Today Sam had his Suzuki Viola Book 1 Recital. Sam has been taking violin/viola lessons for 3 1/2 years. At the end of his first two years he was halfway through book two. THEN, he started taking lessons with Denise Willey. His first teacher Carrie was marvelous because 1) she came to our house 2) was very inexpensive 3) Did not require much out of Sam or me and 4) instilled in him a love for the violin. We switched teachers because I could tell that it was time to take Sam to the next level and he wanted to play the viola instead of the violin. Mrs. Willey required perfection and knows how to teach it! She started Sam again at the beginning of book 1 and 1 1/2 years later he JUST FINISHED the book. He has been the best sport. I am shocked by how long it takes to unlearn habits and re-learn new ones! I am amazed at the precision with which he plays and yet with all the demands placed on him for perfection he still loves to play. In my opinion that balance is the mark of a good teacher.
I loved watching him play those 26 memorized songs. He did such an amazing job! I felt so grateful for his patience and determination. I saw that his arms were getting a little tired yet he persevered. In French there are two words for “Proud”: “Fiere” (pronounced fee-err) and “orgeuilleux” (or-goy-you). I always loved this distinction because for the French it is ok to feel the pride a parent feels when their children work hard and do well. (fiere) Of course even the French aren’t allowed to feel ok about the other kind of pride where they feel that their children are the smartest, best children in the whole world and therefore they must be the best parents in the world!! (orgeuilleux)
Today I was proud (fiere) of Sam for who he is. I am thankful for his talents and hard work. Music and the discipline of the Suzuki program are molding our children into individuals who can do hard things. Best of all it is helping them to have humility. Who can be proud (orgeuilleux) when you are risking failure while performing for an audience? Who can be proud when they are overcome with the beauty of music? It is so much bigger than ourselves. Like looking at the night sky, when we are listening to (and performing) inspired music we can feel small and insignificant yet lifted to the highest heights through the spirit!
Leave a Reply