Roll Over, Beethoven

Today's post will be a sober commentary on the topic of: "Growing Up in America, amidst the influence of the Popular Cultural Media".  (Ha! I had you going there for a minute, didn't I? Relax, it's just a kid story...with musical overtones...)

Everyone in our family loves music. The kids come by it naturally, as they have been exposed to a variety of musical genres from the time they were born. For example, one of their favorite shows when they were pre-schoolers was the Disney Channel's Little Einsteins, which featured a famous piece of classical music in each episode. We knew Derek was absorbing some of it when he walked into the kitchen one day, heard the Classical Station that was playing, and commented thoughtfully, "Hey, that sounds like Mozart!" (He was right. He was also 4-years old.) These days, we frequently have the radio on in the house, as background. When we get in the car to go somewhere, Derek reminds me if I haven't turned on the music by the time we're at the end of our driveway. Riley often walks around the house singing to himself (selections from Hot 99.5...which kind of freaks me out, to tell you the truth--my not-quite-7-year-old belting out "I'm only gonna break-break-your, break-break your heart!")

But things quite suddenly have become less Rock Me Amadeus and more American Top 40 boys around here...the other day Royce came searching for me with an incredulous look on his face, and sputtered, "WHAT have you guys been listening to lately?" (Um..that depends...how much trouble am I in exactly?) Turns out the boys were mulling over a question in the "Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader" quiz book I'd gotten to amuse them on their upcoming flight to SC. The query: "What was the first name of legendary 18th- century composer Beethoven?" Derek claimed he didn't have a clue, so Royce prompted him: "starts with an L".  Derek's guess? LUDACRIS! (I'm sure he was kidding...he must have been...right?)

To paraphrase another legendary songwriter: "Oh, the times, they are a-changin'...."