Colorado Suzuki Institute Day 3 With Students

Today was the middle day of the week long institute.  I felt like I had finally made it in the world when the middle school girls in my class started sidelong glancing each other and giggling because my class had gone on too long.  I have become the oblivious rambling teacher. .

I am in my room and the window is open and some cellist is playing a dance from Bach's unaccompanied cello suites.  I don't know which suite--I only know that is what it is, because I listen to them every October.  To me, they are October music.  It sounds very beautiful and sad. Haunting.  If you were here in my room you would have a sudden desire to learn to play cello.  Whoever is playing outside has the loveliest sound that would make anyone want to play cello.  I went for a walk tonight and remembered again how lovely it is here.  Families are doing all sorts of outside activities, eating and ice skating and bungee jumping.

My afternoon repertoire class has eight kids, six boys and two girls.  They are age 8-13.  Each child is so completely different.  One likes to compose, one plays basketball, one is in a rock band, one is a football kid.  One is shy one outspoken.  They are from Alabama and Texas and Colorado.  They are different religions. Some are jocks and some are book readers.  You get my point. . . but they are the coolest kids.  They all have one thing in common, piano.  Each of them plays a piece and the others can give him positive comments.  You should hear some of the honest and genuine comments that came out today: "You should be famous, that was so cool!"  "You should sell that for money!"  That was about a composition one boy wrote and performed.  And, to hear a 13 year old football jock telling an 8 year old girl she had really great dynamics--there is some magic there.

Then we break into two teams, keeping the same teams all week and they work together and individually to answer music trivia questions I make up on the spot.  We made categories and and each students picks her own difficulty level--1, 3 or 5 points.   After day three, one team is 1.5 points ahead.

But I think they are all ahead.  I hope they play piano their whole lives.  I hope the basketball player gets to high school and has a party for his basketball team and then sits down and plays his Bach on the piano for them. . .

Music is a common ground for these kids, who would otherwise never have met.  That is reason enough to come here.