Thursday, September 23, 2010

Violas Rock!

"Hey mom...school is asking me if I want to try playing an instrument in the orchestra".  "Hmmmm..sounds fun. You know.... I have strongly encouraged (actually... forced!) you to play the piano for years.  It's time you pick the instrument You want to play" I replied.  "Really?" she immediately bounced back.  That  was the beginning of her journey to find the perfect instrument.

One day during this search, I pulled up into the carpool line and saw her little framed body standing next to the curb holding a large black case.  It held her first candidate --- The Saxophone. She proudly shoved the over-sized case into the back seat and occasionally checked over her shoulder to see if it was still there.  I think she was trying to visualize herself playing this "thing".  I kept my input to myself and suffered through her attempts to make the noise sound like a song.   By the end of the week she determined that the Saxophone did not make the cut.  We went through this exercise for several weeks.  From saxophone to flute, to violin and finally to the viola.  Wa La!  She knew within a couple of days that this was going to be HER instrument of choice. I was pleased she was so happy to have found her connection to the music world.  It was going to be her way of expressing herself through music.


The first couple of years allowed her to get very comfortable with the instrument and It allowed me to see how much effort she was going to put into this.  By no way was is it a requirement from me.  But I do believe if you are going to do something, give it your best.  By the third year she was placed into Honors Orchestra.  This came with the requirement of getting a private teacher. Living near SMU gave us plenty of private teachers to pick from.  The downside was that they left after they graduated and we had to start all over again! Ugh.

With a lot of work and dedication Lindsey worked her way into Regionals where she got 2nd chair in her region! She then took it to the next level and qualified for State.  We flew down to Austin for the day for the competition (don't throw me in that briar patch!). This is when we learned she had major performing fright.  She totally froze and did not do well at the State competition.  She was not happy with herself and is now working on performing for individuals and audiences.  This is what has brought her to where we are today.  She was recommended to the LSYO (Lone Star Youth Orchestra) and within a couple of days was called for an audition.  I did not get to hear her audition but she said she thought she did "OK".  We got the call yesterday that she was accepted into the LSYO!  She was so proud of herself and sees how her hard work has paid off.

If for no other reason, I hope she continues to play the Viola to relieve stress in her life and express herself with music.  I am so proud of her!

Proud Mom

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