Learning to Read (Music)

I was a bit nervous going into this week’s lesson. As I was practicing at home, the “dying cat” was let out of the bag and the sounds I was making weren’t my favorite. I still worked on it, though I wasn’t sure which notes were in the scale that I was meant to be aiming for. I knew the practice was good for my hands, building the muscle and getting used to the motions necessary for violin.

However, when my violin instructor showed up, he had these red things around his neck, and things in his pocket resembling painters sticks.

“We’re going to teach you how to read music today.”

When I tell you I was thrilled, i’m not exaggerating. I had looked ahead in my violin book and realized I was lacking in that area. This book can tell me this is Twinkle Twinkle Little Star all day long, but I couldn’t tell you how it was that song. I was also nervous to show him my dying cat skills I had seemed to develop in the last week, but knew I needed to come clean if I wanted to improve.

The red things around his neck were specialized felt used for tuning pianos. He set them out like a giant Staff. He taught me how to properly draw a treble clef, and used golf balls to teach me how to read music.

Truly, it was genius. I’m completely a visual learner, so having these little cues to guide me proved vital. I have a mathematical brain but struggled with math growing up. I could get the answers, but couldn’t tell you how I did it, because I didn’t know, and then would doubt myself or think too hard about it and mess it up. I was afraid this would happen in music as well, but when he said, “i’m going to speak to you like I do my seven year olds” and put a golf ball where the D note would be and said “this is a dog named Daryl”, I knew I would be okay.

We worked together, placing golf balls and writing out the notes on paper as well, helping me to understand note placement and effectively how to read music. I’m so excited to have the first steps of this skill and to continue to practice with it!

Once that was accomplished, we got out my violin. I confessed the dying cat had found me, and we figured out it was in my placement and also that I hold tension in my hands. Anyone who knows me will not be surprised I hold tension, as I am a tense person. He showed me the scales on the violin and I practiced a little bit, all the pieces starting to click into place.

I just finished practicing with the scales on my own and was beyond thrilled to realize I was finding the correct note first time on my own, and getting the hang of how to adjust to find it when I was a little off. The dying cat seems to be out on an adventure elsewhere, and i’m not mad about it.

I’m so happy to be learning this instrument. My heart is swelling in happiness, making this childhood dream come true. I know i’ll get frustrated and things will be hard and this will take a lot of work, but taking these first steps fill me with such unspeakable joy. These moments are few and far between these days, and i’m grateful to find any moment of it I can.

Excited to see what next week brings!