SHEsaysWITHaSMILE.blogspot.com

BERNIE, MOZART & (me!) by sandra, ttgp

original post: 12/18/2006 thanks jim! i've finally added a photo.

thanks frank! -for the photo to add and moral support

and thank you bernie! my wonderful music teacher, for creating a memory i'm thrilled to share.


***


and now just look at me will ya.. i hardly recognize me myself!
i've been secretly taking flute lessons for only a few weeks (right bernie)

(i asked him to say only a couple weeks, so my twink

le, twink

-kle

lit, li,

ttle star would sound more impressive, but turns out he is as honest as he is patient and kind. darn it! anyway)

every single aspect of this experience is new to me. prior to signing up for lessons i had
a) never seen a flute close up
b) never held one
c) never put one together or took one apart
d) never cleaned a flute and put it inside it's case
e) never read music
f) never played a note
g) never played a musical instrument of any kind, anytime.. save only "chopsticks" as taught to me by my big brother on my grandma's organ about 35 years ago.

but i've been experimenting with proactively adding new brain pathways; dilutting old and yucky pathways and guess what?

it works! learning something new, i'm convinced, has an even greater impact than an antidepressant, lasts longer AND -offers like, five times the ongoing reward.

and how did i pick the flute? i can only say i responded to the results of my automatic listening/writing sessions and then went out and purchased a used flute. pre-owned; whatever. (and a tambourine).

anyway

how did i find bernie? i can only say here, and i believe quite fully, he was god selected and heaven sent.

having experienced his opposite in other areas of life, i know that without bernie's (specifically bernie's) incredible patience, joy, encouragement, kind and thoughtfulness, plus enthusiasm

i would have quit or never started. but in fact, under his care and guidance, i kept on even when i fell behind in practice and had to miss a few lessons and

ultimately succeeded in participating in my first recital with him and his many other lucky students, playing none other than who? mozart! and successfully surprised the heck out of my daughter, son and nephew (and myself for that matter).

and what a trick.. to learn this entirely new language. to read music for the first time. to create fingering charts and learn which fingers go where and then breathe

breathe, breathe, breathe, (tu, tu, tu) to make sounds. -so challenging, frustrating

and exciting!

and now, i've been thinkin' about how i succeeded a couple years ago at finishing my first half marathon. -very, very slow. but i finished

and then after the big nike race, the men in tuxedo's with the tiffany necklaces, and the bright blue finishers t-shirt w/the golden gate bridge and nike logo

i pretty much put my tennis shoes away. i've not been motivated since

but i think the flute experience might be very different from the running experience.

i just want to learn more, practice more, learn a new song

when i look outside at this cold winter weather, i have no desire to go out for a walk or jog

but look lovingly upon my new instrument.

we keep each other warm and hopeful.

and my master plan is working too because after school today i made music with my children.

and what better way to celebrate the season?

so i was the first one up, and the only 40 year old as you will see now that i can post pictures with such ease

and didn't every single one of these elementary through highschool kids do an outstanding job performing their music. such a variety of instruments, skill levels and songs

but everyone of us infected with bernie's contagious hope and joy of music.

and to my great pleasure and big surprise, bernie and all his students invited me to join them again when they play in 2007 at pier 39

their generosity is my motivation.

practice. practice. practice.

and can't close w/out a thank you to the two beautiful middle school flautist girls who helped me out in the very unfamiliar, noisy & crowded tune up room. -you were terrific!

posted by SHE @ 2:13 PM