Submitted by Marilyn Katzmark – Violin
I have to be honest with you, between work, music obligations, and grandchildren, I normally have next to no free time. Although practicing is a “want to”, it’s on my “have to” list. Even though I’m medical, my outpatient center closed. I spent a month feeling very lost without a schedule. All my “have tos” were gone. I couldn’t even follow through with practicing for private lessons.
Anyway, I did slowly adjust. As far as music, I tried to concentrate on the things I normally don’t have time to do. I’ve had a music theory book/workbook sitting on my dresser for a year. I started working on that – my weakest area. And I found out there’s no reason why I can’t do this before I go to sleep when I go back to work.
I love to let my mind think of music and lyrics. I was able to put a song I wrote in the computer. This normally takes me forever. I have little ditties (maybe 8-16 measures)in my phone that I’ve recorded so I won’t forget them- for when I have time. I was able to take one of those ditties and work on it from beginning to end. Eventually I started lessons and NH again. My teacher gave me an awesome song to work on ,“Meditation” from the opera Thais.
My favorite memory though will be my granddaughter asking for help on some music her trumpet teacher had given her. She’s too shy to practice in front of her family but she felt comfortable enough to have me play with her and listen to her. I felt truly honored. I can’t wait til she can play “What a Wonderful World” with me.
So I’m glad I’ve had this time with no “have tos”. It gave me some much needed respite so I can deal with my last 3 years of work. And when I retire I want to do some more of these projects.
Marilyn, how satisfying it must be to work with your granddaughter. And what a marvelous memory for both of you. Lee