While I was staying at their house, I thought I should add choir as well.
Music is often hard sell.
In fact, music club is such a tough sell in today’s world that I take the task on having no expectations of success.
Bonnie and Joaquim are open to me teaching all kinds of music.
They left the curriculum choice to me.
I began to sing any song that was related to anything we have been talking about. David and I learned the following:
1. Onward Christian Soldiers – Joaquim being raised in the Catholic faith does not know that song. (Joaquim taught the concept of the Medieval Crusades and killing for God when David asked his whys about this song.)There were more songs.
2. I am a Child of God - a Mormon favorite, not my Mormon favorite, but the one I hear sung most of the time when I am at church or funerals.
3. Johnny Appleseed’s “The Lords Been Good to me”. (A substitute for saying the blessing.)
4. "I’se the bye that builds the boat" from the Book of Canadian Songs
5. Jack was Every Inch a Sailor and "The Squid Jiggin Ground". Note to self -- now I have promised to make some squid lines and jiggers for David.
6. "Food Glorious Food", from Oliver, as well as "One Boy for Sale", "Where is Love" and "Who Can Buy this Wonderful Morning". Apparently selling a boy is not frightening to him David can sing that song and watch it on the video. Pretending Mr Bumble is saying the grace? -- “For what we are about to receive, may the Lord make you truly thankful”, that is a phrase so fraught with terror that it puts David to the ground, his head in his hands.
7. The Baptist Sunday School Song: “God made Satan / Satan made sin / God made a hot place to put Satan in / etc. I teach that one to honour Doral Pilling for it was one of the few songs he knew.
8. The Huron Carol - "T'was in the deep of wintertime when all the birds had fled...", etc.
9. Dona Nobis Pacem -- a friend from kindergarten taught him that one. Go figure. I thought kids were supposed to teach each other their lexicon of swear words, not Gregorian chant.
I am going to stop my list there, because the point is, although David doesn’t look like he is learning the songs as I sing them over and over, it is only a few hours and I hear him from another room, singing the songs sotto voce, in perfect pitch with all of the words.
No one will guess the song that he sings the most so I will give it up.
It is the refrain that may be heard this summer as he walks the Shuswap paths.
Bring a drum or two.
We will be hearing a lot of “Onward Christian Soldiers”.
I should go work for the Lutherans.
Arta
I sent my "plumbing assistant" David upstairs with his father to get me some vinegar to clean the quarts dome in which the UV lamps is encased. David carried it downstairs humming the tune "Fish and Chips and Vinegar, pepper, pepper, pepper, salt."
ReplyDeleteWow, this old post made me smile, and the comment ... I now have no memory of that. Thanks for preserving so many great memories on the blog.
ReplyDeleteIsn't his little face cute, here. That is the miracle of writing, I think: capturing moments that would otherwise be lost. Fun while they happen. Equally fun to remember from afar.
ReplyDelete