It started last September when Benjamin entered third grade and was given his first instrument...the flutophone.

He discovered he had a great music teacher (Mr. Batista) and a real knack for learning to read and play music. He mastered the flutophone in a matter of months...memorizing the whole song book and then starting to give lessons to younger kids.

Next he wanted to tackle the saxophone. When he realized he couldn't learn an instrument for the school band until fourth grade he begged me for lessons. So a few months ago he started learning the sax and he just performed in a band with his first solo on the song "Tequila" (thanks to Nells and Rob at The Music Place in Sea Girt!).

In fact my 8 year old has decided that for him, music and instruments are more important than video games!

Now that he's gotten good at sax, he's been given a guitar by a friend of ours (thanks, Mike!), and he got his first lesson yesterday. And he's hooked. (Which makes my house a little quieter after all that sax playing.)

He's so proud of himself and I am so proud of him. And his grades in school have actually improved this year, perhaps because his brain is getting quite a workout from the combination of school and playing instruments/reading music.

Oh yeah, and he's teaching himself the keyboard in his 'spare' time.

His aunt Noreen and Uncle Charlie  are also giving him a flute next month that their daughter used to play. And now he wants a drum set for his birthday, but that will have to wait. The neighbors would kill me.

He has goals, too. He wants to learn every instrument, then when he grows up he wants to be an elementary school music teacher : )

Oh and he plays three seasons' worth of soccer, too.

I'm beaming.

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