Music and Me...

Why does one want to learn to play a musical instrument?

For many children it’s a duty pushed on them by parents whom I guess think they are doing a good deed and “giving” their child some artistic nature that they themselves wished they had. Then there are the children who somehow magically know that they are going to become a great musician and therefore start lessons early in there life.

For me it was the “Star Wars” theme. In forth grade the string teacher came into class one day and demonstrated the different string instruments that we could attempt at that year. (Band instruments started in 5th grade).

After the violin and viola the teacher (Mr. Berhardt who was concertmaster of the Mansfield Symphony) pulled out the biggest thing I had ever seen. He sat down and placed it on the floor between his legs and began to play. “Star Wars” is what came out.

Da Da, Da ta da Ta Da…

This was 1977 after all and Star Wars was a part of all boys’ souls that year. I was in love. Many children wanted to play cello that year but all the others were talked out of it and I was chosen! I later found out that they thought my little fat body was the only one big enough to carry such and instrument back and forth to school.

So I started lessons at school. After the school year was up I started taking lessons from Mrs Lang. I studied with her until I graduated highs school and continue to play until now some 30 years after I first picked up that big hunk of wood.