Goodbye, Sweet Music

This is it...the last picture we'll see of Theo with his violin. Yes, he has decided to ditch his strings to pursue the louder, more exciting instruments in band.

His first choice is to play the clarinet, second choice is percussion, and third choice is the trumpet.

It's times like this that I wish I wasn't so intuitive, because I just KNOW that the band director is going to take one look at those beautifully pouty lips that scream "embouchure" and say, "Yep. Percussion."

Why do parents fear the drums so much? Is it that we envision the need to build a sound-proof addition onto our homes, with square-footage enough to house the mountainous drumset? And, after spending their college funds to do so, sealing our childrens' fates as "drummer with a heavy metal band?"

I have to keep reminding myself that "percussion" actually covers a lot of instruments that are not drums. Like the little cymbals you strap onto your fingers. And the cowbell.