It’s always nice to pick up a Monday evening gig, especially on my birthday. I’ve had a long history playing for the kids and families at this site, and often out on the lawn, so I was excited to have this chance again. It was a spectacular evening, sunny and in the 70’s and food, face-painting and an interactive art project were part of the festivities. And, for good measure, for the first time, the church community was invited to share the fun with the independent pre-school families. That made for a nice mix of adults and kids on the lawn.

I was asked to use my small sound system so that the music would create kind of a sonic blanket for the event and that turned out to be a good thing. Even though I aimed my music at the few kids and families in front of me, the school folks thanked me for lending a musical presence for the whole crowd gathered. Normally, when I play to few folks in my immediate area, I hope for a bigger audience so I can feed off that energy. As it turns out, the energy works in a more subtle way. That’s the lesson I learned today.

I haven’t had a lot of kid work this spring, so it turned out to be a good way to get my repertoire back in shape for some upcoming gigs. I was rusty on a bunch of lyrics so I now have a better idea of what I need to work on. Paid practice! It was a good two hour session with some very nice moments of the kids dancing and the young parents watching their kids be kids.