Ari and The Dragon

When we go to cello lessons, everyone takes a back seat to The Dragon.  A cello, especially one inside of an awesome case like this one, fits best in the front seat, so it gets shotgun.  Ari has been studying cello with Mr. Marsden since she was about five.  She also had a teacher who teaches at my violin shop, Marisa de Garlais, who is a fabulous teacher.  But Ari was a fiesty, willful little girl, and she steamrolled over Marisa, with her nice, patient demeanor.  Not the case with Mr. Marsden.  Nobody steamrollers Mr. Marsden.  He has always been able to whip Ari into line.  On a couple of occasion, she complained, "I don't like Mr. Marsden."  I said, "Good."

I knew that she secretly did like her teacher, and she still does.  They have a good, solid working relationship.  Cello has become exactly what I hoped it would for Ari: something she loves, on her own terms.  Over the years, I have had to back off and let her do it her way.  She rarely complains about daily practicing, yet I know she could progress better if I helped.  At the same time, I knew that if I pushed, she would push back.  I knew I couldn't afford to have Ari hate cello.  The good news is, she is getting there, and it's all her effort, along with having an excellent teacher, that has produced the results.

My job:  make sure she practices, and then stand back.

Her job:  being a marvelous girl with prodigious ambition and dedication.  This sixth grade year, she has thrived.  She loves her school teacher, and has really learned to study.  Orchestra came along in the fall, but Mrs. Tuke asked her to wait until right before the Christmas concert to join the group.  I couldn't wait!  I remember being perched on the edge of my seat in Mr. Marsden's fifth grade orchestra class.  Even though I had already been playing for two years, it was terribly exciting to be there.  Although Ari wouldn't characterize her orchestra experience as "terribly exciting," she has really enjoyed it.

Last night was the "Monster Concert," where three teachers get all their orchestras together to play in a big group.  There were almost three hundred kids involved!  The seating was "first come, first seated," so I got Ari and her friend Emma there at the earliest possible time.  Other cellists had the same idea, but they didn't sit right at the front, so Ari got the first chair spot, the best place to be and much safer for her expensive cello.  Plus, Grandma and Grandpa had a better chance of spotting her.  The concert was still two hours away, and people were taping off seats.  I was leaving and couldn't save any, so I hoped they would be able to catch a glimpse.

I think tiny, lithe Emma is awesome for playing the bass!  It's so cool!

And there's Michelle's son, Matthew Fitzgerald, in the back looking thoughtful.  He was a good sport and waved at me.  He was playing on one of my instruments, as were quite a few other kids.

There in the front is one of Golda's ballet teachers daughter, Lauren.  She was in my ballet class when she was five, and now she's so old!  I also got to visit with a friend whose kids used to take lessons from me.  Juan and Stefania would come at 7 am, sharing a 30-minute lesson to save money.  They are the best kids.  Juan played in the concert, and Stefania wants to be an orchestra teacher when she grows up.  Their mom has provided every single musical opportunity she could scrape up, and her kids have bloomed and grown because of it.

Grandma and Grandpa came to watch the concert, and took Ari out for ice cream after.  I was sad to miss it, but so thankful Ari had fans there!  Later that night, we asked her how it was, if the kids sounded good.  Ari answered, "Yeah.  For beginners."  She laughed.  Wizened old Ari and The Dragon; a good combo.