In continuing our musical motif for July, Riley attended an introductory class offered by a local store, for kids who might be interested in playing an instrument but aren't sure which one they'd like to try. It was a 2-session deal, with the first one focusing on the "wind" family and the second highlighting "brass" options. At each station, Riley got to assemble the pieces, then practice proper techniques for holding the instrument, placing your fingers, and (of course) creating the sound. Night One, we learned about flutes, clarinets, and saxophones. Well...that is to say...the children experimented with these noisemakers--I mean "fascinating musical inventions." I, on the other hand, fled the building in tremendous distress once the...cacophony of caterwauling...began in earnest. Fortunately there was a 7-11 right next door for just such an emergency--and I found that a Big Gulp acts as a quick and effective antidote to the sudden headache caused by Untrained Orchestra Urchins blowing their enthusiastic little lungs out.
Night Two brought instruction featuring the trumpet and trombone. Lucky for me, Husband took driving duty for that one, leaving me at home with unassaulted ears for the evening. (Given my report from the previous class, Husband wisely brought some work along...and I'm sure he sat in his car so he could actually concentrate during the..."show".) After finishing the whole thing, Riley was left with a Certificate of Completion...and a decision to make. At the moment he thinks he's narrowed the field to either saxophone or trombone. I'm not holding my breath, however, knowing his penchant for flip-flopping between Column A and Column B, when faced with even the most inconsequential of choices. My plan is to just stand back and let him ponder for a while, then ask him about it when we get closer to the school year. (Of course, this leaves open the very real possibility that with so much elapsed time, my approach will completely backfire and he'll inform me that he doesn't really want to play an instrument any more...stay tuned--ha!)
Clearly he does have songs on the brain, though, as evidenced by our final anecdote. We were at the ENT (stick with me, it really does tie in eventually...) hoping she could help us address the recent spate of nosebleeds Riley's been suffering. In the waiting room I filled out the requisite forms, including the standard one that details certain procedures the doctor may feel it necessary to perform during your visit. I laughed out loud when I came to the one called "epistaxis" (partly because it's just such a fun word to say...go ahead, I'll wait while you try it...see?) which believe it or not simply means "control of nosebleeds." (Yep, that's the one! Sign us up for some good old epistaxis...stat!) I shared this with Riley, who initially laughed, then donned his trademark "I've got an idea" look. After a few seconds he asked, "What rhymes with epistaxis?" Oh-kaaay, totally NOT what I was expecting, but I'll play along...oh wait...the short answer is "not a whole heck of a lot"...and whyyyyy? His response (I reaaallly should have seen this coming): "Because I want to use it in a rap." Of course you do. The next moment he brightened up and chirped, "I've got one! 'They had to do epistaxis on me...but that was when I was three-times-three!"
Oh. Good. Grief. I honestly can't decide whether that's freakin' brilliant...or you're absolutely the nerdiest little Caucasian rapper since, I don't know, the Beastie Boys? (Yeah, probably a fair helping of both.) So there you have it, the crescendo of our tuneful month. Now I'm going to focus on the possibly final few weeks of relative peace and quiet around here...before Derek resumes his drum lessons and Riley commences blowing into the ear-splittingly loud instrument of his heart's desire. For this moment, at least, can you hear that? Aaahhh...blessed silence...
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