Down! Set! Tune?

If you haven't heard yet, Nicholas is playing tackle football this fall, and in June had his first oboe lesson! What a combination!

He actually asked for oboe lessons in the summer of 2007, but Nick couldn't get him connected with the oboe professor at Memphis, and we put it on the back burner. There's actually a funny story behind this - last summer during music camp, Nicholas would come hang out with me after Coach Cal's basketball camp (basically the late afternoons and evenings). One afternoon, I was working with an African hand-drum ensemble, and I got a picture text on my cell phone - Nicholas in his basketball uniform, leg crossed, playing an oboe in the band office with the rest of the staff. I chuckled, and continued. After rehearsal, I walked down the hall to my office and heard a beautiful "A" on an oboe. I assumed that one of my students was showing Nicholas some stuff on the oboe. When I rounded the corner, it was him!

After several reminders and hints throughout the year, we finally got him a lesson with the oboe professor. I expected a 30-minute lesson, max. I really didn't think he was that interested! 50 minutes later, I had to leave and sign for the music camp pizzas...even later than that, Dr. Vigneau escorted Nicholas downstairs to me...wow!

During his lesson, Dr. V put him through his paces, working on "crowing", posture, putting the instrument together, and producing sounds. He quickly mastered B, A, and G, and after some time added F-sharp, E, and stretched to D. Then, she played a tuning game with him; she produced a tone, and he had to match it (tune with it). She played a B, he played a B, and matched her. She looked at me in disbelief. She played an A, he played an A, and matched her again. She said, "I've never seen anything like this...but let's check some more." She played a G, he played a G, and matched her again. He had to "hunt" for her a bit, but eventually landed right in tune with her. Stunned, she said, "Oh My God! That's never happened in all of my years of teaching! Even my college students couldn't do that when they got here!"

I immediately felt incredibly guilty; I always thought Caroline had all the musical talent. Boy was I wrong! That being said, he sure is excited about his football season as well. He loves to put on his full pads & helmet, and go out in the back yard just to have Dad "pound him". Too much fun...