Appreciation

I want to say how much I appreciate my sixth graders this year.  They have brought me new challenges, and made me laugh and feel energized as well.  There are so many different personalities in this group, and I have learned new patience, and a new sense of what order looks like for them.  I have opened my mind to new ways of helping them, and have decided, because of this group, to retire a few old projects.  It has made me very excited about discovering new ways to inspire sixth graders about composing and playing music, and I will keep trying, no matter what. 

I appreciate their openness about new songs and performers that they watch on youtube.  I appreciate their ability to ask questions and not be afraid of sounding uninformed.  I am hoping this will not be their last experience with music, although it might be.  Some of them will not have music again until the high school because of their particular academic needs.  This often makes me very sad, because they miss out on a time of creativity and a time to re-learn the basics of reading and understanding music.  I hope that when they get to high school those students will be able to remember their reading of music from sixth grade.  However, I don't hold out a lot of hope for this, as if you don't keep practicing your music reading, you will absolutely forget how to do it, and it will be a terrible waste.  Just like any language, if you don't practice it, you will lose it completely.

So- my words of wisdom to anyone who cares about music at all.  Practice note-reading.  Practice on a keyboard, on any instrument, and you will never be sorry.  This is my last lecture to my sixth graders, keep up playing, keep up reading, you will not regret it!!  Happy trails, you all, and come visit me when you get a chance!!

I leave you with a picture from the holidays, of me and my three granddaughters, the new loves of my life!!  Always play like a child, always be in the moment like a child, and remember to sing like a child as often as possible!! Amen!!