A Christmas Lesson

My firstborn is an overachiever. She works hard at everything she does. This is good and sometimes frustrating. Because who can excel all the time?

In school, she just completed a three week Recorder session in music. This was the first time in her nearly 10 years that she's ever picked up an instrument, much less learned to read music.

[I am probably the most unmusical person in Texas. Let me put it this way, I took piano lessons for 2 years and never found Middle C.]

My daughter loved playing her Recorder.  She played it constantly during those three weeks (and I took a lot of Ibuprofen). 

A couple of times a week during the session, each student tested (similar to Karate) and received a "belt" (a colored piece of yarn) tied to the end of the Recorder. Each color signified a level, which is a big deal in the fourth grade.

The last testing day, my daughter missed a note. She was given a second chance and she missed it again. 

She didn't get her "black" belt. (Only a few kids did and I think most of them played the piano or some other instrument).

Oh, the tears and devastation this brought my girl. (Hello, hormones).

I didn't know what to say. In the scope of life, this isn't a big deal. But she felt so proud of herself for all she'd learned, talked about playing a Flute or Clarinet someday and raised her self esteem about 2.5 notches.

And then I had an idea, "Why don't we find some Christmas songs and you can practice them for the next three or four weeks and give a little concert for our family at Christmas. You can even dress up!"

I saw the glint in her eyes and smiled.

My good friend, Robin, emailed some of her Flute music and I bought more Ibuprofen. 

There were a few more tears shed over a particularly difficult note, in which, unmusical as I am, insisted that a note on the Recorder cannot be broken! "It's a hole."

I recorded these songs during one of her practices. I am very proud of her...not so much for the music she makes, but for not giving up.

We both learned a lot from this lesson.

I hope your Christmas is blessed and you enjoy a wonderful time with family and friends. We're staying close to home and looking forward to it.

I'm taking a little break until next week. Merry Christmas, from our house to yours.

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