is equally amazing that the performers and the conductor put such a performance together in a relatively short time.  I thoroughly enjoyed both the Junior High and High School Honors Band performances (the High School Honors Band worked with a different conductor, but the concert performances were back-to-back) and if I closed my eyes, it was easy to imagine that these musicians were not 7th through 12th graders!  They really excelled!

I am extremely proud of Zachary's initiative and musical abilities... and all the hard work he put into this performance.  And, what an honor it was for him to perform at this historic landmark, on a stage that has been graced since 1926 by the likes of Tony Bennett, Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Liberace, and John Philip Sousa, to name a few.

 

Thank you, Mr. Loest, for taking the time to invest in my son and the other members of the OMEA District 5 Honors Band.  And, thank you to the many great music teachers and band directors, like our own district's Mrs. C., who teach and mentor our kids with a passion for music!

ten piece bucket

Some dads try to live vicariously through their children's sports lives.  Me?  I'm a band Dad!  I wish I would have learned to play an instrument when I was a kid, so when both of my oldest sons expressed an interest in joining the school band, I made sure to nudge them in that direction.

Dylan has been pursuing percussion since the fifth grade.  Now, in the eighth grade, he just completed his second football season as a member of the marching band drum line.  He is currently primarily on the snare drum for marching band, but plays various percussion instruments for concert band.

Zachary is in his second year of middle school band, playing the trumpet.  Next year, he will move to Junior High and start his first year in the marching band brass section.  Zachary seems to have a very natural ear for music, and often sits down at Jen's electric piano and picks tunes out.

For about a year, now, Dylan has been wanting a drum set.  He asked for one for Christmas this year, but I don't think he was very confident that he would get it.  Drum sets are not cheap, and it was more than we typically spend for Christmas, but I originally considered finding him a good used set.  Knowing nothing about drums, finding a "good used set" seemed overwhelming.  Not only that, Our home is not huge and there are six of us... a drum set takes considerable real estate.  I wanted to provide him an opportunity to further his love of percussion, but there were obstacles.

Enter the Pearl Rhythm Traveller.

Dylan loves Pearl drums.  And, it just so happens, as I researched drum sets, that Pearl makes the Rhythm Traveller... a drum set that is more compact for tight spaces and for ease of transporting to gigs.  It also comes with optional mesh practice heads, that are almost silent!  After reading many reviews, and finding them mostly positive, I had found my son's first drum set.  I asked both sets of grandparents if they were interested in throwing in with Jen and I on the cost, and they loved the idea (as long as the noise was in MY house!)

I got a good Black Friday deal online and had the set shipped to an accomplice neighbor's house.  Dylan was quite surprised on Christmas morning.
 

Some assembly required! 

 

Assembled with the real (noisy) heads in place... rock on, Dylan!

 

Dylan has been concocting a band idea with a couple of his musical friends, Noah and Joci.  Noah plays guitar and Joci plays drums or bass guitar.  The plan was for Dylan to be the drummer... if he had a drum set.  His future in the concept band hinged on Christmas!

 

Not wanting to be left out, Zachary tried to convince them that they needed a trumpet in the band.  Dylan was not convinced.  He then decided he'd like to get his hands on an electric guitar and see if he could teach himself enough to be a guitarist.

 

Jen's Mom caught wind of that and surprised Zachary with a used starter electric guitar and amp for Christmas.  Now, he has a shot at being a band member!

 

 Surprised... as was I!  I knew I was going to have the noise of drums in my home... now an electric guitar, too!

 

So, now the band (or the concept of the band, at this point) has a drummer, a guitarist, a bass guitarist and a potential future additional guitarist... and a tentative name.

 

The frontrunner for the band name is... Ten Piece Bucket.  I think it is a great name, and I asked Dylan where they came up with that.  He said, "If we ever get the band together and actually get a gig, we'll all feel like a bunch of chickens on stage."

 

I love the creativity of kids and music, and I love hearing (well, I think I love hearing... ask me in a few months) them trying to put their music knowledge together and challenging themselves to push further.

