I retreated upstairs after dinner to do some reading. It was so nice to have time to just relax. The sound of beautiful music drifted from the living room as Kaylee played her instrument. Not the violin that she has been practicing for a few years and not even the piano which she also takes lessons for. Today I am listening to the sweet sound of the first day with her new clarinet.
Yes, today we rented a clarinet for her to learn to play. She brought it home, assembled it and began to play. She was immediately able to make music with it. (Sing a long with me to the tune of Mary Had a Little Lamb.) “E, D, C, D, Squeak, squeak, squeak, D, D, Screech, E, Squawk, Squeal,” you get the idea. After that imagine Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star, Hot Cross Buns and some other early band favorites in a similar fashion.
Though the technique is a bit lacking, I wasn’t being sarcastic when I said that I was relaxing listening to the sound of beautiful music. What is beautiful about this music? It is made by her. What is also beautiful about this music? It is original. It is not recorded and it is not being played on an electronic device. This sound is music to my ears because it is not the sound of silence I hear when she is plugged into her iPod. Her face is buried in a music book and not glued to a screen. There is no music sweeter than that and I am grateful.
You may remember, though, that I did say that I retreated upstairs, the door is shut and maybe tomorrow I’ll even recommend she practice outside….just to get some fresh air, of course.
becktobasics 