Picking up where I left off…
Once upon a time, I played the violin.
Senior Recital, 2006.
Well, let’s be real. I played the fiddle.
After I became enamored with the piano— I was too young to remember how I became enamored with it—came a fascination with the violin. How did I learn of its existence? I am honestly, not quite sure. Like the piano, it started a bit too early in my life to have a firm grasp of the time or place I became interested. Maybe I was born interested?
While I’m not positive of the timeline, I definitely know it was because my dad’s cousin who played (whose age felt much younger than him, much older than me). Maybe we were at my great aunt and uncle’s house sometime (we would go from time to time, maybe for coffee after church? I don’t really remember why, or if I was with my parents or grandparents, I just remember being there).
On one side of their living room was the piano (hello, of course I gravitated there…), and that is where I recall seeing The Violin. Maybe it was in its case, maybe I was offered a demonstration—again, I don’t really remember! I do not know why it fascinated me, only that it did. So I decided then that I wanted to learn how to play. I believe I even got to borrow that violin to start with until I got my own.
That is when I switched piano teachers and met Dorothy Sanders. Dorothy became my piano and violin teacher. Although it is far more fair to say I learned to play Fiddle. I recall learning no real technique, relying on my ears for correct finger placement, and man, was it difficult! Piano was SO much easier for me.
So I took lessons for about 5-6 years, until I reached the end of 8th grade. My school did not have an orchestra, and I was involved in too many sports and other after school activities. So once I got to High School it was too much to drive out to the South Dakota countryside for several hours of lessons each week (It was at least a full two hours, one for me on violin + piano, one for my brother with guitar + piano). So I quit. We found a new piano teacher.
I shelved my violin. Only taking it out every now and then to feed by curiosity: Can I still play it?
Occasionally I would relive the pinnacle of my fiddle “career”: playing the Orange Blossom Special (simplified version) at the county fair talent show, accompanied by the iconic Dorothy Sanders. I truly felt like I was a crowd favorite, but spoiler alert: I did not win.
Now I would love to take a turn and start reminiscing about my lessons with Dorothy because there are some iconic memories and moments there, but I’ll save those for another post. She had an impact, and was definitely a character!
So after nearly 23 years of near constant neglect of my violin (but I still kept it, because as a musician you just never know when you might pick something back up again!), you can imagine my surprise when I was given the opportunity to TEACH string lessons.
This opportunity fell into my lap on a warm July afternoon this past summer.
The local orchestra teacher had emailed me asking me to call her. I was a bit surprised, naturally, and curious, because she had mentioned this opportunity in passing in an email (where I was asking questions about my son’s summer cello lessons). So I called her back and she wanted to know: Would I be willing to teach strings lessons part time this school year? I was primarily honored she would ask, because my experience is limited (See: 23+ years of NOT playing fiddle,). But I decided to say yes. She wanted my help to support her growing program? I knew I wanted to do whatever I could to support that mission because having an orchestra program in the school system is a very precious thing, to me.
This lead me to getting my first violin AND cello lesson, and planning to just stay ahead of these beginner students of mine. I felt not quite prepared enough (as one does when starting something new!), but dove in. Ready to make mistakes and learn with my students.
The first day was CHAOS. My first day of lessons was on an early out day, with a compacted schedule, AND there was a tornado drill planned. I was new to the building and meeting all of these students for the first time. I was sweating immediately, felt like I was forgetting everything, barely remembered to type up my lesson notes, and was constantly ringing up to classrooms to remind teachers and students to come for their lesson. It was frantic. Well, except for those few minutes sitting in the office chatting with the band teacher during the tornado drill…
It certainly could have been chalked up to a terrible first day, but the students who did come—even if they weren’t prepared, even if they didn’t have their instrument or all of their books, even if all I did was hand them some papers and tell them we’d get their instrument to them next week—were SO excited. The best part was helping them begin to hold their bows and start to make sounds. Watching their eyes light up was infectious, and I knew that regardless of how unprepared I felt, this would be a fun job.
Starting something new is scary, but also exhilarating. Pulling a bow across the low C of a cello vibrates your whole body and fills your with warmth. Figuring out how to properly hold the violin bow is challenging, but also rewarding when you figure it out. I couldn’t possibly teach anyone past beginners, because Lord knows I definitely don’t have the technique down for that, but I’d have to say teaching beginners is magical.
Piano, Cello, Violin—it doesn’t matter which. Introducing people to an instrument is magical. Helping Voice students realize the power they hold inside—Magical.
I’ve always been the kid chasing the fantasy of what it might be like to live in the wizarding world. Chasing magic, wherever it may be. Lucky me, I get to live in it every day. I get to make music. I get to help others make music. I get to make music with others. What could be more magical than that?
