The boy is in band for his first time this year. He elected to play the Trumpet. My dad let him use his Trumpet he played in the Tivy High School marching band. His Uncle passed it down to him and the tradition goes on. It is a Frank Holton & Co 1926 silver trumpet. I picked it up today and it felt like an old friend. I played the Sesame Street tune on it when I was 7. My mom said I picked it up and mimicked the tune after a couple of days of trying. Now The Boy has his turn with it. My dad never let me use it in band , they bought me a coronet. But The Boy has been held to an oath to take care of it. We will see how he does. If some asshole hadn't stolen our camera I would post some pictures.
Here are the only pictures that I could find of one.
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9 comments:
It's cool yer boy is getting into music no matter what instrument it is. It will expand his mind and keep him from wanting to tag a wall or something like that.
Fuggin' awesome kerrcarto!
My folks encouraged me to play the piano when I was around yer boy's age. I hated it at the time but it turned me on to playing music and I thank them to the day for it.
I still haven't found my instrument of choice, but I'm having a damn good time trying to find it...
LOL! That brought back memories!
I played clarinet in middle school. This wasn't because I wanted to play clarinet (I wanted to play flute ... and later, I thought a saxophone might be nice). But my uncle was the band teacher for the middle school and high school, and so I got a clarinet he was not using. It had previously belonged to my grandfather, so it was an "heirloom" of sorts.
Every time the clarinet section screwed up, my uncle would borrow my clarinet to show us how it should be done. He also would comment (in front of the class) on how my parents must be too cheap to buy new reeds because mine always "looked like a beaver had chewed on them". Invariably, he would change the reed before continuing with the demonstration ... and then would always remind us to break in a new reed by sucking on it before attaching it to the mouthpiece. I have to say, I resented having to wipe off the mouthpiece of my clarinet after one of these demos. Some things you just shouldn't have to share! (I will also mention that the mouthpiece of a clarinet makes a pretty good goose call.)
I have since learned that my old wood clarinet was actually a much nicer instrument than the student clarinets my classmates rented/bought. I think it went to my cousin Wendy after I abandoned it, and someone in our extended family is probably still using it (though come to think of it, it may be Wendy, since she plays in an army band).
Best thing in the world for a kid is music. Band takes a lot of time, I see them at my daughters school every morining and most of the summer out there practicing. My girl has been in orchestra for 6 years, and she is a senior this year. It keeps them focused, and I know where she is.
Congratulations!
As a long-time piano teacher, and the proud mother of a trumpet player (at the age of 20, with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra) I'm clapping hands here. I taught him piano till grade 6. Meanwhile he was playing trumpet in a band at school. And kept at it to University level where he took Performing. My proudest moments have been his soli parts with many groups. And still now.
You seldom make a mistake when you put a musical instrument in a child's hands.
Let me add that my piano has been the best friend I ever had. Music sustained me through very difficult moments in my life. I've been forever grateful to my parents, and the incredible teacher I had. She is still teaching at 92! And I am at 79!
I played the trumpet from 5th grade to 9th grade, then the band director switched me to French Horn. You have to have some serious chops to tackle the French Horn, but you basically got into the honor bands without tryouts since they seemed to know all the French Horn players in the area.
I also took piano lessons for about 10 years, but don't play now. It's kind of hard to get a piano in an apartment.
I loved band. It got me out of regular school quite a bit. I miss playing the piano. It seems that a lot of the schools cut the music program when the budget falls short. It's too bad.
Tina - I know what you mean about having a piano in an apartment. But I finally found one 'apartment size': KAWAI (Japanese). And I can keep the middle pedal permanently pushed to soften the sound. I use it never more than an hour at the time, and only from 10 am to 10 pm.
Nobody has been complaining except an old grouchy German guy, once. I bought him earplugs, and a bottle of Canadian Scotch. Now he tells everybody I play like Bach.....
I couldn't live without my piano. Of course a trumpet player would have a problem in my building for seniors.
A word of caution: never befriend a person who owns a harp. Those suckers weigh a ton.
Worst case scenario: You take him hunting and he calls moose for ya!
I have no ear for music, but all my kids played something.
my son plays trumpet in advanced band at school. we are in a private school, and they even paid for lessons over the summer- pretty cool of them.
He started on the french horn in 3rd grade, switched to trumpet in 6th. he thinks this will somehow 'help' with the years of jrotc/rotc that are rapidly approaching ( hes in 8th this year)
Adios!
G
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