November 15th, 2004
Life on the Road!
Some relatives were in town this past week. Not your typical relatives, but my Uncle Andrew and family. About four years ago he began learning guitar and his wife Janet started on upright bass. They did this so they could play old folk songs with their four young kids (Andy Jr., Jessica, Kat, and Christian), all of whom were learning to play fiddle. A few months later Andrew left his job as the music director at a church in Florida. They sold their house and everything they owned that wouldn’t fit into their Chevy Tahoe and camper trailer and took their act on the road. I believe they’ve crossed the country three times now, playing renaissance fairs, craft festivals, pubs, concert halls, street corners, etc. They make enough money to get to the next destination, and move on, dropping in on friends and family along the way.
The last time the Partr-itchger Family visited us, they were just starting out. Their sound was a little rough around the edges. They were playing second hand-instruments and living in the tiny, pop-out trailer they pulled behind them.
A few things had changed this time around…
They rolled up in a brand new gigantic RV, parking it right in front of the house (yes, National Lampoon-style). “Don’t make a fuss over us,” they said. “We’re going to sleep and practice and have school out here.”
“So as not to intrude,” I thought. “They’re so considerate.” But the more I looked at this behemoth, the more convinced I became that it had more square-footage than our house. “Wow, you can almost fit eight whole people in your dining room,” they’d say as we all finished dinner in the house. “How cosy… Well, it was fun eating in here, but I think we’re gonna head back out to the RV. Maybe have a little soak in our hot tub before bed.”
Then there’s the kids, who are now way above-average in terms of musical ability. They each play three or four instruments (all of them brand new and shiny, since they now have corporate sponsorship for their musical equipment) and sing in four-part harmony. More amazing still is how seasoned and professional they are as performers. I watched one of their rehearsals the other day: Dad counts off and…boom! They launch into a number with elaborate, choreographed dance moves, big smiles on their faces the whole time. Chim-chim-a-ree! “Look at them! They’re having the times of their lives!” you think. But it’s all just part of the show. The song ends and, instantly, their expressions melt into looks of indifference and boredom. It’s nothing they haven’t done 400 times before. They stretch their necks and put their hands on their hips. One of them tunes up a bit, waiting for Dad to count off another one. Christian (the youngest one, who plays drums now) casually lights a cigarette.
They work hard, but my little cousins certainly aren’t suffering. Mom and Dad would call this whole thing quits the minute someone had had enough. The kids love it. A singing-dancing-traveling family? Are you kidding? When they play out there’s always a crowd. People clapping and giving them money and telling them how talented they are. I kind of feel sorry for kids whose parents aren’t dragging them around the country, making them dress up and play songs for people.
Also, the kids are also really, really, really good kids. They were pretty good when this got started. (This is the only way a family of six could have survived those first few months, riding in the car together and eating together and playing games together and going to school together and practicing and practicing and practicing, in a little trailer, day-in-and-day-out…together.) But over the years they’ve been forged into a highly-functional sibling-team. They help each other with homework. They pick up after one another. They share everything. They’re eager to help, polite, and even capable of sitting still. Not typical behavior for 15, 14, 12 and 11-year-olds. Sure, they occasionally have fights, but you can’t hold that against them — it’s scientifically impossible to keep siblings from fighting, let alone band-mates.
It’s a breakthrough in alternative-parenting, I tell you. The vaudevillian method.
“Wait, what about school?” you’re probably asking. Well, don’t you worry, they’ve got it covered. The kids are home-schooled (well, Winnebago-schooled). It’s all very hands-on and “knowledge is fun” in nature, which means they love learning. (“Fractions!?! Yesss!”) On top of that, there’s the stuff they’ve just picked up while constantly moving around the country. (State capitols? Not only can they can name them all, they can tell you the best place to eat lunch in each one of them.) I bet they’re all at least five grades ahead of where they should be. Of course, they don’t have grade levels in their home-school. Why would you put those kind of constraints on learning? I think the little one was reading War and Peace during their visit, anyway. That seemed a little advanced.
Isn’t it so cute? Especially when you think of how they would be torn apart like sickly gazelle in a public school.
If you want to learn more about this craziness, you can do so at shaelaurel.com. A word of caution, though: a dangerously cheerful song will start playing when you go here.
Don’t say I didn’t warn you.
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