Humming Along

I usually have music playing, either in the car or in the house. I have always loved music and thank my parents for not letting me quit piano lessons when I was 12 yrs old and wanted to be doing other things.  Playing the piano is like therapy for me, but I admit, I haven't had as much time to play since Christian came along.  We play together, which usually consists of him just randomly hitting keys and me cutting in when the playing turns into pounding :)

Christian loves music too, it was our connector between visits.  If you remember in my early posts, I took a wind up music box, that played Farmer in the Dell, to the orphanage with me.  He was mesmerized by it, kept a death grip on it, while swaying back and forth to the tune.  When it wound down, only then would he come near me to have me wind it back up, then he'd move back to his safe place across the room. Each time he came to me to rewind the box, his safe place got closer and closer to me, until he was finally sitting on my lap.  From what I could gather, the orphanage had either very little music or no music at all based on what I was told and observed.  I guess that may be why he was so enthralled, because it was something new.

So he now has music all around him; the radio, CD player, LeapFrog learning DVDs, piano, musical toys, and me singing.  I've noticed recently he's been humming when he's playing, not anything recognizable to me, but some sort of tune. I wonder if it's a Russian song he's remembering?
The other day one of the teachers told me that Christian kept catching her eye one day, making her laugh. He was either humming to himself as he played or talking to himself.  Well I guess I'm teaching him something because I talk to myself alot and am usually singing or humming a tune also, it runs in my family.  When we made the 2 hr drive to my parents house last weekend, I heard him humming away in the backseat and trying to sing the words, it was SO funny!

I am so happy he enjoys music because I believe it enhances  your life in so many areas: psychologically, mentally, emotionally, academically and socially. I've been thinking recently if, and what, instrument I would like for him to start taking lessons for.  The piano would be easy because we have one but I do know some companies have a rent to own type of payment plan for instruments.  Right now he is not mature enough to stay focused to start lessons but maybe in a year or two.  Whenever he says, "show me" when we're playing the piano, he wants me to play a song or tell him some notes. So I've been doing that but he still can't "play a song", but that's fine with me because the smile on his face and his chubby little chin lifted up, as he sings at the top of his lungs, shows me how happy he is, which is all I need.