This week/ weekend is the busiest time for music enthusiasts in Nashville. There is not one but two music festivals going on at the same time: CMA Fest and the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival. For the Country Music Festival there are stages and performances all over downtown Nashville and approximately 100,000 people attend this annual event in Music City. The Bonnaroo Music Festival attracts the same amount of people but is held at Great Stage Park, an hour South of Nashville, where multiple stages feature artists from a diverse array of musical styles including Rock, Hip Hop, Jazz, Bluegrass, Country, Gospel, Pop, Reggae and alternative music.
While we never attended one of the festivals due to the crowds and the heat at that time of year, we enjoyed our own musical weekend close to our home. The local library hosted a Musical Petting Zoo, where the children could try out different music instruments the Nashville Symphony uses on stage. I took Amelia there while the boys napped at home. Her favorite was by far the violin but she was also intrigued by the flute and the harp. We are considering signing her up for her lessons.
After the petting zoo, the library hosted Music Together, where the kids sang and danced for half an hour.
A quick rest at home while building some Legos and watching Annie. On Friday afternoon, Elliot and I pulled out our Lego bin and started to assemble all the vehicles, boats and helicopters. The kids and I spent at least 8 hours this weekend on this task and just finished it before dinner time on Sunday. While there are still quite a few pieces left as we inherited a box full of Legos and no instructions, both Amelia and Elliot enjoy playing with their Lego creations. I have a feeling though that within the next couple of days, they will have re-imagined and re-engineered every single piece. It was a great way to spent some quality time with them though.
Then it was time to get dressed, pack a picnic dinner, pull out our lawn chairs and head over to Hendersonville for a concert in the park. Every year, the Nashville Orchestra performs their Symphony by the Lake in June and we enjoyed it last year so much, we made sure not to miss it. It was a very hot day but luckily as the sun set, a breeze came along and we all enjoyed a lovely evening at the park.
We sat with our friends and the adults as well as the children enjoyed each others company.
The Musical Petting Zoo was there once again and this time, Elliot was able to try his hand on each instrument.
Our view towards the stage:
Once the symphony started, Amelia and I moved closer to the stage (first row in the grass) to listen and watch each musician. She loves all kinds of music and impressed me with her knowledge of music instruments.
Looking back:
While the children were equipped with nets and jars to catch some fireflies nearby, the adults enjoyed the concert.
It truly was a musical day and the concert was the perfect family summer outing. We can't wait to go next year again. On Sunday, in between building Legos, Elliot and I painted a wall in his room. He choose the color himself as he wanted a shark theme. I was not so sure about the half painted wall but it turned out pretty good. That's what happens when you don't want the room looking too dark and only buy a pint of paint instead of a gallon.
I hope you all had a fabulous weekend as well!
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