Grammys Current and Future

Today is Grammy Sunday. Will you be watching tonight? I probably will. And I probably will be feeling like I have felt watching such awards shows for the last many years...a bit older and not as impressed.  I don't enjoy watching those shows in the same way that I used to. I still enjoy watching them for the spectacle that they are. But they were enjoyable in a different way when I was starstruck, younger and believed all the nominees were really talented and deserving.  There will be several very talented and deserving musicians as there are every year, but those usually are overshadowed by the ones camouflaging their lesser talent in extravagance and musical subterfuge. But even so, I will be watching and hopeful for the real talent to rise to the top.

I feel a bit more prepared for the Grammys this year thanks to my sons. I actually have several nominees on my iPod. I will be listening on Rhapsody today to the 2013 Grammy Nominees playlist so I can be even more prepared by showtime.

Do you wonder why the proper plural form of Grammy is Grammys and not Grammies? It's because you don't drop the "y" and add "ies" on proper names. I feel better now getting that out there.

Speaking of music, we were recently treated to a performance by several potential future Grammy nominees. It was once again the TJ Feeder Pattern Concert here and hundreds of elementary, middle and high school students banded together, literally, to perform a combined concert. The five elementary bands feeding into the local high school performed together as a united group. The two middle schools and high school bands performed as well.  Then the entire group took the stage and performed as one.

Nothing tugs at the heartstrings and national pride quite like the sound of hundreds of school children playing America the Beautiful.

The highlight of the evening for us was one particular future potential Grammy hopeful and his participation in the crowd-pleasing performance of the Theme from Rocky. Everybody loves Gonna Fly Now and especially when the song starts with an eight bell, herald trumpet fanfare!

Click on the photo to watch the performance!

The herald trumpet is as long as Helios is tall. That was true for most of the students playing the fancy instruments. To balance the length and weight for the players, they each rested the trumpet's elongated bell on a music stand. Helios had a loose stand and had to compensate for its movement...but he played on!

It was a great night of music. The players were inspiring. The audience was supportive and fully entertained. The music teachers and band directors executed an impressive feat of logistics, gathering all the students for their one combined performance with only one rehearsal! The entire concert performance was award worthy.

Let's see if we can say the same about the Grammys tonight.