Music Brings Me Joy

In response to The Daily Post’s writing prompt: “Not Lemonade.”

When I was in high school, my music theory teacher made an assignment for us to write a composition for an inanimate object, but it could not be for the instrument we played.

Most of the students in my class didn’t even play an instrument. They took the class thinking it would be an easy “A” to keep up their gpas so they wouldn’t have to work so hard. How horribly wrong they were. Still others were vocal students who, I would later learn, had no clue as to how to read music. I saw them struggle with this, and many more assignments to follow.

Some began by striking a music stand with a pen. Others were stomping their feet against a chair. I don’t know what my teacher thought, but all I heard and saw was chaos. So I thought about it, and decided to write a 16 measure piece for my English horn reed.

My teacher was so impressed with it that he wanted to record it! And he did…eventually.

After he had to yell at me to get me to stop laughing. See, my sister and I used to play oboe reed duets at home just for fun, just fooling around. And I figured that the English horn reed is longer, which would give me more notes, so that would be a better choice for my composition. But when it came time to record, it was like I was back with my sister, just having fun, and I couldn’t stop laughing.

Then he played it!

We were in band practice. I don’t remember what brought it up, but my band director, who was also my music theory teacher, walked over to the recorder, flipped it on, and there I was. I’m not sure if he was pleased with me or mad at me!  I do know that he kicked me out of class the final term because I was ruining the grading curve. I was already a 4.0 student and if I continued, he would have to fail everyone else. But that’s because I love music. It has gotten me out or kept me out of trouble on many occasions.

How can your love of music bring you joy? How can you share that joy with others?

A Pocketful of Joy to Fill Your Day