My Son; A Musical Prodigy

I'm a music fanatic, yes, but that doesn't mean I imposed that fanaticism upon my 3-year-old son.  Needless to say, I was ecstatic when he began to take on the role of musical prodigy regardless.  What do we wish for our children?  We wish happiness for them.  We wish for that happiness to arise from them doing what they love.  If that happens to come from what we love as well, what luck we have!  We can impart our wisdom and information we have gathered on the subject.  Parent and child can come together in harmony over a shared pastime.

My son, Ben, has been gravitating toward music over the past few years.  I didn't push him, but I did provide him with the tools.  He was already adorable.  Then he started singing.  Today he ran about the yard picking flowers (read: weeds) for me today.  As he did so, he sang Taio Cruz's "Dynamite."  "I throw my hands up in the airs sometimes," he'd sing as he gave his very allergic mother a bouquet of weeds, "in the a-yoooo, in the a-yooooo."  He hasn't quite mastered lyrics yet.



When he was about two I was playing his toy piano and he came over entranced.  I moved his hands and playfully smashed on the keys to make him laugh.  To my surprise, he moved my hands away and started pressing keys softly and thoughtfully.  "Ben, play a C," I joked.  Please imagine for me my face when he played a C on his first attempt.  "WHAT? PLAY AN E!"  He hit F.  Close enough for me to continue my excitement.

His fascination with instruments has held over.  He'll barge into the room where my guitar is and start to strum it.  A few days ago he did so wildly.  "Ben," I said, "be careful please."  "Wow," he countered, "this would make a great instrument!"  Yes.  Yes it would.

Now on the verge of four, he makes demands about the songs he wants to hear as the family navigates Long Island.  After Whitney Houston passed my mother ran out to buy her latest album, "I Look to You," the only one not in our collection.  I was pleased watching my son growing up with the music I'd grown up with.  It's a strange and lovely feeling.  Imagine my surprise when he started to sing one of the songs in full, riffs and all!  Below is a video of Benjamin singing "I Didn't Know My Own Strength."  The only thing deterring him is a bit of camera fright.

In the years to come I will see where his musical love leads.  Perhaps he'll venture to sing and play and listen like me.  Perhaps he'll decide to tackle other children on the football field.  The only thing that matters is that he is happy.  As far as passions go for me, I must say that his happiness rivals even music.

Music- Even Better with Friends

One of the greatest things about my relationships with my friends is that we all share a passion for music.  Depicted in the podcast and slideshow above is one of my greatest musical adversaries, my friend Jess.

Jess and I have been friends for a number of years, and one of the components of our friendship I treasure most is our love for music. We sing together every chance we get.  We sing  in the car or during full blown friend sing-a-longs with harmony and guitar.  We go to shows together, like the Duran Duran show Jess and my friend Maria surprised me with for my birthday.  We also hit up local shows of every genre, including the musical theater variety.

Feeding off of Jess's love for music has allowed me to broaden my scope of musical appreciation.  We tell each other of new music we've discovered.  She began throwing disco-themed parties and increasing my love for that genre. 

Jess is one of the many friends that I know shares my passion to a great extent.  We support one another's musical ventures, and we will continue to do so until we perish.  I love the girl, and I know fellow music lovers would too.

Happy Birthday, Roger Daltrey!

The Who frontman Roger Daltrey turned 68 today.  He may be nearing 70, but he still sounds and looks magnificent.  It may be Justin Bieber's "big 18th" today, but I find myself much more inclined to commemorate a man 50 years older.  Roger Daltrey will forever remain an inspiration to me for his outstanding talent.

Unfortunately, I am far too young too have lived through Roger Daltrey and The Who's prime.  That does not mean, however, that I can't fangirl and fawn over the man - both then and now!  Young Roger Daltrey had the hearts of a slew of women and he has mine too.  With a voice that epitomized pure rock, that boyish  grin, and that mane of curly hair, Daltrey drew in the fans.

If you somehow have never heard a song by the Who, do yourself a favor and listen to as much of their music as you can.  Here is an example of this man's insane vocal ability, not to mention a brilliant song. 

The great thing about Roger Daltrey is that he did not fade away over the decades.  Despite necessary throat surgeries in 1978 and 20120, the man's voice will still send shivers down your spine. 

Here's Roger rocking it to the fullest with the Who at the Super Bowl Halftime Show in 2010.  I remember watching this in awe.  Almost 50 years after the band's inception, Daltrey (and Townshend!) have still got it.

The Tommy star may be all grown up, but he is certainly far from washed up.  The musician, actor, and charity supporter  is currently touring Europe taking on the Who's famous rock opera.  He may also tour with Pete Townshend later this year and take on the band's second rock album, Quadrophenia.

Daltrey continues to work hard and I continue to be inspired.  What does he have in store for the future?  His mixture of sheer talent and diligence propel him toward further success as he nears his eighth decade.

So to Roger Daltrey I say rock on, and happy birthday.  Time's got nothing on you.  I will wait in anticipation for you to roll on through New York and hope I can afford to witness your genius live.  Thank you for the music.

Check out Rolling Stone's "WHO is Roger Daltrey?" gallery (see what the did there?) for a look through the musician's long career.  The magazine also included Daltrey in their list of the "100 Greatest Singers Of All Time."