TGIF

Bonus shot: Bee and Kirby catching some winter sunshine on the couch

PERCUSSION DISCUSSION: After a Friday off due to the Thanksgiving holiday, the kids were back at Kindermusik this morning. The topic of discussion today was percussion. The kids got to play piano and teacher Nancy explained the harsichord was the predecessor to the piano. Since a harpsicord's strings are plucked rather than hammered, it can only be played at one level of volume. A piano, with its hammered strings, allows the player to affect how soft or loud the music is. We learned that a piano's full name is pianoforte, which is a shortened version of the original Italian name for the instrument, clavicembalo col piano e forte, which meant harpsichord with soft and loud.

We also learned that by definition a xylophone has wooden bars. A 'xylophone' with metal bars is really a metalphone. Who knew? I'm learning as much as the kids!

The kids got to play drums and a glockenspeil today. At the end of class, the instructor put in a plug for percussion instruments and percussionists. She told the kids that percussion instruments are not just something you beat on - they're every bit as much instruments as brass, strings and such. She also stressed that it takes lots of practice and skill to be a good percussionist. I was happy to hear that - and couldn't help but think of Ken and the amazing assortment of percussion instruments he played in high school.

THINK PINK: During lunch, I let the kids watch TV (a rare treat). They chose to watch a decades old Pink Panther cartoon. I found myself watching it too, of course. I must say, it was a welcome relief compared to all the other oh-so-loud cartoons on. There's no dialogue in the Pink Panther, just that great, distinctive orchestra jazz music. We talked a bit about the different instruments we heard - including a lot of saxophone.

EARLY DISMISSAL: CJ had a dentist appointment this afternoon, so MPA adjourned early. However, this evening CJ actually asked if we could do another drawing lesson from the OnDemand feature. Why of course we can! He wanted to learn to draw Perry the Platypus, whose alter ego is Agent P on "Phineas and Ferb." This was a much more challenging character than the acorn chipmunk they took on yesterday. They did pretty well, but CJ, especially, was hoping for a more spot-on rendition. I reminded the kids that even the offical cartoonist's first drawing of Agent P probably wasn't perfect, either. That seemed to buoy their spirits a bit.

Bee's is on the left, CJ's is on the right