Legacy

It's only been three years since I've graduated from high school. Sometimes that seems like ages ago: I've changed a lot, I've experienced so many new things, I've made new friends... And other times it seems like it was just yesterday when I stood on stage there... smiling at all the people I love from my community, filled with the joy of performing.

And then, I'm stooping to look at a poster of the performers... and I'm asked a most unsettling question: "Oh, you've heard of CHO before? Were you in it?"

I didn't quite know how to answer that. CHO was my life in high school. Has it really been that long? But yes, clearly. And then I wonder... what did I do with my life in high school? If three years later people don't even remember I was in the group...? Sometimes growing up is fun... and sometimes it's just unsettling.

As I sat in the dark, sold-out auditorium watching a group of youngsters play the songs my fingers know so well... I realized that even if I'm no longer the center of the stage, the joy of fiddling that we worked so hard to pass on to younger students is still thriving.

These kids, these seniors, are the very ones I got to work with as middle schoolers. These freshmen I've worked with for years... I got to play a part in passing on the love of the fiddle to them. Watching my students become the new up-and-coming stars thrills me... the kids I got to show how to hold the violin, how to play these songs. By no means do I take the credit... but it fills me with such joy to see them experience the same CHO that shaped me so much.

The past six months or so I have been pondering and musing about my passions. Somewhere in the hustle and bustle of school, friends, work, family, traveling... I have forgotten to add one of my greatest passions to the list: teaching kids music... Hearing their progress week by week. Sharing frustration with them, problem-solving, motivating them to practice (the hardest thing), and finally celebrating with them over a good performance. As I watched the line of fifth graders playing Twinkle... some shyly, some confidently... My foot tapped gently, my fingers tingled, my heart came alive.