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| Midtown Station Atlanta, GA |
A few weeks ago, I played at Midtown Station in Atlanta for Marta's Artbound Program, an effort to bring live arts to the public. Midtown is a great location, as it's outdoors and in a fun, brightly painted setting. Of course, being Georgia in August, it's also very hot! I set up my keyboard and equipment as well as an electric fan and began my set.
Not far into my set, I noticed a young boy and his mother in the area. The boy seemed very curious about the music and eventually sat right in front of my little stage to watch and clapped after each song. I tried to give him the warmest smile possible so he would feel comfortable if he wanted to come talk to me. Eventually he did.
He told me that he and his cousins liked to write song lyrics together and he had a notebook at home of random thoughts that might make a good song one day. He told me he thought music was like a super power. He asked me all kinds of questions about the songs I played and told me when something reminded him of a memory. He would say, "That was a good song," nodding his head matter-of-factly as if making a decision after giving it some serious thought. I invited him to sit next to the keyboard in a folding chair so he could see my fingers. And he did. He sat there for the rest of my set, about 2 hours.
We continued to chat between songs. He was a child, but we spoke as equals. He was easy to talk to. He told me he had a lucky feather, and that yesterday, it helped him sell 60 water bottles...something he does to help his family earn money. Suddenly, he had an idea and asked if he could try something on the keyboard with me. "What if we do a song together, called "Cats and Dogs," and I'll play the cat part and you do the dog part?" He was seated at the high end of the keyboard, while I could play at the low end. I thought it was a genius and creative duet idea. I did my best to imitate the deep bark of a dog, while he tinkled at the high end, imitating a cat's meow. This opened a floodgate of inspiration for him and he suggested several others: "Rain and Thunder," "Light and Dark," "Cars and Trucks."
When my set came to an end, I grew sad at the thought that I might never see this boy again. I gave him my card and he told me, "You're the nicest person I met today." As I began to load up my equipment, he quickly offered to help me, and wrapped up cords and carried things to my car. I wanted to give him a hug, but instead I told him, "You're awesome. I really hope I see you again." And I really hope I do.
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