Roll back to 1963.... I'm sitting or rather being contained in the 7th grade study hall along with several hundred other 13 year olds.
The Junior High Band directer comes in to ask if anyone would like to take up an instrument. I volunteer for the Flute as there was a cute girl named Lisa in Band that played the Flute. As it turned out she didn't even look at me after I joined( too stuck up), but I did learn how to play the Flute and here I am 40 years later playing at Irish Sessions! What a long strange trip it's been!
I liked your story Ben.
There's a Yiddish word: "bashert"--it means something fated for you. Your destiny, even if it comes in a round-about way that you're not aware of at first. Maybe that's what the flute always was for you, and Lisa was its instrument.
(sorry--couldn't resist...)
Kidding aside--glad you're on your road.
And as per your last post, tendonitis gets a lot of musicians. You should see a medical person and make sure that or something like it isn't what's bothering you. It's nasty--
My grandfather tried to make me play the fiddle when I was very small (about 3 or 4 years old). I did play for a while, but not for long. Perhaps for one summer or so. I can't even remember it myself. But then, now I've taken up the fiddle and play like crazy all the time. So I guess he's happy, even if my neighbours are not...
When I was 10 we had a pick your band instrument day. Parents and their kids would try out some instruments and make rental or purchase agreements. My parents had both played in high school band and really encouraged me and my sibs to play. I had thought long and hard and decided I really wanted to play the saxophone.
When my 'rents arrived I grabbed their hands and made a b-line for the sax table. They were unsure and wanted me to look at flutes as well as we were on a budget(I found out years later that they were worried that I wouldn't be very good at music and saxes were more expensive to rent and buy, plus everyone was getting one. So naturally, they thought since too many kids were picking the sax I would be asked to leave because I wasn't going to be good enough) Well the money argument won out (we were farmers in a small farm community) and I came home with a flute and since I was 10 I was excited by the shiny new flute, but still wanted to play the sax.
The aftermath is very ironic. Although many kids had picked out saxophones (about 16) only 4 stuck with it, while there ended up to be about 12 flute players. I excelled at the flute with very little practice or motivation (still pining after that sax) until my junior year (I swithed schools) and my band teacher decided I was a rural equivalent to a phenom and challenged me with a piece of music that I thought was way beyond my ability (silly me). Well, I ate it for breakfast did very very well at my state music contest. Dropped the jaws of my old band teachers and made my mother cry. I performed the solo at my spring concert and received a standing ovation--the first of my life. I was talked about more than seed corn that spring.
I do finally have a saxophone and I don't play it much because I am to busy getting myself up to speed on Irish music. I have been around the scene long enough that I should know a bunch of tunes, but I have been singing more than learning jigs and reels. I'm making up for lost time. Everytime I tackle a new one they get easier.
LOL, Autumn. But I got stuck with the clarinet (my brother started on one before he went on to bassoon). I was dying to play the violin, but thrifty Midwestern farmers don't go throwing money away on extra instruments.....It only took me 35 years to finally figure out that I needed to get the fiddle thing out of my system.
But you bring up another point that I think about from time to time: how some teachers can get so much from their students just by expecting a lot from them, as well as showing them that music is something you just keep doing your whole life. I don't remember feeling that way when I was in school (nasty, sarcastic band director, cutthroat competition, public humiliation of players "not up to our standards", and (ugh) marching band). But my kids are lucky enough to be in school where they are encouraged to play multiple instruments in all sorts of different settings, and they regularly see adults perform who do music as recreation. ( And no (ugh) marching band!) Their teacher is very good at spotting their talents and giving them opportunity to run with it. Maybe like your clever band teacher.....
Funny Flute story....
Funny Flute story....
Roll back to 1963.... I'm sitting or rather being contained in the 7th grade study hall along with several hundred other 13 year olds.
