Friday, October 1, 2010

Behold the power of karaoke

Our local library held a family function recently - and the family went. The girls (ages 5 and 8) were eager to go – they love reading. And events like this usually feature junk food. As we entered, I heard a child singing and music. They had kid karaoke. This version features songs familiar to kids – Disney stuff and some pop music. I enjoy karaoke. I asked the oldest daughter if she wanted to sing. A quick, flat “no” was the response. The youngest quickly piped up “I do.”

The 5 year old saw a few of her friends and decided to run and play. The next time I looked up, she was talking to the people running the kid karaoke. My youngest is still learning to read - she's just 5. She cannot look through the catalog of songs and pick out an artist. After she finished talking to the folk running the karaoke, she came over and told me the song she selected to sing: "Best of Both Worlds" - the theme song for Hannah Montana.

After telling me, she told her friends and their parents. Then the waiting began. The 5 year old sat and waited. She was patient. Eventfully, my oldest came over and heard that her little sister was going to sing. The oldest likes being shy, however, Hannah Montana is her favorite show; and she's not going to let her little sister show her up. Well, the youngest wanted to sing alone. When the oldest prevailed upon me, the youngest relented.

The total wait time was about an hour. The 5 year old sat and waited. And waited. She was never bored. When it was her turn, she ran to the stage. The 8 year old casually sauntered - she was cool. The oldest thought being able to read the lyrics would be an advantage. The youngest just knows the song. Each daughter had a mic. The cool 8 year old – no gestures; no facial expressions; just singing. And the 5 year old performer jumped around, sang loudly and was very animated.

I'm proud of them both.

No comments:

Post a Comment