Marsha Maung:: Freelance graphic designer and writer

I love the piano and have spent my childhood days dreaming about playing wondering music and composing songs. Because I have this gift musically, I didn’t speak to my parents for close to a week, I think, because they sold my organ off. I didn’t know then but now I do – my parents had financial problems and selling off the piano was an option I think they didn’t want to (but have to) make.

But I swear to you…I was the maddest kid on the block for a long, long, LONG time!!

So, off Joshua goes to music class. This is not the first time he’s going to attend music class. The first music class he went to was under Musikgarten program. I have very good reviews about Musikgarten but they teach a whole lot of singing, dancing and drama in the classes. So, after about a year of classes under Musikgarten, I suppose I decided that Joshua’s reaped enough benefits through their program. In attending the music class, he’s come out of his very solitary shell and has become more confident and vocal about things. Like when I shout at him unreasonably (bad PMS mom in action), he will sniff silently and tell me, “Mom, you shouldn’t just simply shout at me”. The first time he told me that, it stunned me silent. Then I ran to him and gave him a big hug, telling him, “You’re right, Josh. I shouldn’t. I am so, so, sorry!”

So, yeah, the music class, the drama, the dancing and singing DID do him a lot of good. But now, I want him to go a step further. To learn how to PLAY a musical instrument. The first thing that comes to mind is….as usual, the keyboard or the piano. Think musical instrument, piano comes to mind. Don’t ask me why and I am guilty of this very same thinking.

And yet when I went to the music class with Josh and he stares at a young teen playing a guitar in the shop (probably practicing before class), he pointed at the teen and told me. “I think I want to learn how to play the guitar”.

My first thought was….”What? You don’t want to play the piano? Why not? it makes a beautiful sound and I like the piano and I desperately want to learn how to play the piano. Why not you?”

Then I snapped out of the dream-state and said to Josh, “Sure thing, Josh. You’re a little bit young for the guitar but let me try to sweet-talk your new teacher in accepting you as a student, ok?” And my sweet talk worked.

I got past myself in accepting the fact that my son is not playing the conventional piano but others have not.

A certain relative and her husband snigger and chuckle every time they see me and Josh lugging the guitar around. They’re like saying, “You’re really serious about this? What makes you think you can do this? Josh? Playing the guitar? Why not the piano? It’s not going to work, Marsha”

But they’re not the only one, elderly people have this ingrained perception that the guitar is not a proper musical instrument too. They continue to think and imagine the guitar as the kind of toy people bring around and strum aimlessly on during campfires. But with a piano, you can make a living, you can play in an orchestra or become someone….prominent. With a guitar, you don’t.

Eh, you never heard of Santana or Four Play, is it? They make bigger buckaroos than those people in orchestra, I would like to assume.

So, I say, let Josh make the decision. If he wants to switch to another musical instrument later on, let him. Don’t tell him he can’t without letting him try, right?

Marsha
www.marshamaung.com
www.creativejooz.com
www.allmomstuff.com