Classic.

My dad and most of the Verdés side of the family grew up playing multiple instruments. He loved, loved, loved any kind of music, but was an afficionado of classical and played both the piano and the cello.

As much as I love my salsa music, oldies, and classic rock, I love listening to classical when I'm working on an art project. I think it soothes the nerves and helps me relax enough to tap into my right-brain creative self.

So you can imagine my delight when I received an invitation to visit the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles to hear the LA Philharmonic (that's the LA Phil to us cool people) perform Mendelssohn's Mystical Landscapes. This concert is part of their Toyota Symphonies for Youth series at the hall.

The LA Phil advertises this family-friendly series as one that makes symphonic music come alive for kids.

From the LA Phil website:

When the young Felix Mendelssohn sets out on his first adventure to Scotland, his beloved sister Fanny is heartbroken that she has to stay home. Fanny breathlessly awaits Felix's letters, which sometimes include lines of new music. And through his music -- inspired by crumbling castles, lively bagpipes, violent ocean waves, and the enchanted Fingal's Cave -- Fanny is transported to her brother's side. If we really listen, we get to go to these mystical lands, too.

The ultimate family event, combining fun and fantasy, makes the LA Phil part of your child’s wonderful world. Led by the LA Phil’s Dudamel Conducting Fellows and directed by theater artists, this series of captivating orchestral concerts will give your children (ages 5-11) the opportunity to create memories they’ll never forget.

My "youths" are 15 and 18, but they were completely delighted (as I was) with the entire program.

Before the concert there were art, dance, craft, and storytelling workshops.

But our hands-down (hands-on?) favorite was the Instrument Petting Zoo where the kids were encouraged to touch and play (Hey! That works on two levels!) with the musical instruments.

The Walt Disney Concert Hall is that crazy, space-age, jaw-droppingly-beautiful building in Downtown Los Angeles.

It would be worth a trip to LA just to experience the magic and majesty of the place.

But the music. Ah, the music...

My kids were definitely the two oldest at this event, but they're both musicians so they were able to appreciate the beauty of it all. They were captivated by the program, by the hall, and of course, by the Instrument Petting Zoo. ;-)

Could this boy look any happier?

Mendelssohn's Mystical Landscapes will be performed again this coming Saturday, November 12th, 2011. Click here for details and tickets.

We are already making plans to return for other events at the hall - Hello, Handel's Messiah Sing-along (!) Extra coolness points - the concerts are awesomely affordable for families.

And the exposure to such beautiful music in such an amazing setting definitely impacted us personally.

Jonathan: "Mom, I might need to get a violin."

See what I mean?

{A special thank you to the Walt Disney Concert Hall, the LA Phil, the Toyota Symphonies for Youth, and alPunto Advertising for the wonderful musical memories.}

Home Alone

For years now, Eric and I have been home.

He works here at home. I have been homeschooling for years.

Our house is always full of noisy, happy, busy people. Whether they are our own kids or their friends, we've always had a full house.

 

But now, Adam is gone. And Amy, who has spent the summer here with us, is leaving, too.

Lucy and Jonathan are in school. Their school day goes from 8 am to 5 pm, so they get home just in time for dinner. 

All that to say this: It's quiet around here. Too quiet.

Of course, when the kids get home from school and we're at the dinner table, they are chatty and excited and telling us about their fun days in great detail. Jonathan goes right to his room and starts playing his guitar and Lucy turns up her iTunes and it's noisy and fun and it makes me happy.

But during the day....quiet.

Don't get me wrong. I like quiet. But I don't exactly know what to do with myself. Or how to act. Because, my goodness, it's so quiet around here!

I've gotten into a groove now. I write, I clean out drawers and closets (long, long! overdue), I bake and cook and go to the gym and still have hours left to create and paint and craft and tackle organizing and scrapbooking and telling the stories that go with the bizillions of photographs I've taken of my family and kids over these many years. (<--Big, time-intensive project. But hey....I've got time now. =D)

I do lunch. A lot.

I am getting used to the quiet. (In fact, I kind of like the quiet, but that's not important right now.)

I find I'm liking having days that are my own.

But I miss the noise. The laughter. The silliness.

I miss this...

My Kids from Marta Darby on Vimeo.

I suppose I could always jump up and down on the beds, order large cheese pizzas "just for me," set booby-traps for the stupid bad guys, and watch movies all day while eating junk food.  (<-- Yes, that's a nod to the silly Home Alone movies by John Hughes.)

Or I could just embrace the fact that they are all doing so well and give myself a break.

And maybe do lunch? ;-)