We’re a family of six: hubby, wife, and four teens — a 17-year-old, twin 14-year-olds, and a 12-year-old. And honestly, a spring break vacation out of town wasn’t in the cards for us this season. We have a few big bucket goals for the summer, so we needed to be mindful of our spending. Nevertheless, our spring break was still amazing!
I strongly believe that everyone is a master at something, teens included. So we decided to host master classes! For six nights during the break, each family member would host a master class. The criteria for the classes were: It must be something you’re a master at. It must include a visual presentation. And it must include verbal and hands-on components. That’s it!
Here are the master classes we held: Mom (me): Chicken and Dumplings; Dad: How to Install a Mailbox; 17-year-old: How to Play the Bass Guitar and Piano; 14-year-old: Creative Ideas: Reading and Creating Music; 14-year-old: Genshin Impact: Building Characters for Maximum Damage; 12-year-old: Ballet: The Basics.
These classes were a huge hit! I received flying colors for my master class about chicken and dumplings. I covered the importance of African-American cuisine and gave simple instructions on how to make the dish from scratch. While I got dinged for using cartoon pictures and real images in my presentation (who knew that was so taboo?), the hands-on portion was perfect. The teens loved flattening the dough and cutting squares for the dumplings, although one twin was extremely disappointed when he realized I wasn’t making Asian-style dumplings.
Dad also did a fantastic job for his master class. For his presentation, he gave a brief historical recount of the postal service and explained the regulations for installing a mailbox. The kids mixed the concrete, measured for depth and distance from the curb, and installed our new mailbox. I watched, walked around, and “hmmmed” at the appropriate moments. It was fascinating.
The master class on Genshin Impact, a video game, was very insightful. We learned how to equip our character with artifacts so it could do maximum damage to an enemy. But even when you’re equipped with the most powerful artifacts, you can still lose if you don’t know how to fight. Or more specifically, what buttons to push to fight and when to push them. It takes a lot of talent to play this game and win.
Ballet: The Basics was wonderful. The boys got firsthand experience into what their little sister does for five and a half hours a week. We covered first, second, and third positions as well as a few French words I am not familiar with. Skills were learned, balance was lost, and more importantly, I realized I need to stretch a lot more!
The Creative Ideas: Reading and Creating Music was … wow! I did not realize my teenager was so talented. We used Musescore to create the music. He said this was the easiest for us to learn with. I chose the saxophone as the instrument and learning proceeded. He taught us how to read a blank music sheet and how to add notes, too. He even used words like tempo, beats, and other musical phrases I can’t recall. Mostly, I just sat there in awe! Mr. Breaux (concert band teacher at the Maxine Smith STEAM Academy), you’re doing a fantastic job!
My 17-year-old son also had a musical master class. He showed us how to read and play different notes on the piano and on bass guitar. (I know you’re probably thinking we’re such a musical family that the parents must have major talent, but we don’t. My husband and I cannot play any instrument, nor can we hold a note or a tune.) I selected piano as my instrument because we have these cute little stickers on the keys to help us identify each note. After learning the notes and a quick jingle, there was a surprise exam! An exam!? Needless to say, I have a little more work to do.
These classes have given me a glimpse into what my teens are doing when they spend hours in their rooms. They’re creating and cultivating skills beyond my wildest dreams. I would suggest that all families put on a series of master classes in their homes. You never know what you might discover.
P.S. Would other Memphis teens be interested in showcasing their master talents? Hit me up on IG: memphisismyboyfriend.
Patricia Lockhart is a native Memphian who loves to read, write, cook, and eat. By day, she’s a librarian and writer, but by night … she’s asleep.