 

We'll see what becomes of "Ten Piece Bucket".  But, if they get it off the ground and make something of it, just remember that a big part of Ten Piece Bucket happened in a bedroom of my home... the bedroom right above my couch!  (Where are the earplugs?)

hornblower

I recently attended the concert of a budding musician... my second oldest son, Zachary.  I have been regularly attending band concerts for two years, now, for his older brother.  But, this one was of special significance, because it was Zachary's fifth grade band's debut concert.

Zachary has seemed to have a natural "ear" for music from a young age.  It does run in his family lineage.  His Great Grandpa, Tootsie, (Jen's maternal Grandpa) plays guitar and mandolin proficiently, with no lessons.  And, another Great Grandpa, Andy, (my maternal Grandpa) was similarly proficient on the fiddle.  Since a little tyke, Zachary would "play" with Jen's piano, or the First Act harmonica, accordion and guitar that we have about the house.  Although he was "playing", it resembled something musical (moreso than the other children in our home, so far).  He was very excited to learn to play the recorder, which our school does for a fourth grade music class project.

Zach has watched Dylan progress as a percussionist through fifth and sixth grade band, and into our school's marching band in seventh, and has looked forward to his turn.  When fifth grade neared, I encouraged him to pursue percussion, as well, thinking it would be fun for him to catch up with Dylan in a few years and be on the drumline together (and, I already owned the instrument).  But, he had his sights on the trumpet.

So, meet one of our Middle School's newest trumpeters... Zachary!

Handsome!

You can find Zachary blowing his trumpet in this photo if you look halfway between the brightest light above and the black ballcap below.

 

 

Enjoy a sample of our fifth grade band.  Considering that these kids mostly began in September knowing nothing about music, or their chosen instrument, I think their progress is pretty amazing!

 

Great job Zachary... I'm proud of you, buddy!

more school days

One day they're toddling around the house, then suddenly, you wake up and your son's shoe size is only a half-size less than your own!  Man, how does it happen so quickly?  But, happen it does...

The end of August meant back-to-school x 4 in our household, and it is looking like a good year, so far.  Here's an update on our crew as they head back...

Dylan 7th grade

Does he look mature in his uniform, or what?

Dylan is going into his third year of percussion with the school band and he is SO excited!  Our school system's marching band is comprised of grades 7-12, so he is now a part of the official Drum Line, playing Friday night football games and a few band shows this fall.  Although he hates to dress up, he doesn't complain about donning his school's orange and black, and (I'm a little biased), but doesn't he look good in uniform?  He is one of four cymbal players and he is already dreaming of advancing (by audition) through snare and finally to quad.  (Currently, our school has only one quad, so it is a coveted honor).  He is very proud of his position on the drum line and he told me the other day, "band is like a family, but drum line is the tightest-knit group... even the high schoolers treat me good and teach me stuff."  Remember that, Dylan, when you're an upper classman and some skinny seventh grader dons the orange and black for the first time! 

Academically, Dylan tested out of 7th grade math and is advanced to 8th grade math, so he should have a challenging year ahead of him.

Zachary 5th grade

Zachary is our family fashionista.  He's always concerned with coordinating, matching and image.  He thinks the skater look is cool and he begged and pleaded for a pair of skinny jeans.  I'm not big on the look, but Jen gave in and bought him one pair.  He couldn't wait for the first day of school... but it was all about the outfit! 

Zachary has been debating his 5th grade decision for a few years, vacillating between choir or band (or nothing... extra study time).  Seeing his brother's enthusiasm about marching band during the August month-long marching band camp (perfect timing), his decision was sealed... band it is.  Thinking it would be fun for the two brothers to eventually be in drum line together (and being concerned about his asthma flare-ups), I suggested percussion.  Seemed like a logical choice.  Choosing his own path, however, Zachary decided he was born to be a horn blower, joining the brass section as a first-year trumpeter.

