My Observations Of The Foresters - A Parent's Perspective

The boys have had a band called the Foresters for several years now, but really started gelling as a band this past September when they bought their own instruments (September 18, 2010)

Ali and I have really been enjoying watching the boys develop as a band. Each of them has emerged with important skills and strengths that make it possible for them to work and grow together. I talked to them about this tonight at dinner these are my observations:

Hayden Bass- Musicologist and Band Spirit. Hayden has been studying rock books for months. It seems as if he is working on memorizing every member of every rock band from the past 40 years! He gets his brothers excited about hearing all different kind of bands and is perpetually plugging his ipod into any set of speakers he can find so he can share his latest discovery.  Hayden is also the one we will find practicing his moves in the mirror. When they had their first concert at the Amity Teen Center, Hayden was the one who got props for the band members to wear and made sure to bring little things with him on stage that he could throw into the crowd. Hayden is the one who will make sure the people coming to the show are having a good time.

Liam Drums- The Backbone and Glue Being the drummer in the band it is fitting to call Liam the backbone. He not only holds the band together with his beats, but even more importantly he motivates his brothers to practice even if they don't really feel like it. Liam is the one who will make them a great band because practice makes perfect and he understands that it takes hard work to become great. Liam has been known to play until he has blisters on his fingers. He is the glue that binds the band together and allows the whole to be greater than the sum of its parts.

Evan Guitar- Creative Mastermind and Teacher. Evan has an amazing gift.  He is able to write songs and lyrics making it seem completely effortless. He writes at least 1 or 2 new songs a week. When he goes to guitar lesson his teacher is continually amazed at the new ideas Evan comes up with.  Evan also is able to work on song samples and loops on the Mac This is building his recording and production skills. On top of all of this, Evan is a patient and nurturing teacher. This is not easy to do, but when Evan finishes writing a song, he is able to teach his brothers their parts. I've seen instances where the part he originally wrote was too hard for one of his brothers to play so he went back to the drawing board and rewrote it in a way that made it easier for them.

This has been such an amazing learning experience for the boys. Each of them is discovering and developing their skill while at the same time having fun working together.  I can't wait to see what the future has in store for them!

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