Music is Forever

By Mandee Mostrom

Welcome to the year, 2022! How is it so far? Is it everything you expected and dreamed and hoped for? Have you kept your New Year’s Resolutions? Maybe you are a realist or a skeptic and have opted out of all the New Year’s hype this year.

Either way, believe it or not, that’s all I am going to say about the New Year here. Today, I want to talk about the rest of your life. What is music to you? Will it hold the same value for you in five years? Ten? Fifty?

Paul Simon once said, “Music is forever; music should grow and mature with you, following you right on up until you die.” You see, here at Passion Studios, from day one, we learn that every single person is inherently musical, and it is such a beautiful thing to realize!

Whether you (or your children) are taking guitar lessons, bass, piano, ukulele, or drum lessons, you know firsthand how it feels to get in touch with your natural, musical propensities. When you practice and practice, trusting your teachers, the method, and yourself, you become familiar with that sweet feeling of accomplishment when you get it right- when you play something that maybe the previous week or month, you never imagined you'd be able to play. That's a pretty great feeling, isn't it? What do you think about experiencing the same feeling in a new way, over and over again, for the rest of your life? Imagine where it would take you! What kinds of "crazy good things" (words of your fellow student) would you be able to play after high school, as an adult, and beyond!?

On the flip side, sometimes it is tempting to throw in the towel and think you've learned enough music, and you're ready to move on with your life, but today I want to encourage you to keep your head down and keep moving forward. Some weeks, it might feel like you're standing still, but I guarantee that if you ride out those tough weeks, they will eventually turn around. One day, you'll wake up and realize the valley is over, and you're loving the music even more than before!

If you're having trouble picturing music as a part of the rest of your life, ask one of your teachers how their love for music has grown over the decades. After all, every week, your teachers are practicing and learning our non traditional method, just like you! One of our newest teachers on board, Mr. Mark D, has this to say about his music lessons so far:

"[Simply Music] has a hidden wealth of knowledge that may not be obvious in the beginning but will still be accomplished and achieved regardless of the student’s awareness. [Us teachers] are living proof that the Simply Music method works. I’m happy with the results that I’m getting, and the students will be better off than me if they keep doing what they are doing!"

This January, will you take a minute to dream about where your music will take you? Maybe you want to teach younger kids how to play, like LeAnn, our Music Rhapsody teacher, or own your own studio, like Gabi. Maybe you'd like to perform at a Jazz Club, like Don, or at your church, like Hannah or Ava (one of your peers). Maybe you'd rather produce music in your free time, like Tyler. Or maybe you would prefer to simply commit to living a joyful life filled with music, your music. As a musician, you have the power to create the soundtrack to your life, and you can keep modifying and adding to that soundtrack long after your hands have become wrinkled and spotted because as long as you keep showing up for your music, the music will keep playing for you.