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A
NEW UP AND COMING
ACCORDIONIST-MY SON....
Hello:
I wanted to tell you that the accordion is alive and well in my home, thanks to my 9-year-old son.
It
started in December
2004, when he
announced that he wanted
to take music
lessons. I asked
him what he would like
to play and he answered
very deliberately,
"You know, I'd
really like to learn how
to play the
accordion". Now,
I always had a
secret fondness for
accordions from the time
I was a child and
have a couple of accordion
playing figurines, so
imagine my surprise with
this announcement!
My
father purchased a
120-bass Rivoli
accordion from the
1950s, complete with
case, at an auction for
$27.50 for my son, so
we had the instrument.
Now to find a place that
gave lessons.
I
knew this was not going
to be an easy task
as this is not the
accordion heyday of the
'50s and 60s, but thanks
to the Internet, I found
a music school 20
minutes from my home
that offered accordion
lessons.
My
son began lessons
January 8, 2005 at the
DeRossi Music School in
New Bedford, MA and
it has been an
absolutely positive
experience in every way.
He has not missed
one lesson and practices
faithfully daily. Our
accordion did need
some minor repair
work which the school
was able to take care of
for $60.00, so for
$87.50, we now have
a high quality
instrument.
He loves his accordion
and is already working
on Books 2A and 2B of
the Palmer-Hughes Prep
Accordion Course.
He is right now using a
12-bass as the 120-bass
is a little too big for
him; but he is gradually
being weaned into the
120 bass.
Today
my son met a fellow 9
year old accordionist at his
music lesson and he
was all excited about
that. So maybe the
accordion is on the
upswing again, slowly
but surely!
I
also want to note that
we have a large
Portuguese population
out here in Southeastern
Massachusetts and the
accordion is an integral
part of the Portuguese
bands, so there always
has been some level of
interest.
Anyway,
I wanted to write and
tell you this as perhaps
the fate of the
accordion is not as
desolate as one may
be inclined to think.
We get some strange
looks when we tell folks
my son takes accordion
lessons as people
seem to think the
accordion is a lost art,
but I am happy to report
that we have also
received comments like
"How cool!"
And my son will proudly
tell you, "I am an
accordionist!"
Sincerely,
Lisa
PS-If
you have RFD TV on your
cable or satellite
system, you can
catch "Big Joe's
Polka Party" on
Saturday nights from
10-11 PM. Plenty
of accordions to see and
hear, and you can also experience how
well they assimilate
with other instruments!