Dear Liza,
On Sunday afternoon, I went to my first rock concert in about 40 years. And I knew one of the musicians!
Cousin Jasper has been taking drumming classes at our local School of Rock, and he loves it. The classes are not just about playing the music (keyboard, guitar, drums and vocals) but about musicianship…. How to be a musician and to play with other musicians. Music, social awareness, self expression and fun, all in one place.
It is perfect for Jasper, and he has flourished.
Our afternoon at the Get Down had a lot of things I remember from rock concerts… disorienting darkness with occasional bright flashes, and way too much volume with bass notes that rumbled the floorboards.
But this show was also amazingly family friendly, with at least four generations in attendance. The young musicians (as young as 7, as far as I could tell, with the oldest being 14 or so) performed covers of rock standards by groups like the Cranberries, Weezer and the Ramones. They were well-rehearsed, earnest, and pretty darn fearless.
When the show was over, I got to hug Jasper and tell him how well he had done, and then Auntie Bridgett and I needed to escape the crowd and noise. We had a refreshing walk up to the number 15 and home, realizing how tired we were.
Rock and Roll is not for sissies!
Love,
Grandma Judy
Dear Liza 