Music
has always enhanced my life. It did in elementary school, when I got to
leave school for half the day twice a week for a special music program
in another county.
It enhanced my life in high school, when I
got to perform with the Southeast Virginia Youth Symphony and meet one
of my musical idols, Yo-Yo Ma.
In college, it gave me a lot more
to talk about than the average student who spends his or her weekend
drinking. Instead, I performed with Latin pop bands at Plaza Fiesta off
Buford Highway and at high society dinner parties at sprawling mansions
on Peachtree Battle.
When I left college and took an English
teaching position in Japan, locals immediately took notice of my
musical talents, putting me on stage in front of 1,000 people to
perform a concerto with the school's music teacher -- only weeks after
arriving there.
A few months later, I met a mandolin player from
Alabama (who just happened to live in Japan with his Japanese wife) as
well as a dobro player from Boston who worked at a Japanese technology
company. We formed a bluegrass band called the Iide Mountain Boys.
Pronounced
"ee-dey," Iide is the largest mountain in the Ou Mountain Range of
Yamagata Prefecture, the snow-filled bowl that I lived in for two
years.
In addition to playing at local senior homes, community
centers, and a Japanese County Music Festival filled with
ten-gallon-hat-wearing, Confederate-flag-waving Japanese people, I was
also asked to play an outside concert during a fierce blizzard on a
stage made of ice.
While playing music has thrown me into some
awkward and odd situations, it has also opened up a lot of doors for me
and introduced me to a lot of interesting people. It has also provided
a source of balance in my life.
Usually, a good way to tell when
my life is off balance is when it is devoid of music. Confronted by the
gargantuan task of balance my job at the newspaper and having a life, I
was starting to feel off balance until a recent opportunity came along.
About
two months ago, without ever hearing me play, a local jazz artist asked
me to play violin on several tracks on an upcoming jazz CD. This
opportunity came about purely on the recommendation of a friend who is
a backup drummer for the band.
I was honored that this
sought-after jazz artist wanted me to be on the CD, but about a week
after I said yes, I was terrified, because I was terribly out of
practice. My violin case, a constant companion that defended me from
bully attacks in my childhood and took me halfway around the world, had
been sitting in my closet, practically unused for almost a year.
This
was one of those opportunities that doesn't come along very often and I
knew that if I didn't want to embarrass myself, I would have to put in
some serious time in the practice room.
When I opened the case,
it was almost like visiting a long-forgotten relative. I was hit with a
rush of memories of adventures my violin and I had taken.
I came
across my "spiralblock" and it brought memories of my dreaded lessons
with Frau Gorzinska, my insanely strict Austrian violin teacher who
left me wanting to smash my instrument after every lesson.
I
came across a congratulations letter and a concert program from my
senior recital. I remembered how three years ago, I was able to put on
a well-attened, hour-long concert at the Schwartz Center for Performing
Arts. But, by the way I fumbled through pieces I had once played with
little effort, I realized that I had my work cut out for me.
For
the first few weeks, I was frustrated and almost angry that I was made
an offer that I couldn't refuse. However, I eventually realized that
God was giving me a chance to cultivate my talents once more.
Most
people are blessed with many talents, but often let them go to waste
due to lack of money, time, or just out of pure laziness. However, some
incidents in life spur us in our side and remind us just how much we
are capable of when we apply ourselves.
While I still have some butterflies about it, I think that I'll be okay.
Music
has always enhanced my life. It did in elementary school, when I got to
leave school for half the day twice a week for a special music program
in another county.
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