Music as a Lifelong Companion

Music as a Lifelong Companion

by Grace Patterson

Why would anyone stick with music long-term? After all, isn’t it just another hobby? Perhaps that’s how you view music lessons. Or maybe, you are committed to music forever. Either way, let me tell you part of my story to encourage you to keep music as your friend.

Music as a Family Tradition

Music has always been part of my life. Even before I started playing piano at the age of 7, music was present, both my brother and my mom took piano lessons, and my parents sang in our church choir when I was younger.

Finding a Passion for Music

Piano lessons were mandatory at my house until we were about 14. Then we could decide if we wanted to continue with lessons or stop. But the lessons cultivated a deep love for music that I didn’t fully realize till I was 16 or so. The passion causes me to geek out about chords and their sound (some of my students will agree) and also want to play my best for others, to share that music.

The piano has long since stopped being mandatory in my life, but here I am doing it as my job. I now also play the violin, and a little guitar. Clearly, there is something here.

The Power of Goals

So what has kept me stuck in the music world? It hasn’t been a super smooth ride, there have been peaks and valleys, as well as some plateaus. The thing that keeps me in music is my goal. My goal changes over the years as I progress with my playing. First, it started as being able to play certain composers. Then, it changed to reaching levels, that my brother stopped at, then it changed to becoming a proficient keyboarder for my church.

In other words, I always have something I’m aiming for. Some instrument, song, or composer I want to be able to play well.

The Importance of High Aspirations

What I encourage you is to aim high. Shoot for the stars. Challenge yourself. Set a goal of where you want to be in the next year or so. One of my musical goals for this next year is to be able to fiddle well by Christmas as well as to have made great strides in Simply Music. I would like to have at least reached if not passed Foundation 5 by the end of the year. Sometimes, my goals are aimed a little too high, or not feasible. But I always like to aim high because then I work harder to attaining that goal.

Those goals have kept me grounded in music, and there is always some new challenge to be reached in music. So what is your goal or purpose for taking music lessons? Find that goal and hold tightly to it; it will carry you through all the peaks, valleys and plateaus of your relationship to music.