Maybe I’ll Brag for Just a Minute . . . Sorry!

When The Banana got her violin not quite nine months ago, I did not imagine that before the first anniversary of Violin-Gotcha-Day she’d be playing the likes of this music.  Really, I did not.  Because this music is fast and hard.  And I know there is a an enormous wealth and breadth of harder violin music in the world.  And I know that my child is not a prodigy.  She is not some miracle violin-playing child. There are lots of kids right here in my city that can play harder music than this.   I know there are a lot of patterns in this music that can be broken down to make it manageable.  I also know that my girl doesn’t understand every theoretical aspect of this music.

But here’s the deal:  The Banana is PLAYING this.  It’s hard, and she’s playing it.  She shows up at the music stand every day with her violin and a good attitude.  She sometimes sacrifices playing with her friends (which is truly something she cherishes) to practice this music.  She works on it bit by bit by bit, adding just a few measures at a time.  She doesn’t throw a fit when I ask her to play it again and again and again.  She’s willing to practice every day with her mother (not always a fun task) to learn this instrument.   Even though learning each new section is hard and frustrating each time, she LOVES playing the parts she can already play.

It’s this HARD WORK that makes me want to brag to you today, and it’s simply because I’m so proud, proud to the point of my heart wanting to almost burst.   Even if she decided that she wanted to quit the violin next week, I’d want to shout out from the rooftop to celebrate what this girl has achieved with hard work.  I know the lesson of work ethic this violin adventure is teaching us is going to be something that will stay with her forever.  In the meantime, I’m blessed to get to enjoy some really great music.

I could say similar things about my resident oboist, who is also doing amazing with her instrument.  It’s not that I’m out to raise some kind of amazing music-genius children.  I just know all the great things music does for your brain, and perhaps even more importantly, how music sets you up with the habit of intense focus and dedication.  Those are skills that can transfer to so many other tasks in life.