Lather, Rinse, Repeat

Yesterday was filled to the brim with a parade, swimming and a Memorial Day Concert.Here the men are headed out to the parade.And here the Hunk and Sam are saluting some Veterans as they pass by.  We teach April, Jake and Sam to stand for the flag and cheer for the Veterans.

In this picture Jake had just greeted all of his friends in the Sycamore High School band and was anticipating the candy that would be thrown and collected.

Yes, that’s Shrek and Company.  There is much excitement at our house about the first summer play in the park, Shrek the Musical, performed by the Eastside Players.  This is the very same park that we walk to daily.  Sam, Jake and April will walk up to see the play….without us.

The parade was great but for me the best part of the day was the Memorial Day Concert put on by the Blue Ash/Montgomery Symphony Orchestra at the town center.

The first part of the concert was dedicated to Neil Armstrong a Ohio native, test pilot, University of Cincinnati professor and astronaut.As we sat and listened to, The Planets, Op. 32: Mar and Jupiter, played by a symphony orchestra I was transported.  We also heard a piano concerto by Rachmaninoff played by a very talented Young Artist Concert Competition winner, Kevin Huang.  In addition we heard Fly Me to the Moon sung by mezzo-soprano, Catherine Fishlock and two friends of Neil Armstrong share their memories of this great man.

Sitting there I started to think about what this was doing for April, Jake and Sam.  They weren’t listening to their typical music…Katie Perry, One Direction and Psy/Gangman style.  They were hearing great music played by a full symphony orchestra and sung by a mezzo-soprano.  I could almost hear the new brain synapses being made in their heads.  It was like we were all getting a brain cleansing from the world of mediocre music.…lather, rinse, repeat and then fill our brains up with the incredible music being performed.  It was truly music therapy.

To close out the first half of the program the symphony played music from Apollo 13 and Star Wars: Main Theme.  Of course Sam had to help conduct.The next performance of the Blue Ash/Montgomery Symphony Orchestra will be on July 3rd.  We will be there because once again it will be time for a brain cleanse: lather, rinse, repeat!