The instrument game

Gabriel is obsessed with The Instrument Game. We listen to songs and he asks, "What instruments do I hear?" and I say, "You tell me" and sometimes he can get them all and sometimes I have to help out a little. He can pick out flutes, cellos, violins and conga drums in songs. And accordions and harps and saxophones. His absolute favorite, though, is the banjo. His favorite song to sing is Oh, Susanna, because of the banjo.

I've had an early Beatles CD in the car for about a month, and you would think he would get tired of the instrument game when all there is to choose from is lead guitar, rhythm guitar, bass guitar and drums. For pretty much every song! Now he's learned most of the words, and it's so cool to hear him singing, "Eight Days a Week" or "I Don't Want to Spoil the Party" around the house. The inside of the CD had a black and white picture of the band playing somewhere, maybe the Ed Sullivan show. He carries it with him around the house and just stares at it. Every once in awhile he names them off, just to make sure he has them right. He takes it with him in the car and stares at it while he's listening to the CD. We got him a Beatles t-shirt and the movie Help for his birthday. I figure I will cash in on this obsession until he starts to hate them in a few years!

He loves all types of music and lately we've been sitting with him going through You Tube videos of people actually playing these instruments. We found one of an older man playing Oh Susanna, with an actual banjo, and he gave him a standing ovation afterwards. I made him a CD for his birthday with all the popular songs I can think of that have crazy instruments in them. There's some REM, Johnny Cash, Asleep at the Wheel, even some Stones.

We're thinking of getting him a little drum kit for his birthday, which is certifiably crazy, but we don't care. I still think he's too young for lessons and all of the structure they bring, so why not just let him do his thing for at least another year? Then we'll see. He's actually getting pretty good keeping up with the rhythms on songs, so who knows? And of course, his little brother, who wants to do everything Gabriel is doing, has started playing the toy piano (he stands on his knees), and plucking on Gabriel's toy guitar. I can already see "garage band" in the future. Better start pricing soundproofing.