Grandkids and Holiday Shows

The Timberstone 6th grade band on stage and after the
 show.  Kyle, wearing a holiday tie, and his mom.

Tis the season for children's holiday concerts, plays, and performances.

My grandson Kyle, age 11, plays the trumpet in his Timberstone Junior High School's 6th grade band. It's his first experience with the trumpet, and his first in a band.  He's enjoying it. This week, Kyle's band performed at the annual holiday concert, which took place at Sylvania Southview High School.  The 7th and 8th grade bands also played, along with the high school Jazz band.   

The 6th grade band did a great job of  Jolly Old St. Nicholas, Jingle Bells, a Hanukah song, and a Kwanza song. These kids are learning how to read music, play instruments, absorb a repertoire of new and classical interfaith music, follow a conductor, and practice orchestral protocol.  It's learning for a lifetime.

The older kids showed the younger ones, and the audience of enthusiastic parents and families, how wonderful the progression is from one year to the next, in terms of mastering an instrument and the whole orchestral experience.  "The kids get better and better," my daughter Michelle noted.

I used to say "these concerts are a hoot" but that was before one of the kids took up the trumpet.  Still, I remember my kids' concerts, where no one was on the same page, forgotten lines were the norm, the sounds were, well, cacophonous, and it was all good!  

Kyle's band, and all the young performers at Southview, actually did a super job and performed at a pretty high level.  Kudos to them, and to their dedicated teachers!



The recent highlights of the season also include my great-grandson Philip's performance in his church's Christmas play. I think Philip played an angel.  He sure looked like one, in his jeans and white tee-shirt, singing merrily along. He went through all the motions and movements, with great gusto, to the thumping sounds of pop music and the good old classics, and read his lines perfectly.  My daughter Elissa, his Gran E, swears he winked at her a few times.  She restrained herself from jumping onto the stage to hug him.  Philip's mom, my granddaughter Julia, smiled with pride.

Kyle is too old to wink, but I think he looked up from his trumpet a few times to see his mom and I, and the whole extended family, applauding vigorously.  It didn't matter if the timing was a bit off.  To us it sounded like the trumpets of the Wise Men  welcoming the Three Kings.  Who knows, our Kyle might grow into a Miles Davis, or join the High School Jazz Band or, perhaps more important, become a young man who simply loves and enjoys music, all kinds of music.

I remind myself that my teenaged grandkids entertained us in the same way when they were six and eleven.   Now, they're off doing their own thing.  That's why the younger ones bring such great pleasure.  Two-year-old Chase is bringing up the rear, thank goodness. More performances to look forward to.

We know the magic years don't last forever, but the memories sure do!