This One Time, At Band Camp....

Okay so I've never seen American Pie, but it's the first thing I thought of when DQ bought home the note from school.

Apparently in 4th grade you can also join the elementary school band, but she wasn't interested then. She is now.

DQ--Can you sign this? (handing me the note)
Me--You want to play an instrument? Really?
DQ--Sure.
Me--Did you have an assembly today and now you're interested.
DQ--Yup.
Me--Really?!
DQ--Yeah, can I?
Me--Well what do you want to play?

please don't say the drums, please don't say the drums, please don't say the drums

DQ--The flute. Or the clarinet.
Me--(phew) You do? Really?!
Dq--Yeah.
Me--Well, if it's after school, it's OUT. We're booked.
DQ--No, all practices are during school hours and there's maybe one or two concerts.
Me--You know I played the flute for a week a while in school, and dad tried the clarinet.
DQ--So can I?
Me--I'll talk to dad.

I only remember having the flute, the little room at school we'd practice in, and the spit that would accumulate inside the mouthpiece.

Not much else. I think I quit very soon after I started.

Hubby says if she starts, she'll follow through all year, even if she complains.

Tough guy.

I researched it and it's $28/month to rent a flute or clarinet. $14 for the music book, and a $25 spit cleaning fee. Not bad, less than I expected.

I guess this is the time to explore other activities. She is a dancer through and through, but if this doesn't interfere, I think it would be good for her to try it.

DQ--So can I do it?
Me--Dad and I will go to the meeting to make our final decision, but it looks like it might work out.
DQ--Cool.

I'm still getting earplugs, but at least it's not the drums!

52 supporters in group:

  1. Brittany said...

    That is so exciting! I always regretted not learning to play an instrument.

  2. Molly said...

    I have discovered that the "do it until the end of the year/season" is a great guage to discover how commited they are.

    the 13 yr old will say he wants to do something so bad he can taste it-until I drop the "ok honey, but once you commit...UNTIL THE END OF THE SEASON." He changes his mind.

    This also works on STUFF they have to have..."OK, we will get it for your birthday or Christmas"...suddenly, not so high on the want list!

    I played Clairnet in school...still have it somewhere. (at moms)

  3. Anonymous said...

    What fun, I played both the flute & clarinet when I was in school. I hope she likes it & has fun!

  4. Lindsay said...

    I too played the flute for about a week :-P Sounds like something great for her to try out since it wont interfere with anything else. I also think the earplugs are a wise investment!

  5. jen aka mommay said...

    Yea, my son has been taking guitar lessons at a local music school. Apparently he was getting bored with it and the teacher had him try the drums. And he loved it. So now he's doing drums.

    Great.

  6. Tracey said...

    I have NEVER been musically inclined...so the fact that we are adopting is a good thing...at least they will hopefully be able to carry a tune!

  7. Unknown said...

    Oh how I wish my kids were interested in playing an instrument...however I bough DD a little guitar at a garage sale, and she "strums" it...I asked if she wanted to take lessons...she said she already knew a lot of songs...Hmmm Really??

  8. Jo-Jo said...

    I played in the band from the 5th grade till I graduated. I played the clarinet! You really would get off cheaper if you bought one (too bad I sold mine. (I sold it for 30 bucks!) There is also a cloth you can by that cleans out the clarinet, that is what I used the entire time I played. She may occasionally have to replace pads but you may find her band director will do that for her. (mine did) It was a really great experience for me! The parades, the concerts, and even getting awards! You should totally let her do it!

  9. Ranch Girl said...

    My boy is planning on doing band this year, too. Should be interesting ...

  10. Anonymous said...

    I hope one of my girls wants to play the flute. I've got mine at the ready if they do.

    Of course I also have a used for 4 years trumpet from my eldest. Thank God I never bought B the French horn! :)

  11. Jamey said...

    Looks like we are in the same boat! A begged me to let her do the flute, I did it too in elem. school, what i didn't realize was so did my hubby's mom & sister! so his sis is sending the flute here to be passed down. one less expense. see you later, in real life.

  12. Sarah McBride said...

    I played the clarinet for a year,.
    It was fun.
    I think she will enjoy it
    good luck surviving!!

  13. Carol said...

    Buy that girl a stinkin' flute and anything else she needs! And I'm with Dad - make her stick to it. Making music is .... incredible.

    But I'm biased.

  14. Tiffany said...

    I played the flute when I was younger for about 3 or 4 years. And NO I never went to band camp. Um yea about that, the band camp incident DID involve a flute. Just FYI.

  15. Deb@Mommie Mayhem said...

    LOL I almost signed up to play the flute in middle school .......but I knew I would hate it before the first week was over. That was the end of my band days !!

  16. Pam said...

    the 11 yr old played violin last yr..i want her to do it again, but she says she doesn't want to for two reasons: 1) she's no good at it 2)none of her friends who were in it last year and taking it this year. i think reason NUMBER TWO has a LOT to do w it! LOL

    i always think music is a good thing to learn...it's something that stays w you for a long time. hope she has fun if she does do it. :)

  17. Unknown said...

    I wish my beans were musically inclined-I think it would be so cool to able to "read" music let alone play it...

    The Band is a BIG thing where we live they are called The Pride of BA-

  18. Ali said...

    Hubby's a drummer. Not fun. How great that you are encouraging her interests even though those instruments are so darn expensive!

  19. Susiewearsthepants said...

    Might I also recommend a nice bottle of wine for when she "practices" at home, or some good nerve pills. I don't maybe Valium or Xanax?

  20. Over Coffee said...

    That is my favorite saying and I probably use it way too much...

