There are those of us who listen to music, and there are those who make music. I know it’s a deadly sin but I admit to boundless envy for the latter group. While I have an adequate voice, my dream to play an instrument has never been realized.
From the first moment I saw The Beatles I wanted to play a guitar. I begged, whined and cajoled my mother. However, the charms of the four lads from Liverpool were somewhat lost on her, making my sudden desire to strum seem a tad capricious. After months of my harping, she finally agreed that if I wanted to learn an instrument it would be the piano.
Now, there were a few things about raising a rather strong-willed pre-teen that my mother hadn’t as yet figured out. You could lead me to a keyboard, but when it was strings I was wanting, you couldn’t make me play. Piano lessons bored me and in my petulance, I had no interest in discovering the beautiful potential of the instrument. I quit after a year.
Oddly, when I became a mom, I insisted that my children take piano lessons at least until they understood the basics of all things musical. Our younger daughter, who seemed to inherit some of my determination, fought it tooth and nail. However, besides being a lovely singer, she did discover the flute and the two became fast friends.
The others, though, accepted piano lessons with varying degrees of enjoyment. The oldest stopped after the requisite time. One continued until she went off to college. The youngest moved on to guitar after several years, studied it at the post-secondary level and has achieved some success as a musician in the time since. I have seen first-hand the joy his talent has brought to people, and think back regrettably to the me who wouldn’t even try.
Music enlivens us and we go well with it. That’s why I’ve decided to make that the theme of today’s photo collections:
