Braggin' About the Kiddos

Can I just take a quick moment and brag about my kids? Yes? Good I was hoping you'd agree. My kids take music lessons after school on Thursdays every week. Bethany is learning the keyboard and Elisha is learning the drums.

Each week, I'm told that Bethany is ahead. Her teacher always has good things to say. She is focused (for the most part, she is only six) and wants to get it right. She has surpassed other kids who started at the same time she did and they are older than her. She loves to play keyboard and does it all the time. Her teacher told me today he is so proud of how far she has come so fast. He originally was hesitant to start her this fall because he usually starts at age seven not six but decided to let her try because she talked to him about it last year every time she saw him on campus (he's our maintenance guy too). Now he's glad he did. She memorizes notes quickly and is always happy and excied to be there. She was telling him today that she wrote her own song and while it was a short little melody he said she had it all memorized. She played it over and over, without hesitation, so he knew she didn't just make it up then and there.

Then there's Elisha who, since seeing the older kids play on stage at Christmastime has talked a lot about the day he gets to play drums on stage. Well, Joel (the music teacher) was just telling me today he lost three kids in the older band group (remember the kids' small school goes all the way to high school) and so he had to do some re-arranging for an upcoming performance. This meant getting some new additions in Jr. Band which is usually 5th graders and jr. high. He said while it's most likely too late for Elisha to be any help in the upcoming performance he wants to give him a try on the bass drum (I think it was called the bass drum) for senior graduation this year. Now that may be a long way off but he wants to give him time to be properly prepared. Elisha was ecstatic when I went to pick him up today. So much so he kept interuppting Joel to tell what he learned and what they had talked about him doing. He told me, "Mr. Joel said he knows I can do it because I practice just like he tells me to!"

Joel also told me that he's going to do some different drills with him to see how ready he is on stage but he thinks he'll be fine. Elisha may be quiet and not talk a lot so coaches and teachers aren't always sure if he's paying attention or ready for things, but he's certainly on the way to proving he can do this and is very excited to give it a try. If he can there will be many more opportunities for him in the months to follow.

Okay, hopefully that wasn't too sappy. I'm all done now!