And so the search for a trumpet ensued... rent or buy, new or used?  Just beginning the search, I ran into a friend at last Friday night's high school football game (yes, I endured watching the guys in helmets open and close for the main event half-time marching band show!) and he told me, "Don't buy a trumpet...".  Today he showed up and blessed my son with a trumpet.  He had been a band member in high school, playing the trombone.  He shared with us that a while back he decided he was going to learn to play the trumpet and he searched over six months for just the right used trumpet.  Finally finding the right one at the right price, he bought one that, according to serial number research, was manufactured in 1955.  At 57 years old, it is still in nearly mint condition.  He told us it has just sat there and he realistically will never learn it, so he passed it to Zachary to make use of it.  Wow!  Thank you, Mr. B... what a blessing!  It is a beautiful two-tone finished horn and Zachary is in love!  The case looks 57 years old, and Zachary loves the retro look.  He's really pumped that his horn is more distinctive than any other in the band.  He says he can't wait to show it off at band tomorrow and I quote... "ya jelly, bro?"  (translation:  "are you jealous?").

Lily 2nd grade

Lily is excited about 2nd grade and she is already asking if she can join band... that's still three years away, but she doesn't want her bothers to get ahead of her.  She has been asking me which instruments would be best for playing with one hand.  It just so happens, there is a high school trumpeter in our school's band who plays with only his left hand. 

Benny preschool

Benny is back to all day (M-F) county preschool, where he gets speech, physical, and occupational therapies.  He is in the same class with the same teachers as last year, so the transition back to school was pretty smooth for him.  He experienced a little Mommy separation anxiety the first few days, but not too bad.

strike up the band

Dylan is now a second year band student, and he has considerably expanded his knowledge of percussion.  In fifth grade, percussion students focused on the bells, but in sixth grade he has added snare drum, bass drum, crash cymbal, suspended cymbal, wood block, triangle, and sleigh bells.

He is not quite as excited about band this year, mostly, I think, because he has a different band teacher than he had last year.  He is pretty sure he gets his original teacher back next year, as he transitions into marching band in seventh grade.

The fifth and sixth grade band concert was a few weeks ago.  He played bells, snare drum and triangle in this year's concert.

Dylan is in the back row, just to the right of the director, wearing a white shirt and dark tie.

Sixth grade percussionist

Dylan rarely gets dressed up, so I wanted to capture the moment.  Just before I took the picture, he had his hands full of drumsticks, mallets and music, so I told him to lay it on the ground, except for his drumsticks, for a picture... to which he vehemently protested, "No, Dad, give me my mallets, too... I played bells and drums tonight!"  Sorry, Dylan... you're right, percussion isn't just drums!

symphony?

Last evening, I took my family to the symphony to hear the debut of a world-famous percussionist.  Well... actually, we went to the middle school band concert to hear the debut of our first-year band student... but to a proud parent, it may as well have been Carnegie Hall.

If you recall from an earlier post, Dylan wanted join the middle school band this year, but almost passed, due to nervousness.  Jen and I made the decision for him, that he had to try it for at least a year.  That decision resulted in a great year, and his looking forward to the next year.

As the school year nears the end, last night was the annual middle school band concert... a time for the students to highlight their year's hard work and accomplishments.  Since Monday and Thursday are long days in the car business (9AM-9PM), I was fortunate to get permission to leave early to attend.  Although a little nervous, Dylan was proud to have a row of his family come to watch his performance, and he did a great job.

After the concert, I got to meet one of his best friends, "Sherm", who is also in the band (Jen had already met him at previous events).  I told Sherm, "It's nice to finally meet you, I've heard a lot about you."  To which he responded, "I've heard a lot about you, too.  You sound like a very nice man."  How diplomatic, Sherm!  It's good to meet your kid's friends and have a positive first impression of them (not just because he said something nice about me... you can just tell he seems like a good kid).

the fan club

5th grade (first-year) Tiger Band.  Dylan is in the back row, far left, standing.

"Old McDonald had a Band" with bell group solo