Louis Armstrong

Grace is quite a fan. She saw a picture of him the other day and wanted to know who he was and why his picture was in the magazine. (It's actually a really cool ad for Americans for the Arts.. . here's a blinkie I found at their site!


Anyhow, I found some clips of Satchmo on YouTube. She's particularly fond of "What a Wonderful World." So here was our conversation:

GP: Mom, can I get Louis (pronounced Lew-Is) Armstrong's autograph?
SP: His name is "Lou-ie" Armstrong. And no, honey, he died.
GP: *Gasp* He did? . . . .(pause) When I die, and I go to heaven, can I get Louis Armstrong's autograph in heaven?
SP: That's a great idea, honey.
GP: And can I sing with him? Because I really love to sing.
SP: Sure, Grace. That would be really cool.
GP: Yes, because when I go to heaven, and Louis Armstrong is in heaven, we can sing together!

You know, I love homeschooling. Because I can take teachable moments and USE them. We danced to his music, we watched how he moved his whole body when he sang, Grace noted the piano in the song. We watched him play his trumpet in "When the Saints Go Marching In" and Grace asked about his dark skin. We talked about jazz and how music makes us feel deeper emotions.

With all the cuts going on regarding funding for schools, I would be a fool to place my daughter in the public education system. What will education be like without arts and music and physical education to supplement reading, writing and 'rithmetic? In my experience, the arts gave me a reason to read, write and count. They fill our spirits in ways that we cannot measure.