From my Tumblr Blog - Tucker's Tertiary

 

Five Year Olds Musical Mashup Breaks the Law of Conversation of Mass and Energy

We have played music, specifically John Coltrane’s Black Peals –(Hackensack, 1958. Recorded by Rudy Van Gelder – Most likely on a band saw machine)- for my oldest from in utero to the present day. Rooster seems to have an innate sense of musical structure and is drawn to instruments as well as humming song fragments when he is concentrating.

We have introduced a variety of formats and musical genres to him such as Jonny Cash country, bluegrass, rock, pop and a little bit of Classical/ Opera. Some of his new favorites are Etta James and Kidz Bop 12.

Yesterday I happen to catch him half humming, half sing song combining the Black Pearl intro with Sunday Lover. When I asked him what he was singing he returned with a question –‘Dadu’ –(what my kids call me) – ‘do you think Kidz Bop can sing Etta James songs?’ I said I was not sure but we could email them and ask.

I write about this story not to coquettishly point out my son as a prodigy or musical genius but at the power of music, however glancing, can have on everyone but especially a child. Rooster –(my name for my oldest)- hums Coltrane music to his school friends and adults, telling them with a joy only a child can produce who it is and that ‘Trane rocks’. This does not happen every day but enough for me to note it.

It only takes one innocent and joyful person to spread the virus of culture – the joy of learning. So many doors of thought are opened up for me from my children’s honest combining of ideas. Concepts we as adults reject outright because we know that they should not go together are freely combined by children – creating new forms if only transitory in its existence. Perhaps I am simply channeling Art Linkletter in my own way but I am learning so much from watching my children process what we offer them, in return gifting us with fantastical creations we are the better for being exposed to.

A child’s imagination frequently and fragrantly breaks the law of conservation of mass and matter. Much like Arthur dent learning to fly we adults have to relearn that by flying simply as a result of not hitting the ground means that you can. How many interviews with innovative business people have you heard say, if we knew what we were doing – we would not have done it.

The laws of physics be dammed, create your own rules, make your own universes