If your children take music lessons, at least twice a year they have recitals, programs, and concerts. Typically, in December and in May. The pandemic messed up that routine, of course. We have had to do Zoom recitals at home and skip going to nursing homes. But we kept on going with our lessons and did our best to monitor the progress of our children.
Playing in church with friends motivates children to practice.
One week before Christmas this year, the kids played violin to accompany our church’s choir for the beautiful “How Great Our Joy” by Craig Courtney. What a piece! Such a refreshing sound from the usual round of Christmas carols. It was only one piece, but a new experience to give them a taste of what it is like to accompany a choir. They enjoyed it and said they would like to do it again if called upon.
Not that there is anything wrong with Christmas carols. In fact, in their piano recitals, they play only traditional Christmas carols. We will record those at home and put them on Facebook. That is exactly what we will do with our violin recitals, as well. The Knoxville Suzuki Academy follows Knox County Schools as far as their mask policy. Since our children cannot play violin with a mask on, we have had to request the option of recording their pieces at home and placing them on the Academy’s Facebook page.
Our church’s choir and strings playing during a Christmas program
Here’s hoping that this pandemic will be over sooner rather than later. And thank God that our children are making progress in their instrument skills (though I still do not think they practice enough). Now that they are older and can play with friends, they see the point of learning an instrument.
