This year my son gets to pick a musical instrument to play in school.
Normally we leave these choices up to him, but I told him all throughout last year that we were going to make him play music once it was offered in the fourth grade. Music was one of my favorite subjects through my school years and learning how to read and play changed not only my comprehension of music, but my appreciation for it. It’s important to me that he learns that, too.
After some deliberations over the choices offered, and the circumstances around them, he settled on the flute.
I confess that my wife and I really pushed for the flute because not only did we have one and therefore not need to spend the money on a rental, but it’s an instrument that’s been passed down through two generations. This thing is a family heirloom.
My wife’s mother was the first to play it, and when it was time for her musical schooling she inherited that flute. My mother-in-law, who saves everything, mentioned that the flute was still safely in storage when it was coming time to choose an instrument. So we started talking it up to our son, from its light weight and compact size to its important role in many musical genres. It worked.
The final registrations were completed this week, and soon my son will begin his musical training as a third generation flute player, which is neat by itself.
A side-effect of this whole process has been my desire to play flute music for him across those many aforementioned musical genres. I’ve been on a flute bender, from Mozart to Andre 3000 to Jethro Tull. If this whole flute thing doesn’t stick with him, maybe I’ll take it up instead.