Tips

How to Choose a Musical Instrument as a Gift

Monday, November 30th, 2009

Musical instruments are a classic gift. Instruments come in all shapes and sizes. You can go from large and expensive like a piano all the way down to a simple stocking stuffer. You don’t have to give a full sized instrument. There are many other options including that can be fun or even whimsical.

A Road Trip, A Harmonica, and Cracker Barrel

Sunday, March 22nd, 2009

A few months ago I was in Alabama visiting my family. I was sitting in the house my family has lived in since I was 4 years old. It’s changed a lot over the years. My son, who is 4 now, sat in the same kitchen floor that I played on at his age playing his [...]

A Few Money Saving Christmas Tips and a Contest

Monday, December 8th, 2008

Listed below are some tips on ways to save money at Christmas. It’s a little off topic, but I thought it might be helpful.  I wrote them for a contest I just found out about on the blog www.tothinkistocreate.com.  It’s a few things I’ve done and a lot of things that are on my ever [...]

Noisemakers vs. Instruments

Saturday, December 6th, 2008

A few years ago, my sister got my son what seemed like a cool Christmas present. It was a drum full of various rhythm instruments in cool colors and shapes. There was one major problem. They really weren’t instruments, they were noisemakers.
What’s the difference?
Well, noisemakers make noise. They thud and clink, but the sound doesn’t really [...]

Music and Daily Routines

Thursday, July 10th, 2008

Our son will be 4 in a couple of weeks. Since he was in the womb, we have exposed him to music.  You might think that as trained musicians we have this structured regime. If you know me and how artsy I am, you know that structure is difficult for me.
For the most part, we [...]

An Impromtu Music Activity in the Car

Saturday, June 21st, 2008

My son (almost 4) and I were in the car the other day and he asked for a song. I asked which song he would like to sing.
He just said “Happy, Sad”.  He’s been talking a lot about happy and sad lately. He’s at a stage where he’s putting words to his emotions and starting to [...]

Play and the Institution

Friday, June 20th, 2008

When I was a kid in the 70’s, I lived in a small town, we didn’t have cable, and the internet was unimaginable.  My sister and I spent our time playing with toys (the kind without batteries), making crafts and playing outside.  In the summer we had Vacation Bible School, at school we had 4-H, and [...]