Music Lessons
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It has been about 6 months since my 7 year old son started taking guitar lessons. He had been asking for months and having had my own childhood piano experiences to reflect upon I was a little unsure if he would be ready to take on the responsibility that comes along with lessons. It’s one thing to want to play an instrument, and something completely different to want to take the steps to master it. Is it a first born child thing? That desire and expectation to always be good at something without effort? That fear of failure that makes one tentative to even try something new? I warned and explained the importance of practice, the commitment it entailed and prodded him to understand that he had a long way to go to be the guitar master he already saw himself to be. Seven year olds seem to think they know it all. After interviewing several teachers, we chose the one that my son clicked with immediately, Cody Nyman of Decode Music and our musical journey began.
For the most part, this new commitment has gone surprisingly smooth. I’ve been impressed by his commitment and willingness to spend the time required to practice his exercises without a lot of prompting and nagging….which I am trying my best to keep at bay. This is his decision and his consequence of not practicing is a poor showing at his lesson. I try to remind him of that, and that’s it. It’s between him and Cody. Every once in a while we’ll hit a rough patch and I will remind him to talk to his teacher, maybe prompt him during his lesson, which I attend on the fringe in our kitchen, to discuss his concerns and distractions that are keeping him from practicing. The better he can learn to communicate with his adult mentor the better he’ll be able to understand the expectations and trust him to see his way to the goal of mastering this instrument. In turn Cody responds with a new challenge to keep my young son engaged, a new rock song to play along with, a game or a technical correction that improves his chance for success. He usually comes away from his lesson beaming, with a renewed commitment to his craft.
When Cody announced the Decode Music Winter Concert was coming up and gave my son a song to prepare I was a little nervous myself and as the date drew near I could see the fear welling up in my boy. He dodged practice time with excuses and expressed his desire to quit guitar. The fear would show through angry remarks and brief bitter sessions with his instrument. It was trying as a parent to flesh out the real reason for such a sudden turn in attitude but as the date neared it became obvious that the unknowns of this event were really getting to him. It is amazing how fear can turn a good experience on it’s head. Unfortunately it’s true that something we love can be turned into a stressful chore by the addition of worry and tension and discomfort.
Well the concert was Sunday. My boy was excited to go SEE the concert stating, “I’m not going to play, I’m just going to see what it’s like” repeatedly. I tried soothing him with my own music recital flubs, reassuring him that perfection wasn’t expected, that the others were learning too, and that the world wouldn’t end if he made a mistake. He told me not to pack his guitar since he wouldn’t need it. I even struggled with whether I should call his teacher to tell him to take my boy out of the line up. My only assurance that he MIGHT perform was a tiny slip when I asked which colour pick he would play with. His answer “red” was a giveaway that there was a glimmer of hope he would go through with it. As we stepped through the doors to the hall, he saw his teacher Cody, the drums and music stands set up, the other students tuning their guitars and parents finding their seats and I could see the anxiety melting away. He found his name in the program, giggled and he was ready. ( I on the otherhand was so nervous I could have puked!) After enjoying the expertly executed songs of a few young students it was his turn for the spotlight. My son picked through his song with his teacher’s encouraging accompaniment confidently and stood up at the end beaming with pride. In the end it wasn’t the perfection or quality of the performance that made us so proud but the fact that he summoned the courage to perform. It is clear to me that the value in the music lessons is the life lessons learned.
Fine Silver Monogrammed Guitar Pick for completion of his first recital.
