Remember "show and tell" from grammar school? What's your favorite memory related to it?
Until re-connecting with an old friend over the holidays, I had forgotten that when her younger son was in kindergarten I was his "show and tell". As my friend and I talked about her son's successful musical career, she reminded me about singing and playing guitar for his class. And suddenly I flashed to the song I performed for that group of kids that day in 1977 - "I Know A Lady Who Swallowed A Fly". My mother sang that same song to the four of us many times. I also sang it to my daughter throughout her early years just as my brother did for his two sons. My twenty seven year old daughter and both my teenage nephews are, each in their own way, fine musicians.
A simple song - from mother to sons to show and tell to three grandchildren she never met. In my experience, music creates ripples like this all the time. What's your most recent experience of this magic?
About Me
- Pat Barton
- My most recent single release - "My True North" - is now available on Bandcamp. Open my profile and click on "audio clip".
And so, Pat, you seem to have found your niche - human interest vignettes. I am delighted! Go back to your post of Jan 5, 2016 - "The General Practitioner's Five Year Check Up." You were concerned about limiting readership should you specialize in a particular area, such as film, literature or music. You also expressed some disappointment later in January because readers don't respond more often to your blog posts. Well....hello. Maybe you should rename your blog. Call it "Common Core" and get right down to the basics that really matter - the things to which we can all relate as human beings. Rest assured that whatever you do decide, I'm with you all the way!
ReplyDeleteBeing the boy who's show and tell you were, I can confirm the ripples that music can cause. In fact, I can trace some of my earliest memories of live music to you Pat, and this seemingly silly song. Thanks :)
ReplyDeleteScott; I'm thrilled to have played a part, however minute, in the life of a great musician like you. Thanks for reading and for your comment.
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