Saturday, December 13, 2008

It’s Like A Group Ride, With Tubistas

Some of the tubas even looked like the Hooterville Mayor's bike.

Recent research concludes that band students might suffer some hearing damage.



Ya think!

Have I ever told the story of the time I, as a Washington High cheerleader tangled with a Lincoln High band parent at Howard Wood Field? Of course I haven’t.

This is a family blog. I'm not even sure my family knows the story.

20 years provides me this perspective – the band parent was still wrong.

I stepped into the dark side today. I played a band parent – in real life. The Boy 10 began playing the baritone this year in school. Today was Tuba Christmas.

Tuba Christmas is a call to all tuba players: pay $5, rehearse for an hour, eat lunch, play three free afternoon concerts at three different venues. The Boy 10 was among a handful of 5th graders. I guess the oldest was 73. Many of the tubas looked 73.

They played many familiar Christmas songs. We sang along to Silent Night – well, once we found an octave that wasn’t waaaaay toooo loooow. At the end they wished us a “Merry TubaChristmas.”

Quite a satisfying day for a first time band parent. My role: carry the music stand and the sit stool. Hold the coat during the performance. Transport to next venue.



BUT - today the MinusCar Family participated in the Federal Highway Administration National Household Travel Survey. Did I mention there was a rehearsal and three concerts at three venues? And lunch?

I filled up the survey log and had to continue on a separate additional sheet of paper. That’s not how I imagined my log would look when I agreed a few weeks ago to participate.

Oh well - I guess the feds get to waste another year believing 0% of trips in Sioux Falls are taken by bicycle.

-

Sioux Falls singletrack discussion continues tomorrow afternoon.

5 comments:

thE_kErnEl said...

there was, once upon a time, a great rock band in lincoln, ne that featured the tuba. it was called 'thud'. i think it was tuba, bass guitar and drums.

Anonymous said...

Ah, your boy is now launched on a path of lifetime learning and fabulous babes as a member of the Tuba Coalition. Don't worry that he's only a baritoner. He'll want to move up later in the life to the big machine. I say this a man with a tuba in his office. You must be very proud.

Snakebite said...

Is it true you're beginning Hawaiian slack keyed guitar lessons?

mytzpyk said...

BnS - your tuba playing history has not been lost in my household.

SB - when I get my hands on the person spreading that rumor I'll - oh, it's you?

Anonymous said...

It's all true.