Bear

Ladies and Gentlemen,
I just wanted to take a second and share something that happened to me recently. I was doing a show and a young kid came up to me and started talking during an intermission. It started out with the usual "What do you play on?" How do you play so high?" etc. Anyways, I was in a talkative mood and just started talking to him and it just brightened my day to be able to share some things with him. I let him blow on my axe (you never know when that alcohol mpc spray will come in handy) and just talked about music. After the show the parents came up to me and said they appreciated me taking the time to talk to him. Apparently, the young guy was thinking of quitting after a few bad lessons with some higher level folks but now wanted to stick with it. It was just a bright spot in my day. Anyone have similiar expeirences? Care to share?

Keep blowin',
Tim

A.N.A. Mendez

That is SO important! I let a neighbor girl blow my trumpet for fun when she was eight, one thing lead to another in the next few years, I gave her an Ambassador to start on a year later, now she made 1st chair in middle school! It is so cool to keep the magic going!

dizzyizzy

SO RIGHT. There is a training group here in Richmond VA, that, while accepting students of all ages, etc., is focused on bringing and teaching jazz to "lower-income" areas...really good students who rise to the challenge. Its largely subsidized by the "Richmond Jazz Society"...and these "kids" come in green and end up really playing their hearts out...and darn good at it, too. The instructor demands an incoming student know all his/her scales and be competent on their instrument...other than that...anyone's welcome.

But...it is SO COOL to see & hear these young kids open up to the music within...to get beyond the middle/high school "technique" and really "play".

Richard Oliver

WTG Tim!!

rowuk

Tim Bear,
Thanks for the story. 40 years ago that kid was me! I had a couple of bad lessons and also was thinking about quitting. Someone who just took a little bit of time out for some young nobody got me back on track! Maybe the best lesson that I ever had - thanks for the reminder!

Bear

Yeah,
To be quite honest, I have never been the academia or school kid. But band had kept me in throughout my troublesome years and now I'm attemping a Master's in Music Education/Performance. I just want to play and I often find that when I'm getting into trouble I just need to sit back and play some. Anyways, it's past my bedtime. Y'all take care.

Tim

midwestchops

that is awesome. i am still to some extent, that little kid only @ 25yrs of age. there are days where i feel like i should just be able to do all of this stuff and i just cant, maybe i should try the saxaphone or something but i make sure to keep listening to those cd's that really inspire me and do my best to get in as much practice as possible. as for what happened to you, that is why im back in school right now as a music ed major. when its in you its in you and thats all you want to do. and to be able to pass on that passion to other people, young and older alike has to be the coolest thing in the world. there are a million other things i could do to make a lot more money than teaching music (especially having graduated once and doing another intense 4 year degree), but anyone who has the patience and passion to pursue a music ed degree has far more than money in their heart and soul. my hat is off to you. great job.

oldlou

I don't know how to tell this story without a good bit of pride showing through. My wife and I moved our old Airstream travel trailer out to Hoffmaster State Park, just south of Muskegon, MI.. This also puts us quite close to the Blue Lake Music camp. While getting in some mouthpiece time in my trailer, with a Harmon mute to lesson the disturbance to my neighbors in the campground, I had three seperate encouraging encounters with other campers there. The first was two entire families from just across the street in the campground came enmasse to check on who was playing "all of the beautiful hymn tunes, and on what kind of instrument". In this group is an 18 year old girl, a recent high school graduate, who was of the opinion that playing the cornet was to be dumped now that she was out of high school. Her mother had stowed the girls Yamaha cornet in their trailer in hopes that on a rainy day she would take it out of the case and continue to practice. We proceeded to play a bunch of duets for the next two days. I even taught her to transpose to concert pitch from the hymn bok and to do it on the fly.
The next one was a high school band director on vacation like we were. As she and her family were walking back from an afternoon at the beach they passed my trailer and had to stop to make complimentary comments on my playing.
The final one was another old trumpeter who heard me from a few lots away and hunted me down. He will be joining one of the community concert bands that I already play in.
I do like the compliments, especially if they also induce others to either stay with music, or, to get back into it.


OLDLOU>>