Merrily We Roll Along

Lots of fussing with unruly fourth-grade boy hair yesterday morning, as Will primped for the fourth-grade Beginner Band and Chorus concert. A percussionist, he was to perform two shows, one for his schoolmates during the day, and one for parents in the evening. He was also to sing a couple songs with the Chorus. For the day show, he (1) took a shower; (2) wore his Mother's Day outfit plus a paisley tie to school (with strict instructions on how to hang the clothes on a hanger when he changed into shorts and a t-shirt); and (3) put gel in his hair.

I asked him if he was nervous about this concert.

"No. I'm like the best kid in the band, Mom."

It's good to be confident.

At the evening show, we arrived early so he could set up his xylophone and drum. As I sat in the audience and watched the kids prep, I saw one young girl walk over and fix Will's hair, and he didn't push her away like he does me. Hmmmm....

We went on to listen to such family favorites as "Hot Cross Buns", "Merrily We Roll Along", "Skip to My Lou", and "Bingo". I know these songs were easy for Will, as he has been playing piano for three years. But I couldn't really tell if he was actually the best kid in the band, given that he only had to hit a drum to the beat. I could tell that he thought he was, though, as he played his instruments with ease. He also had the esteemed role of holding up a rubber chicken during "Aunt Rhodie's Appetite", while staying on beat on the bass drum.

So begins our path of parents at band concerts.

Sidebar: When I pulled his nice clothes out of his backpack for the evening show, the pants were folded but not on the hanger. The shirt was on the hanger, but the first button on the left was in the third button hole on the right. Fortunately, I think both were made of low-wrinkling material.

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