Perfect pitch
Thursday February 03rd 2011, 12:39 am
Filed under: "Wrapped in Comfort",Family,Knit,Life

I finished my Abstract Fibers scarf, though it’s bleached here by my flash. There is no pooling other than what I created by how I laid it out.

And while I was knitting–221 yards’ worth of fingering weight this evening, the math side of my brain needed to figure out repeats vs repeats done tonight vs weight etc–I was listening to whatever random CD came up on the player. If the music keeps playing the needles keep dancing.

The album cut by the old high school jazz band started up.

Okay, I think I’ve mentioned this before, but… When my son Richard was in middle school, his jazz band teacher also taught jazz in the high school and he aspired to join that group in a year or two.  They won a place in the high-school jazz competition at Monterey, so we drove down there that Saturday to cheer them on–and they were good enough to be invited back later to play as professionals in the main Monterey Jazz Festival, thus that album. *That’s* what a great teacher can get kids to accomplish.

We cheered on the kids on another team that had driven in a bus all the way from Maine for the competition. Now that’s heart!

We later went to the end-of-year school concert too, and again they played a piece that I’d liked so much: Bedtime for Bigfoot. I think it was the one that had been written by one of the kids as an AP Music assignment and it was hard not to get up and dance to it on the spot–you knew those kids were having a ball when they played it.

Richard-the-younger and I did a quick grocery store run afterwards, and as we got out of the car I asked him to sing the first note of that song.

He nailed it. Perfectly on pitch. The kid is good, and I about burst with pride.

When I was naming one of my shawl patterns, it seemed only fitting that making a giant version of my Rabbit Tracks lace should be called Bigfoot by comparison.  It wasn’t till later that I realized why I loved the word so much.

A teacher who believed in his kids.

Kids who learned what they could really do.

A rocking, happy song that celebrates that.

And I bet you my son could still sing it starting on exactly the right note. And his new son is trying to tell us he could too, just let him get the talking thing out of the way first.


12 Comments so far
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I googled “Bedtime for Bigfoot” and mostly your posts came up. Do you think there’s anyway that tune can make it cyberspace? I’m curious. Maybe a YouTube clip of Parker boogieing to it one day.

Comment by LynnM 02.03.11 @ 1:18 am

I remember Mr Benifield, from Plymouth Indiana,He was a very good music instructor and we made at least 2 maybe 3 albums. I think my sister my still have one. Music is something you can share for a lifetime my family and I play in our community band.

Comment by kris 02.03.11 @ 8:44 am

What wonderful discoveries are ahead of you all :-}
Love that quizzical look he has in today’s photo :-}

Comment by Diana Troldahl 02.03.11 @ 9:13 am

That kid is getting cuter by the day.

Comment by sherry in Idaho 02.03.11 @ 9:21 am

What a great story! Makes me love my own Fredfoot all the more… my big boy had such a great voice!

Comment by Channon 02.03.11 @ 9:29 am

oh my — the parallel lives again — my daughter was in the jazz band of her high school too, so I have to ask — what high school did he go to? what instrument did he play?

Comment by Bev 02.03.11 @ 9:31 am

There’s Parker, who seems to be saying, “What you guys looking at? You expect me to start singing awready? I’m just a widdle kid.” Yes, he IS getting cuter by the day.

Comment by Don Meyer 02.03.11 @ 10:09 am

Anna could carry a tune well before she could talk.

Comment by LauraN 02.03.11 @ 11:03 am

Parker has already lost his ‘newborn’ look and moved on to just plain cute! I miss choir and my high school choir instructor…I didn’t do school band…as they didn’t accept accordians! Sheesh…why not? I therefore played in an all accordian band for several years. 🙂

Comment by Ruth 02.03.11 @ 2:06 pm

My eldest was in a show choir (think “Glee”) when she was in 4th and 5th grade. That choir director only had elementary students with which to work, she wanted to do show choir stuff, so by golly, they had a show choir.

And they frequently beat the high school show choirs in competition, often coming out number one. Daughter has never considered anything insurmountable ever since!

Comment by twinsetellen 02.03.11 @ 6:42 pm

Where are my manners?! I forgot to say that Parker is clearly a personality already. I believe he is about to practice his jazz hands. 🙂

Comment by twinsetellen 02.03.11 @ 6:43 pm

that wee little one is way to cute.

Comment by marti 02.08.11 @ 11:16 pm



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