Dash and "Family Jam Time"

Dash and Flippy the manatee at the piano

Rosie's been taking cello since fourth grade, and as Dash has expressed interest in music (he begged for a theramin for his 8th birthday), we thought that he might like to get some professional training with an instrument as well. He's a big fan of banging on our piano so that was a no-brainer. No additional instrument rentals!

I learned that the mom of one of Rosie's friends was teaching piano out of her home just a block away, so also crazy fortuitous. Dash started lessons with Marilyn mid-Summer and has been picking up all the theory very quickly. One amazing thing about Marilyn: if Dash misses a lesson, she offers video lessons that she'll post on youtube. I'm very grateful for this, as we don't have much wiggle room in the calendar to reschedule.

We moved the piano, the cello, and a few other random instruments into a consolidated spot in our rec room that Dash coined the "family jam area." Even Flippy joined in (see photo, and not really)! Sometimes in the evenings, Dash will announce, "It's family jam time!" and we will all collect ourselves in the music area and start a cacophony. I'm terrible at improvising, but maybe with practice I'll get better?

I'm just glad the kids are learning more about music and the arts. I feel strongly that it's a crucial part of their development.