Challenged...but will I pass the test?

Each year, around this time, my husband and I play for a local church. It's not a "big" deal, but it is. It's a very established musically minded church in the community, and I always feel more judged than I actually am. I have been there long enough, and heard enough singers to know that the 8 o'clock group says Amen and the 11 o'clock group claps.


This is the third time I've made an arrangement for the services. Several years back, I put a recorder part to "What Wondrous Love is This?" When we played it, I knew I had succeeded in my arrangement ideas because the 8 o'clock group clapped and the 11 o'clock group was quiet! Last year, I took a song from a few years back that is quite poiniant to now, put a flute part to it, for Scott, and played it. I've been so emotional about the song, I wasn't able to listen to it until this week. I know I suprised some who hadn't heard me sing before, and those who know our family well understood the meaning and reason of the words of the song - a song about God remaining Unchanged through our lives, and the lives of our parents.

This year has been more challenging. Scott found a song he liked, and though I didn't obtain true permission, I found the energy and committment to put the song to paper. THis too purchasing an upgrade of a music composition program, several "OH, NO!!" moments as I neglected to properly save my work, hours of listening and correcting notes on the page, and too many harmonies floating in my head! The finished product? Well, it isn't yet. We have 3 weeks until the church performance, and while I believe it will be fine, the true test will be the day of playing.

Challenges...

I like being the kind of teacher that can show someone how not to do something. Sometimes that means I have to experiment in front of them, though, which I don't feel as comfortable with!

I have another new flute student and I cannot match her pitch - I can match my pitch on her flute when I blow it, but have not (during one lesson) figured out how she's blowing to show her how to best blow. I was honest and let her know what I was doing. She just smiled. Not the "you're really weird" smile, either. That was encouraging.

Then, today, I had two opportunities to teach ear-training - one with a student, one with Scott. With Scott we were playing along with a CD and I proved to myself I'm not as bad as I think I am! With my piano student, I challenged him to play 5 notes then I had to play them back. We reversed it, too, where I played 5 notes and he had to guess them. He has a wonderful talent and likes to play but not practice. (WHO likes to practice? Really!!!)

I honestly believe part of my job as a teacher is to be a resource on how to find what music you like as a student. I hope I can do that more, and make myself more of a resource at the same time.

Registers...

Today, I saw a former student at lunch. I honestly had to stop and think to remember who she was, but she certainly knew me! She asked if I was still teaching, and immediately, I remembered - she was a wonderful student who took piano and voice and could not quite reach a C above middle C. She had such a rich alto/baritone voice, and she knew it. We were able to talk a little, and I have hope that we will again work together, possibly this fall.

I wish I was kidding here...tonight, after Hannah was asleep, Scott decided to work on the upper register notes for the flute. A very difficult and way-too-high-for-my-migraine register!!!! It was too funny for words. He literally walked away from the flute tonight because it had hurt his ears, poor guy! He has never played the high notes, so was not aware how piercing they can be! He knows now.

I'm really aware and drawn to contrasts right now - the contrast of the high and low - fast and slow (Timothy loves Allegro and Adagio games!), legato and staccato. These particular contrasts are part of my preschool music time, and I've been blessed with the opportunity to start it up again as a playdate. It's really gratifing to know that the musical knowledge I have is appreciated and understood by those around me, and by having the families come, I'm feeling better about my teaching in general and myself specifically. It's "registering" that even though I'm not the best teacher for everyone, I am a good teacher, and that's enough for now.

The sounds...ah the sounds.

We now have a grand piano, two flutes, a classical guitar, a children's folk guitar, at least 5 recorders (mostly soprano but there is a wood alto and tenor in the mix), , an autoharp (in working condition), a zither (in non-working condition) and a plethera of children's musical instruments and drums in our house. It's almost a menagerie in a way, and that's good and bad!



The most difficult part of the music in our house, at the moment, is convincing my husband that practicing the flute at 11:30pm is not really okay. It's the time he has available to practice, and he does not wake the children when he plays, but I like my time off...okay, I don't want to teach at 11:30 at night! Even if it's a new song, I feel like I have to know it, be ahead of him, be ready to correct if he asks...I can't enjoy the amount of music yet. I hope I can soon.