The Junior High Band directer comes in to ask if anyone would like to take up an instrument. I volunteer for the Flute as there was a cute girl named Lisa in Band that played the Flute. As it turned out she didn't even look at me after I joined( too stuck up), but I did learn how to play the Flute and here I am 40 years later playing at Irish Sessions! What a long strange trip it's been!
# Posted on April 24th 2004 by BenS
Re: Funny Flute story....
Ever heard what became of Lisa?
# Posted on April 25th 2004 by MichaelM
Re: Funny Flute story....
I liked your story Ben.
There's a Yiddish word: "bashert"--it means something fated for you. Your destiny, even if it comes in a round-about way that you're not aware of at first. Maybe that's what the flute always was for you, and Lisa was its instrument.
(sorry--couldn't resist...)
Kidding aside--glad you're on your road.
And as per your last post, tendonitis gets a lot of musicians. You should see a medical person and make sure that or something like it isn't what's bothering you. It's nasty--
Best of luck
# Posted on April 25th 2004 by gena
Re: Funny Flute story....
My grandfather tried to make me play the fiddle when I was very small (about 3 or 4 years old). I did play for a while, but not for long. Perhaps for one summer or so. I can't even remember it myself. But then, now I've taken up the fiddle and play like crazy all the time. So I guess he's happy, even if my neighbours are not...
# Posted on April 25th 2004 by Pontus Adefjord
Re: Funny Flute story....
When I was 10 we had a pick your band instrument day. Parents and their kids would try out some instruments and make rental or purchase agreements. My parents had both played in high school band and really encouraged me and my sibs to play. I had thought long and hard and decided I really wanted to play the saxophone.
When my 'rents arrived I grabbed their hands and made a b-line for the sax table. They were unsure and wanted me to look at flutes as well as we were on a budget(I found out years later that they were worried that I wouldn't be very good at music and saxes were more expensive to rent and buy, plus everyone was getting one. So naturally, they thought since too many kids were picking the sax I would be asked to leave because I wasn't going to be good enough) Well the money argument won out (we were farmers in a small farm community) and I came home with a flute and since I was 10 I was excited by the shiny new flute, but still wanted to play the sax.
The aftermath is very ironic. Although many kids had picked out saxophones (about 16) only 4 stuck with it, while there ended up to be about 12 flute players. I excelled at the flute with very little practice or motivation (still pining after that sax) until my junior year (I swithed schools) and my band teacher decided I was a rural equivalent to a phenom and challenged me with a piece of music that I thought was way beyond my ability (silly me). Well, I ate it for breakfast did very very well at my state music contest. Dropped the jaws of my old band teachers and made my mother cry. I performed the solo at my spring concert and received a standing ovation--the first of my life. I was talked about more than seed corn that spring.
I do finally have a saxophone and I don't play it much because I am to busy getting myself up to speed on Irish music. I have been around the scene long enough that I should know a bunch of tunes, but I have been singing more than learning jigs and reels. I'm making up for lost time. Everytime I tackle a new one they get easier.
~Autumn
# Posted on April 26th 2004 by autumn
Re: Funny Flute story....
LOL, Autumn. But I got stuck with the clarinet (my brother started on one before he went on to bassoon). I was dying to play the violin, but thrifty Midwestern farmers don't go throwing money away on extra instruments.....It only took me 35 years to finally figure out that I needed to get the fiddle thing out of my system.
But you bring up another point that I think about from time to time: how some teachers can get so much from their students just by expecting a lot from them, as well as showing them that music is something you just keep doing your whole life. I don't remember feeling that way when I was in school (nasty, sarcastic band director, cutthroat competition, public humiliation of players "not up to our standards", and (ugh) marching band). But my kids are lucky enough to be in school where they are encouraged to play multiple instruments in all sorts of different settings, and they regularly see adults perform who do music as recreation. ( And no (ugh) marching band!) Their teacher is very good at spotting their talents and giving them opportunity to run with it. Maybe like your clever band teacher.....
Michele
# Posted on April 26th 2004 by Michele Sims