  21. Tenakim said...

    Our school has a nationally recognize band program. So it's very encouraged. They travel and play Busch Stadium and Six Flags every year. My daughter joined up , too, with the flute. Good Luck.

  22. Jenny said...

    HEY! I was a drummer!!!!! Geez.
    That's awesome she's interested... and it's great you are willing to give it a try!

  23. Tena said...

    How fun!!!!
    Hopefulyl she find s a new love to add to dance! I will say a little pray for your ears!

  24. Clare said...

    what a cute post jen!!!! so funny, and i love the 'cleaning fee'! good luck with the ear plugs:)

  25. Aubrey said...

    I played the flute from the 4th grade until I graduated high school. Put one in my hand now, I would have no idea what I was doing!

    Good for you for letting her try it out. I hope she enjoys it!

  26. Insane Mama said...

    It's going to be fun...but really hard to listen to at first. My daughter plays violin and I cringed for the first few weeks of practice. I played clarinet and then Oboe FOREVER!

  27. ComfyMom~Stacey said...

    I played clarinet for about a month in grade school. Once I realized none of my friends were playing in the band, and how much practice was needed, I was over it.

    I'm about 3 years away from DS1 being given the same opportunity...

  28. Kimberly said...

    Our oldest just came home with the letter for the band but he wanted guitar and they don't offer that. The next thing he wanted was the drums but instead of drums they do bells. He wasn't too amused with that idea. :)
    http://spiceworld.us

  29. Tena said...

    How excititng, maybe she will find a new love to add to dancing! I will pray for your ears!

  30. Jill said...

    Any instrument that my kids "play" that make noise are strictly forbidden in this house. They make enough noise to last all week... though they are only 3 & 5.. I guess it's normal, right?

    Good luck! Let us know what she chose.

  31. Jenni said...

    VERY cool, Jen! I am hoping my boys take up an instrument but so far they aren't interested! We even bought a set of kids drums!:-o

  32. Heather said...

    I played clarinet from 5th grade to graduation and loved it. I miss it sometimes, too, but that's kind of the way - people stop when they're out of school unless they do a real-world hobby using their gifts after highschool.

  33. Frizzy said...

    New to your post. I played the flute and would have loved it if I hadn't started when I was already behind and then had to practice double time to catch up. Kinda ruined the whole experience for me. Well...that and having to play solo in front of my classmates to test. I was terribly shy.

  34. Unknown said...

    I placed flute and danced too LOL. You have been tagged:
    http://www.juststopscreaming.com/2008/08/unspectacular-things-about-me.html

  35. Anonymous said...

    You have never seen American Pie! You need to go out right now and rent it. Do people still go out and rent? Hmm, you need to get on the computer and netflix it :)

  36. Marla said...

    i can't wait to read about this adventure... i played the flute... seems like everyone did.

    and by the way... every time B says this one time and pauses I fill in the blank with @ band camp... you really need to see the movie now.

  37. I Am Boymom said...

    I played the clarinet from 4th grade until high school. I hated practicing but I regret giving it up. I loved band! Music is such an important part of life...I hope your daughter has a wonderful experience.

  38. Merrie said...

    I play the flute! It's a fun one, though I had wanted sax and my mom said "flute or clarinet." Alrighty then.
    DQ will rock at it, fo sho.

  39. Rebecca said...

    I played the violin (the Suzuki method) for about 6 months but I HATED the practice...so gave it up.
    I was quite an accomplished recorder player though!! LOL

    Good on J. for wanting to take up an instrument, I hope she does well at it! :)

  40. Deb said...

    Jen,

    That's awesome! Good for your daughter. It is hard at first, and it does require commitment, but it is a good thing for them. My daughter has been playing violin since she was 3, and just made it into the Phila Youth Orchestra for the 2008-09 season! (She's 10 now.) It can pay off. I second the Xanax suggestion, and of course you should celebrate with a nice bottle of white wine. :)

  41. G said...

    how exciting! maybe she'll won't squeak too much to spare your ears. :)

  42. John Deere Mom said...

    It could be worse...it could be the dreaded recorder. Those are horrible!!!

  43. Unknown said...

    horray for no drums! i played the clarinet in middle school. i enjoyed it.

  44. TUTU Monkey said...

    How cute....and fun!! I too remember the spit....yuck!

    Good luck to your family!! :)

  45. McMommy said...

    You know what I love about this?

    it's going to make for some FANTASTIC blogging material!!!!

  46. Anonymous said...

    How exciting!! I played the sax from 6th grade through High School and LOVED it! Of course I didn't practice to much as I had piano background so I knew how to read the music no problem.

  47. Tara R. said...

    When I daughter was in 6th and 7th grade she played French horn. Luckily she switched to choir the next four years. Ahhh.... good luck with band. Music education is fabulous.

  48. Leah said...

    You've been tagged! Check out my site for a post called "unspectacular things"!

  49. Anonymous said...

    Oh, I'm disappointed it's NOT the drums ! Your Hubby practiced clarinet in our small hall-hide-a-way closet. I know he remembers ! I can already imagine our next visit with you - if the clarinet has arrived !!!!!
    Thanks for the babies (fibroids) update.

  50. flickrlovr said...

    Go DQ for trying something new! That's great.

    I played violin and guitar for about 2 years (violin maybe 3, guitar 2 I think). I was in an orchestra in the schools type of thing, and I made first chair for violin, which was a pretty big deal. It was cool. I wish I'd stuck with both instruments though. I hardly remember how to play anymore. Sigh.

  51. Corey~living and loving said...

    I think she'll be wonderfully well rounded. :) Great!

  52. Linda S said...

    My guy got involved in band...best thing he ever did. And I have the marimba to prove it. The most beautiful dust collector I own at this point, but the friends he made...priceless!

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