Vagneur: What an accordion can still do for third graders

When was the last time you danced with third graders? When was the last time a group of them took you into their world? 

It’s spring, and it’s a two-fisted mission I’ve been on — spinning faster than I can keep up — going to the world of third graders in local elementary schools on the one-hand and traveling to out-of-the-valley schools trying to keep up with my grandchildren on the other. And there’s the usual work. Maybe I look a little frazzled?

To set the stage, let me say that the invitations used to come around regularly — we’re having a party and really would like for you to attend. An answer in the affirmative usually brought the following, “Great! And don’t forget to bring your accordion!” The only way to stop it was to quit playing the cussed accordion — about twenty years ago. Oh, I still do a memorial service or special event one or two times a year, but that’s it. 

It truly piqued my curiosity when a relative newcomer to the Aspen Historical Society, Amy Honey (vice president of education and programming), told me of a history educational program she had going in the schools and wondered if I’d like to play my accordion — “just a little” — to let young students know what such an instrument was actually like and what kind of tunes might have been played “back when.”

Ha! Are you kidding? That’s not in my wheelhouse. It took some soul-searching, but finally I agreed, coming to the program one or two weeks late but getting there. There are some weighty logistical issues to overcome in these newer, large schools, carrying a 37-pound accordion. But as a stop-gap measure, I have been taking a very small squeeze box, over 100 years old, inherited from one of my great-aunts. She used it to entertain her students when she taught in one-room schoolhouses. It’s not perfect, but it fits the “just a little” requirement just fine. Sadly, it doesn’t have the intricacy and range to fully accompany two or three rounds of “The Virginia Reel” — our favorite dance to end the presentation. 

My colleague, the effervescent Ms. Honey, presents an energetic history of Aspen, going back to when the first white folks arrived, focusing on what life was like, then using 1910 as a primary example year. She innocently pulls them in, displaying her props, such as a wash board, a carpet beater, asking what modern-day things did we not have back then, drawing the answers out of them quite nicely, until the overall nagging question is finally answered: What was the turning point that made most of our modern devices possible?

I’d tell you here, but some youngster might be reading this, and the answer would be bouncing around at recess, kids out of control with the special knowledge.  

Our purpose is an educational mission, and to be honest, it’s an entertaining and educational tour for yours truly. The well-ordered, well-behaved children, who freely and enthusiastically participate in the discussions, have totally impressed me. Observing their minds wonder about the answers to Ms. Honey’s questions wholly absorbs my attention, and I watch (and sparsely participate) with a hidden, inside smile. If these third-graders are part of our future, I’d say we’re in pretty good shape going forward. And dance? They love dancing “The Virginia Reel.” Me, too, laughing as I write this. 

Times have changed. One has to get through a locked door to gain admission into any of these schools, which is an excellent point to make. It must throw the office personnel off to witness a guy with an accordion strapped over his shoulder (“What is that thing?”), looking a bit like a hunchback from a long-ago novel, strolling up to the front door. I’ve learned to go immediately for my credentials, presenting them without question, and hoping they will provide me with a guide to get where I’m going. Running this gauntlet, I’ve met soccer teammates my daughter had when she was in school, met people who are long-time readers of my column, and mostly met folks who are genuinely friendly, interested in our mission, and dedicated to their own mission, educating our children. They are great role models for young students.

Next week, we take on the fourth graders.  

Tony Vagneur writes here on Saturdays and welcomes your comments at ajv@sopris.net.

Tony Vagneur writes here on Saturdays and welcomes your comments at ajv@sopris.net.