Play Me a Song, You're the Piano Man

In some ways it's depressing to see my little guy grow up so quickly, but on the other hand it's exciting to see him learn new things, develop new skills, and discover new interests. One of those interests is music. The melodies seem to calm him down and music always gets his attention.

Just last fall we took him down to a tailgating party at the University of Alabama. While on the quad, band members were warming up. A group of trombonists were playing "Yea Alabama," and when they stopped Phoenix started crying. When they started up again, he ran around in circles screaming with delight. A few weeks ago he was in a bad mood due to teething, but I got out my guitar and played the few songs that I know. He immediately cheered up. And just the other day I played some drum corps DVDs and he sat and watched an entire show.

Based on his interest in music, Wendy and I have decided to enroll him in a toddler music class. It will start in a couple of weeks and will last 45 minutes each Monday. He will be introduced to a number of different instruments and will learn the basics of music. I can't wait to see how he responds. I'll definitely be there with the video camera rolling.