A record for my children...

Following in first Grandma's then Dad's footsteps (penstrokes?), I am going to record a bit of my childhood memories as well some things that transpired last night because they reflect the family and traditions in which I grew up, and I hope that they are telling of what Joey's and my family will look like someday.

I have many memories of sitting with my class during assembly at Chesapeake Academy watching Dad signal to 1/4 of the student body to sing "hello" on one note and hold it as long as they could. After a few seconds, he would signal to the second quarter of to students to sign "hello" a third above the first group. Next he would motion to the third quarter of students to sing yet another "hello" a fifth above the first group. Finally he would motion to the last group of students to sing "hello," creating a beautiful Mm7. Then, à la the Three Stooges, the entire school would speak, "hello!" These are my first memories of practicing ear training.

These exercises, however, were not limited to my academic school day. My sister and I grew up in a very musical family and everybody played at least one instrument or sang. Our little nuclear family would frequently sing barber shop standards-- Sweet and Low-- as well as old gospel tunes in four part harmony. We sang at home, in the car, in choirs, in musicals... in restaurants over dinner (which cause my sister and I to cry from embarrassment).

Last night on the way home from dinner I was brought back to my childhood. Joey and I sang scales using solfege the entire way home from dinner. After we arrived in the parking lot, we spent another five minutes or so constructing seventh chords with our voices. Then we started imagining singing these exercises with our children ("You will sing a tritone or I am pulling this car over!")...