I had the pleasure this morning to play for a group of kids at an early learning centre. First I did a short set for a group of “toddlers”. They were very quiet and seemed amazed at the sounds coming from my button accordion.

Next I played a long set for an older group. I’ve met a bunch of these kids before.  I brought along an assortment of shakers and scrub-boards and tamborines and guiros, and I got all the kids playing along. By the end, all the kids were up on their feet, dancing around. We made plenty of noise, believe me. It seems that in a group like this I usually notice a couple kids who are effortlessly right on the rhythm, or who are particularly attentive to the music. One boy was playing a little drum and I found myself playing right behind him because amid the chaos of twenty kids young kids playing percussion instruments he was holding down the rhythm.

I’ve been playing for this group every few months and I have tremendous fun each time. Each time I try to add some new songs or do some things differently. I found myself exhausted by the end of the session. The kids all want to participate and they want to move around and they get very excited. Playing for the group, it’s easy to see when I’m reaching the end of their attention span!  Great fun.