Are you one of those people who can hardly sit still when music is played? I am. It doesn’t really matter what style or tempo. I just feel it and start to move. I’ve taken my share of teasing for this, but one of my favorite annual events is the local “Tuba Christmas” concert. Yes, that’s right – just seventy or more tubas playing Christmas music. Maybe that’s especially fun for me because I played flute in the marching band. Putting on the uniform and marching on the football field and in parades was a real high school highlight for me even in freezing cold Minnesota weather.
Music stirs the dancer within me. I didn’t dance much when I was younger, just two proms and one other time in junior high, but I’ve made up for it during the past thirteen years. When we became empty-nesters, Keith suggested taking ballroom dance lessons. Isn’t that great? A man suggesting dance lessons! (Our teacher actually traded giving us lessons for Keith rebuilding his old player piano – the kind you pump. ) We both enjoy dancing, so much so that we’ve gone on some cruises specifically for dancers. Last summer, after the Piano Technicians Guild Convention in Seattle, we cruised to Alaska with about sixty other dancers. We took lessons all day and danced all night. We danced to string ensembles, piano soloists, live bands, boom boxes and music we heard only in our heads. Wonderful.
When I saw this Piano Guys video , it really touched my heart for at least three reasons. 1) It blessed me to see people responding to music – smiling, clapping, tapping and dancing – as they experienced to the music. 2) It reminded me of a time when Keith and I gave a dance program at a local seniors ‘ center and one of the men in a wheelchair danced with me. 3) Many of the people enjoying “The Piano Guys” are my parents age and this week we’ll be celebrating Mom and Dad’s 60th wedding anniversary.
Music has always been part of my parents’ lives. Shortly after they were married they purchased a baby grand which they still have. Mom was a piano teacher for many, many years. I can remember going to sleep and hearing her play “Robin’s Return.” I couldn’t hum the tune for you now but I sure remember how it made me feel. My toes were tapping under the sheets.
Soon our toes will tapping at our new showroom. It’s truly a grand place for a grand experience. Please check the website for details of our opening as well as the dates and places for the “World Masterwork Series.” We hope to see you there.
Life is Grand
Joann