Today is brought to you by Bon Jovi

*insert Sesame Street voice over*

Yes today is brought to you by the letter B, B for Bon Jovi.  Why?  Well why not?  One of those days that we need a little music to carry you through and there is nothing better than having a soundtrack kinda day.  

After all, today is World Radio Day.  Warrior Kid and I talked a lot about the effects radio has on community and the website (click on World Radio Day) was great to go through. We agreed that one of the best things is the music of course.  So the topic turned to music and the different types.  

It was at this point that I abandoned the plans for today and embraced the new topic that my son was so keen to know more on. We got online and hit Google and you tube, as you do!  Listened to different genres, had a quick look at Composers (which I plan to go through in more depth using unit studies from Confessions of a Homeschooler later in the year), instruments used, lyrics etc. I don't push too hard on a topic as that turns my son right off it, so it's a case of following his lead and if his interest switches off at any point you move onto another area of the topic. So we covered little bits of lots of elements of music. Enough to get him excited anyway.

Both my son and I are very alike, too much sometimes LOL.  We have the same issues, the same sense of humour, like the same things, etc.  We also have the same taste in music for the most part.  He will claim that my collection of 80's & 90's rock is daggy and embarrassing but that just means I am doing my mothering correctly. He will admit though that it's one of the best parts of our road trips, getting to listen to classic 'oldies' as he calls them. 

So on went the Bon Jovi CD's. Partly because I wanted to listen to it, party for education. Oh who am I kidding, I just like it LOL. I have a 60 stack (mini jukebox) CD player and they are all in there with many other's from that era.  So it's the best kind of music appreciation day today.  Singing and dancing (and writing this blog), doing housework, making lunch, to a Bon Jovi themed Soundtrack.  Bliss!

Bonus points for learning today: my son picking out the instruments used in long rock song introductions, learning what a key change was and that the over use of hairspray for the 'Hair Band's of the era probably wasn't a good thing for the ozone layer and global warming! 

Through watching you tube clips of the videos our discussions went to everything from fashion of the era, to the meanings of the lyrics in the songs (covering poverty to American Wild West), to special effects and 'new' techniques in video's, to how a band and their music grows and changes with age (and in this case the change in hairstyles too!), to music for movies and even to viral messages before the days of social media.  Warrior kid LOVED this clip so much that I have to share. 

Have a nice day everyone ;)