Yesterday I took baby MJ to see a Hullabaloo concert with her playgroup mates.  It sounded fun.  I’d heard pretty good things about it and I figured MJ would love it.  I mean this girl can dance and she’s always moving and grooving, either to real music or the beat that plays in her head.

When we got to the Encinitas Community Center, I found out that the concert had been split into two concerts and we’d arrived smack in the middle of them.  So, here I am with MJ, 15 months, on borrowed time, definitely gonna get antsy, hungry and tired in a matter of 1/2 an hour.  But, look, we’d drove all the way to Encinitas for this thing, so I decided, we’re staying.  1/2 hour wait won’t be that bad, right?  And I’m sure it’ll be worth it!

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As we wonder around, waiting for time to pass, other parents arrive for the 11AM show.  Toddlers start interacting, if you can call it that.  At 15 months, MJ is more about invading everyone’s space to show them where their eyes, nose and mouth are.  Other babies don’t find this at all amusing.  We played chase as she tried to escape the community center every chance she got.  I don’t think I like automatic doors anymore.

But then, finally, the doors opened to let out the first concert and all us waiting parents with tired toddlers, filed in for concert number 2.  So far so good.  On a small stage, with a guitar and a chair is a curly haired, surfer looking dude with a nice smile and cool blonde beard.  MJ finds him intriguing.  I find him reserved.  I quickly scan the room for additional performers or musicians.  Nope, it’s just him.  Well, that’s ok.  I’m sure he’s good, right?  He’s sure got a crowd.

After about 15 minutes, he hands out some colorful scarves to all the kids and begins his show.  I quickly realize, he’s gonna JUST play music and we’re supposed to get up and dance.  We, as parents, are supposed to dance around with scarves, engage the kids, do the jig, and get into the groove.  I guess I was a bit caught off guard having raised a kid that loved the Wiggles and a baby who adores Hi-5.  I was under the impression that the concert would be a bit more interactive.  A bit more engaging, with the performer, not me.  Am I being a bit too lazy, I wondered.  Hmmm…

Anyway, MJ is really sort of thrown off at all the kids flailing around and screaming.  Seems they “think” they’re dancing and all the parents are smiling from ear to ear and holding video cameras and cell phone cameras trying to capture little Johnny or Sally as they scream their heart out and stomp their feet.  Me and MJ are kind of caught off guard.  The guy is playing acoustic guitar. Even with the fastest of songs, the vibe we both get is to sway, clap to the beat and sing.  Kind of a Kum-ba-ya thing.  Neither I nor MJ got the vibe to scream or stomp our feet.

Then I look around and quickly realize, we’re one of only 3 black or mixed race families in the room.  There were a few asian families and it appeared to be a few Hispanic families, but 80% were White.  The playgroup kids with us were also White and they were having a blast!  This got me thinking, do we, as an ethnically mixed family, view dancing and music differently.  Culturally, do Black people or Hispanics view dancing, concerts, music differently and do their children behave differently at these types of events?  Not that one is right or wrong, it just got me thinking.  Are we musically different?

Both of my kids have been raised around a lot of music, a lot of bars, a lot of musicians.  From Jazz to Classical to Mexican music to Reggae, they have listened, sang, danced, observed and grown to love all music.  This Hullabaloo thing was the first time I’ve ever seen either of my children not know what to do with the music.  MJ backed up, sat on my lap and simply watched the guy play 4 songs.  She then stood up and observed the room for 2 songs and sat back down and finished 3 more songs. OK, nothing wrong with that, right?  He was good.  I like the tunes and enjoyed the acoustic guitar a lot.  But still, I couldn’t help but feel that MJ seemed to miss the whole point.  Or did she?