Note 10 Student Advice-An Unlikely Setting

April 8, 2008 at 1:31 PM

Last night I volunteered to work the 5 to 6 shift serving up ribs at the annual "Rib Feed" at the German American Club to benefit diabetes. With my white apron, enameled name tag and official chapter pin I took up my post at the end of the line. I had to fish out racks of button bone ribs from a murky sea of sauce to balance on styrofoam divided plates. The people who attend these things make me feel young. This crowd with their oxygen tanks and walkers remembers white gloves and church picnics. There were some young adults with babies, teenagers wearing football jerseys and the occasional rotund couple who grab 8 or so corn fritters piled up over their pork and beans to make room for 3 racks of ribs. We were exchanging empty pans of fritters faster than the ribs even though I was informed that this year they had purchased a new "fritter machine."
After almost two hours of serving up the sticky fare I was relieved by another aproned woman with a fresh pair of tongs. I piled up a plate full of cole-slaw and tried to find an isolated seat. Anne-Marie who brought along her husband and two school aged sons, yoo-hooed at me from a corner where several girls from my club had settled to eat their plate of ribs, fritters and cold-slaw.
The two boys were fidgety. They had eaten their ribs they were armed with their ipod nanos. The oldest son, a young man about 10 or 11, was eager to tell me about his newest triumph. He had gone to his cousins wedding and had danced with a girl. He had a round little face,thick glossy brown hair, huge brown eyes, a little button nose and skin so pretty and flawless it reminded me of why mothers think twice before they threaten to give their kids to gypsies.
He also was excited about the fact that he had actually gotten the girl's phone number. He shared this information with all the ladies at the table because he had no idea what he was supposed to do with it now but he knew that a girl's phone number was a treasure indeed!
That was not all he wanted to talk about. Since we were all tired from standing and plating-up the glossy pork we let him chatter on without comment. He had remembered that I had been studying violin and I had listened to one of his impromptu concerts in the middle of his toy and cookie crumb cluttered living room while his mom was busy yanking curlers out of her hair in preparation for a wine-tasting fund raiser event. (I wish I could recall his name, John? James? Andy? darn.)
He was good, quick and nimble. He played with accuracy and correct posture. I think he rushed through his piece a little too quickly. His mom, Anne-Marie told me that he had a couple of public performances under his belt and he had memorized all the Suzuki pieces that he was assigned.
We chatted about the difficulties of Suzuki and what to expect from the different pieces, the fingering challenges and my difficulties with slurs with 4,3,2 rather than 1,2,3 fingers. I had just entered book three and from what I gathered he was well beyond book 4. He invited, no TOLD me to listen to his nano. I could hardly decline because one half of his ear pieces was already thrust in my ear by then. He had all his favorite Suzuki pieces stored there! He could sing all the pieces and could recall the difficult passages.
I talked about how difficult it was to memorize. He told me to break it down into short phrases (as my teacher had done also) I told him that I used a different highlight marker to separate phrases that were the same. (ex: pink for the main theme-green for the next one, pink again when the main theme appears again.) Teachers and college students are proud of their skill with colored highlighters. I have been both for many years.
He told me to forget all that. He said to remember the themes not by color but how they made you feel.
"Remember the themes by how they made YOU feel; happy, or sad." His system for memorization was based on his personal feelings.
Do we give kids credit for feeling music through their heart? Do we usher them off to music lessons because we think that it is somehow 'good for them?" For that matter do we stuff them into the car and cart them off to a rib feed full of old people (older than 30!) ..and expect that they will be fed and hope that they don't fuss too much before we have to pack them back into the car? Little brother who had just started violin was crawling on the floor between the chairs making car noises. His nano was filled with classical music as well! He wanted to turn up the volume to "high" and see if I would appreciate the loud cymbal crash--I allowed it ---4 inches from my ear.
I would have liked to hear more from the older boy about his mental preparation as he attacked his assigned pieces. Since his mom is the president of our volunteer organization I am sure that she will be busy with her presidential obligations and I will get to hold down the table with her two kids. I won't mind.

From Drew Lecher
Posted on April 8, 2008 at 3:48 PM

Kim,
Beautiful writing, and now you have an additional coach/teacher to boot!
D.

From Donna Clegg
Posted on April 8, 2008 at 6:02 PM

Great story. Thanks for posting. I need to find a 10 year old to inspire me to memorize music. It is a weakness of mine.

From Kim Vawter
Posted on April 9, 2008 at 1:40 AM

I am really going to "borrow" him again. He has a method and it seems to work. I will add another blog on this subject next time I talk to this child.

From Bernadette Hawes
Posted on April 9, 2008 at 12:32 PM

I love your writing, Kim.
Yeah, go get him to explain and tell it to us learning oldies. Kids often have such a fresh approach. And he seemed to be so excited and eager to share. Just shows that sharing an interest, this is especially true of music, (can be of nature, gardening) totally breaks down the barriers between the generations. I think your interest in him probably made his day too! The bright spot (good grub aside) of being at a 'do' with lots of oldies.

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Note 10 Student Advice-An Unlikely Setting

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