Passing It Down

Alyssa got her flute for fifth grade band last week. She’s so excited she can barely stand it. But band classes don’t start until next Monday and the new band director told the kids not to play their new instruments too much lest they develop bad habits.

So…instead of playing her new flute, Alyssa has been playing my old one. Ha! She got around that little order from her teacher, didn’t she?

I love that she’s so excited to play an instrument. I love that she’s excited to learn about music, to learn to make music, to be a part of something bigger.

I loved band. LOVED it. I was bad at it, but I still love is so, so much.

I hope she loves it as much as I did. I also hope she’s better at it than I was but honestly, as long as she loves it, who cares if she’s better than I was?

I was a proud band geek. I didn’t take my band geekiness to American Pie levels but I did enjoy band camp for one summer. I had to go because I’d recently been promoted to drum major of the marching band and I needed to learn to march. I know, the geekiness is enormous, isn’t it?

But I didn’t care. I didn’t care then and I don’t care now. I was doing something I enjoyed and I want that for Alyssa. I want her to find joy in making music with her friends and learning something that no everyone takes the time to learn and having fun at basketball games when she’s in the pep band or at football games when she’s in the marching band and yes, even at concerts where she has to get dressed up and play music she normally wouldn’t choose herself.

I loved all that and I want it for her.

But let me say here, if she comes to me next month and has decided that band isn’t for her, I’ll support that too. Just because I loved being a band geek and would love it if Alyssa decides she loves it too, I’m okay with her not following in my flute-playing marching steps. I really am.

But right now? I’m enjoying watching my girl put her flute together, play a few little tones, lovingly clean her flute and put it away before she learns any bad habits. I love watching her get antsy about when band classes will start. I love watching her walk away with her flute case in hand, off to conquer the world, on page of sheet music at a time.