Things have slowed down considerably, so I welcomed this day care center gig today. I had been paid for this one back in April, so it lacked a little luster, but I don’t mind the experience. I did two sessions, the first for the older kids. It was fun, and I did the ‘reflection’ bit at the end…’what did we do today?’
The second group was for the pre k and toddlers and was quite a bit harder, especially with some over-active kids with few social skills, so I was ‘accosted’ several times by one boy who walked up and went for my guitar. Whoa! These teachers really have their hands full with their kids.
Part of my job is to scout out the abilities of the kids and adjust on the spot. Some kids are deathly afraid of participating, some react to any and all stimuli, some hop on board for the ride. I really enjoy watching the kids react and watching the teachers watch the reactions of some of the little ones. The music brings out some nice personality traits that surprise the teachers. My antennae are up during these preschool gigs.
One teacher came up as I was packing out and said she had seen me at Red Door in Hellertown and had suggested me to this school. I thanked her. She also said that she had gotten a CD at that event and didn’t have the cash to pay me then. She reached in her pocket with a crumpled $10 and gave it to me. I said, since I was already paid for the gig, I could now leave the gig with some money in my wallet.