This Tyke is Terrific

There is a special tyke in one of the nursery classes who I should find a pain in the butt, but instead I find incredibly endearing. We're going to call him "J." J. is always very insistent about what he wants/needs which can be difficult to deal with in a class of 21 when you've managed to get the rest of the class in a circle and J is standing in front of you saying "drum. I would like a drum." It's clear what he wants, and you'd like to help him out, but kid- there are 20 more of you!

Anyhow- he's the sort that doesn't deal totally well in a group setting, but it is clear that he gets very turned on by the instruments and by music class in general so last week I asked his teacher if it would be alright if I took him out for some one on one instrument time. She literally started jumping up and down she thought it was such a good idea.

J, however, will always be his own person- so when we asked him this week if he would like to do instruments he said no. (...cool.) Eventually we were able to convince him to come along to the staff room where I had a bunch of instruments set out, but only on the condition that he could bring a small plastic horse (that's "neigh neigh" to you) along with him. N, a little girl, followed us out of the room as well so I was like sure. Two is cool.

J has mad rhythm skills. He can keep a pulse, he can do groups of four and he can repeat a rhythm I play for him first. He *can* do all of these things, but only if he feels like it. And if his neigh neigh can be involved.

We sang "Old MacDonald" and he was doing the more complicated rhythm that I was doing: stopping at the ends of phrases instead of playing the pulse all the way through. (N did a very good job of playing all the way through, which is what I was originally going to work towards) But J would only sing along if we did horses. I suggested pigs, but no- we had to do horses again. Then I didn't ask and we just went ahead and did pigs; I asked again for another animal and after that and we did pigs again...so I guess any animal is fine as long as they happen twice in a row? J! You're a weird little kid!

But the best thing ever? Getting a giant hug around the knees and a kiss on the cheek from J at the end of class. I'm a little besotted.