Sometimes I have crazy ideas. Last year, after only playing the cello for a few months, I decided that it might be fun to start a cello club at work. I figured we would talk about cello music, how to care for your cello etc. The last thing I wanted to do in Cello Club was play the cello. At the time, my bow hold was exceedingly tight, and more often than not, I had to apply ice to my right arm after playing. My left wrist hurt all of the time, and I had bruises on my shoulder and between my knees, all courtesy of my fumbling attempts to make my cello sing. Not surprisingly, she didn't sing. She sounded like a dying chicken. There was no way I was going to play the cello in front of my students. No way.
Most people would reasonably argue that there is no point in starting a cello club if you are not going to play the cello. But, from the moment I first touched my cello, I couldn't stop talking about it, listening to it, or learning about it. Why not start a club?
The next day, I posted an announcement for our first meeting. I didn't expect anyone to show up, but someone did. Not sure how to proceed, we listened to some classical cello music first. Then, we listened to the group 2Cellos. By special request, we talked about and researched rosin.
Amazingly enough, my student came back once a month for the rest of the school year. Not once did we play the cello, but within weeks, he began referring to me as "Cello Queen."
This year, our group has expanded. All of our members are teenage boys. Once a month, they give up their free time after school to attend our club. One of them plays the cello, one plays the guitar, and one just enjoys the sound of the cello. This year, for the first time, we played together. All of us gathered in the chapel, played a variety of Suzuki gems, and improvised. The students loved it, and so did I.
After that meeting, a staff member and I kept playing together until well after dark. The sound of our cellos boomed against the chapel's walls, and in the light of the stained glass windows, snow was falling. If I could have stayed there playing all night, I would have.
The next day, the first thing one of my students said to me was, "Cello club rocked!" And that is why, one Tuesday a month, I forget about everything I don't know yet about the cello. Instead, I think about how much fun it is to play with my students, and I take my cello to work. Sometimes I worry that they won't show up, but they always do. They, like the cello, never cease to amaze me.
Most people would reasonably argue that there is no point in starting a cello club if you are not going to play the cello. But, from the moment I first touched my cello, I couldn't stop talking about it, listening to it, or learning about it. Why not start a club?
The next day, I posted an announcement for our first meeting. I didn't expect anyone to show up, but someone did. Not sure how to proceed, we listened to some classical cello music first. Then, we listened to the group 2Cellos. By special request, we talked about and researched rosin.
Amazingly enough, my student came back once a month for the rest of the school year. Not once did we play the cello, but within weeks, he began referring to me as "Cello Queen."
This year, our group has expanded. All of our members are teenage boys. Once a month, they give up their free time after school to attend our club. One of them plays the cello, one plays the guitar, and one just enjoys the sound of the cello. This year, for the first time, we played together. All of us gathered in the chapel, played a variety of Suzuki gems, and improvised. The students loved it, and so did I.
After that meeting, a staff member and I kept playing together until well after dark. The sound of our cellos boomed against the chapel's walls, and in the light of the stained glass windows, snow was falling. If I could have stayed there playing all night, I would have.
The next day, the first thing one of my students said to me was, "Cello club rocked!" And that is why, one Tuesday a month, I forget about everything I don't know yet about the cello. Instead, I think about how much fun it is to play with my students, and I take my cello to work. Sometimes I worry that they won't show up, but they always do. They, like the cello, never cease to amaze me.