Picture A Day Challenge for 12/20/07

Tonight was DS#2's Winter Band Concert. They should have called it the Christmas Concert since all the music was Christmas related. Harumph on public schools! One song that every band plays at Christmastime is the Leroy Anderson arrangement of Sleigh Ride with the sound of the whip in it in various places. DS is a percussionist and had the covetted part of playing the whip. It's not a real whip. The sound is made with a slap-stick, a very interesting gadget (or percussion toy). The one the school band has wasn't loud enough for him, so last night while trying to get things done and get to choir practice, I had to take him to Home Depot to get the stuff to make his own slap-stick. A pair of 1x4's, a hinge, two drawer pulls, and a few simple tools was all it took. I had to cut the board and shave out space to allow the hinges to be flush with the slapping side, but he put all the hardware on. When the big finale came, there he stood with his contraption, ready to play.

And it sounded really good, too!

Who knows, he might have a future as a carpenter!