Oh, the accordion! I'm not actually sure why, but this instrument has found a way to be significant to me in one way or another throughout every phase of my life. It all started with Lawrence Welk... Some of my earliest memories involve sitting with my family in front of the television at my grandparents' house laughing at the skits on this show. To this day, I'm not sure if my family was laughing with Lawrence Welk or laughing AT Lawrence Welk, but I do remember having some good, clean, family fun...
When I was slightly older, my family had a tradition of listening to the Dr. Demento
radio show every Sunday night on the way home from our cabin in New Hampshire. It was there that we discovered Weird Al Yankovic, another quirky and amusing musician.... who also played the accordion!
During my teenage years, my family's strange obsession with the accordion was fulfilled by the music of They Might Be Giants. And this obsession was multi-generational... To prove that I am not exaggerating, when I was in college I attended a TMBG concert over a hundred miles away from home... and my mother and 12 year-old brother ended up being there as well! And, now that they are doing children's songs, guess what one of the first baby gifts was that I received from my mother?
I'm not sure my family even recognizes the common thread of the accordion in this aforementioned musical pedigree... In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if there was some expression of denial on their part, (though we are all proud lovers of the accordion's distant cousin, the bagpipe!) I, on the other hand, do not have the luxury of pretending indifference. Not only did I briefly date an accordion player, (a former state champion, no less!), but I've had an almost two decade love affair with another accordion-heavy weekly musical event... the Polka Party radio show on WUNH!
Given my genetic predisposition, it only makes sense that when I arrived at the University of New Hampshire as a freshman, I would be drawn to Polka Party... You see, every Saturday morning for several decades, Gary Sredzienski has brought his accordion and old polka records to the WUNH studio to entertain his myriad and many listeners. If you've never heard the show, I highly recommend it. I think you'll find it to be a very entertaining and energizing way to start out your Saturday. It's kind of like coffee for your ears! Do not despair if you live far away for you can download the show on i-tunes, or listen to it streaming live through the Internet. Isn't technology grand!
So, when my friend Angela and I, (who happens to be on the committee for the visiting artist's series at York County Community College), were listening to the show in the car one morning it led to the BRILLIANT idea, (if I do say so myself), of suggesting Gary Sredzienski for the visiting artist's series... And it came to fruition TODAY! As a bonus, Angela suggested that I bring my children with me. And, seriously, how could I pass up such a wonderful opportunity to continue the family accordion indoctrination process for a fourth generation... So I loaded the kiddos into the car and off we went!
He was absolutely fabulous! Not only did we get to hear the background story about the origins of Polka Party and listen to him play some highly entertaining music, but he also talked about the history of the accordion, took an accordion apart to show us how it worked, and talked about his life story, which was fascinating. (You can and should read his bio here!) And, as a bonus, both of my children were quiet and well behaved throughout the entire performance/talk!.
One of the best messages he brought to the audience was the importance of following your dreams and doing the thing that you love. Despite the fact that he had a degree in forestry and a job in his field, he took a leap of faith and quit to become a professional accordionist. While there were periods of financial hardship, he never gave up and now he even receives royalties for several of his compositions that have been used in big Hollywood films...
After the performance, Gary was nice enough to give Liam a mini accordion lesson... So, while I certainly can check off my novel experience of the day, I can now also state that Liam and Gracie's accordion indoctrination is off to a good start. In fact, as Liam has actually played an accordion, (just shy of two years of age), and I did not accomplish this feat until I was nearly 30, I clearly have surpassed my parents' own efforts... I am very proud!
He was absolutely fabulous! Not only did we get to hear the background story about the origins of Polka Party and listen to him play some highly entertaining music, but he also talked about the history of the accordion, took an accordion apart to show us how it worked, and talked about his life story, which was fascinating. (You can and should read his bio here!) And, as a bonus, both of my children were quiet and well behaved throughout the entire performance/talk!.
One of the best messages he brought to the audience was the importance of following your dreams and doing the thing that you love. Despite the fact that he had a degree in forestry and a job in his field, he took a leap of faith and quit to become a professional accordionist. While there were periods of financial hardship, he never gave up and now he even receives royalties for several of his compositions that have been used in big Hollywood films...
After the performance, Gary was nice enough to give Liam a mini accordion lesson... So, while I certainly can check off my novel experience of the day, I can now also state that Liam and Gracie's accordion indoctrination is off to a good start. In fact, as Liam has actually played an accordion, (just shy of two years of age), and I did not accomplish this feat until I was nearly 30, I clearly have surpassed my parents' own efforts... I am very proud!
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