Music Through The Years--A Simple Gift

'Tis the gift to be simple, 'tis the gift to be free,
'Tis the gift to come down where we ought to be,
And when we find ourselves in the place just right,
'Twill be in the valley of love and delight.
When true simplicity is gain'd,
To bow and to bend we shan't be asham'd,
To turn, turn will be our delight,
Till by turning, turning we come round right.

I thought of the words to this song "Simple Gifts" as I heard my daughter Z2's band play it tonight at the Kellogg All School Band Concert at Kellogg Middle School tonight.

Tonight's concert was a simple gift.

I really enjoy watching my daughters learn to play an instrument and perform in a band concert.

Tonight was Kiki Aru's debut band concert. She plays the alto saxaphone, and her fifth grade band from Sunnyside Elementary combined with other fifth grade band members from Pinehurst Elementary and Canyon School to perform "Frere Jacques", "Sawmill Creek" and "Louie, Louie".



They sounded great.

There is Kiki Aru playing the sax (the one with the purple arrow above her head).




Then Z2 played the flute as the 7th and 8th grade band played "March of the Irish Guard".





She made her percussion debut playing the triangle on "Shaker Variants", the song that provoked this blog post.





We also were entertained by the 6th grade band playing "Korean Hill Song", "Ancient Moon" and two drummers were awesome as the band played "Wipe Out".

The Kellogg High School band played "Chant Rituals", and "Haven Dance".

The final performance was from the Jazz Band as they played "Caution: Contents Under Pressure", "Sax to the Max", "Backburner" and "Play That Funky Music".

Rick Dickinson, the band director for the past 25 years in Kellogg does a great job with the band students and tonights concert was a testimony to the great work he does.

I graduated from KHS in 1981, and I believe he was hired the following year, and has been there ever since.

I am so glad my daughters are following in my band footsteps. I played the flute just like Z2. I started out in 5th grade with Wayne Benson as my band instructor through 9th grade at Kellogg Junior High. When I went to Kellogg High School, my band and choir teacher was Al Taylor.

I have some great memories of being in band. When I went to college at the University of Idaho, I was also in the marching band for two years.

I still play around on my flute some. I love playing it, and I hope my girls continue on playing in band and enjoying it as much as I did.

Music is such a simple gift.