A Place for Music

For as long as I can remember, I have played an instrument. The piano was my first love. I was taught by our church's pianist, Gwynn, until the day came she could teach me nothing more. She explained to my mother, "she's learned everything I know to teach her," and so the search began for another. I'm not sure how my mother found my next teacher, Mrs. Clements, but she was never able to make lessons "fun" like Gwynn had and piano was never the same for me. I eventually quit taking lessons and our family's upright was sold.

Today I still play a little piano and often spend time alone at the piano in my church.  I've taught myself to read the bass clef again and, slowly, the many years of practice rooted deep in my muscle memory are bringing back to my present the ability to play a simple tune.

But when it comes to instruments, there is only one that owns my heart and that is the flute.

I remember exactly the day my mother brought home my first flute. It was a Bundy student model and I loved how small the case was. It glimmered and shined and I was thrilled for it to be mine. I proudly carried it to band class in the seventh grade where Mr. Hankins would become my first beloved band director.

I was horrible when I first began to play. I could hardly blow a note, let alone make a nice tone. I sat at the end of the row with the others who also struggled and we watched in awe as the first and second chair players sweetly and with ease created the most beautiful sounds that one could imagine or at least could be imagined by a bunch of gangly twelve- year-olds.

Time passed and I kept at it, practicing alone in my bedroom, driving my family crazy with the repetition of scales and arpeggios coupled with endless fingering, tonguing and breathing exercises. The flute is a very loud instrument and we lived in a small house.  Need I say more?

The day came when I entered high school, but not just any high school.  I would attend Leto High School, which had one of the best marching bands and Symphonies in the state of Florida. It was also during high school that my parents found a way to give me an expensive, professional model flute. Finally with a quality instrument in my hands and under the loving and talented direction of Bobby Keen, my musical talent would unfold and blossom.

By the time I graduated from Leto, I had become first chair flute in the school's Symphony. I was also awarded the Most Outstanding Musician Award at the Senior Assembly, though the picture in the yearbook would go to another outstanding musician as Mr. Keen explained he had been unable to decide between the two of us who was best.  The plaque I received that day at the assembly, though long lost, remains a treasure in my heart to this day.

I still have my professional flute from high school, though the Bundy is long gone.  I also have the piccolo I marched with and another prototype flute I added to my collection a few years ago. I still play today and often accompany my church's choir or play solo as part of services.  I played at my brother's wedding reception years ago and took one semester at Cabrillo College to play in their Symphony a couple years back. I've actually been contemplating returning to Cabrillo to once again play with them. We'll see.

For now, I'll simply remember to make a place for music in each day to remind me that there are still many songs in my life yet to be played.