Piano and Zombies

I know a seven-year-old boy who says the most wonderful things during piano lessons. Most of the time I can never remember the things he says by the time I get home. But every once in a while I manage to commit some gem to memory. For a bit of background, this is the same boy who wanted to give Linus a bar of Irish Spring as a going away present. He was also very happy to inform me on Sunday, when I happened to be over for dinner, that he had not practiced at all since his lesson.

During one of my first lessons with this young man, he announced, "This song sounds like a herd of zombies." (The song was "Ode to Joy". ) Then there was the night he told me about how excited he was to play a little "Samba" and kept asking when he was going to get to play one. (I realized the next week that there was a song coming up in one of his books that had "Samba" in the title. We were both a little disappointed with how un-samba-like it was.) I also enjoyed the lessons right after his baby sister was born. He has the most uncanny ability to imitate a newborn's cry, something I'm sure his parents did not appreciate at the time as much as I did.

Ever since he started the set of books he's in right now, he's been very concerned about the Christmas book that goes along with it. I tried to tell him that we only do Christmas music at Christmas time, but he's been very persistent. "But when it's Christmas time again, I'll be on another set of books and I'll never get to play this Christmas book." As I said, he's very concerned about this.

Tonight he was his usual charming self -- very proud of the theory he had not finished and the songs he "didn't know" he was supposed to practice. And yet he was then able to play at least one of those songs perfectly the first time. (Which makes me think there may be a good reason he's so unmotivated to practice.) At one point between songs he was making the loudest piggy noises I've ever heard, and I really couldn't keep a straight face. But what did it for me was what happened after I taught him the difference between half and whole rests (using the analogy of the half- and whole-gentlemen and their hats). He loved the analogy, and it really clicked with him. He kept pointing out half versus whole rests, even when I had stopped asking him to. So tonight I finally gave in to his request and let him play a couple Christmas songs at the end of the lesson. He was happy. (Which also makes me think that he likes piano a lot more than he's willing to admit.)

Each week after my Thursday evenings with a parcel of boys (four to be exact), I leave wanting my own little boys. Does that make me crazy? Maybe it does. Don't get me wrong, I think little girls are great and hope we have a bit of both. (Let me pause briefly to say no -- I'm not pregnant. So don't even think it.) But this boy and his brothers have really hit a tender spot for me. I love the things they say and do. I'm not saying it looks easy -- they each come with their own challenges, and their parents are amazing. But, it sure looks exciting and fun and spontaneous. So here's to little boys and my favorite quote of the night:
"Join the dark side....we have cookies."