NEXT AVENUE SPECIAL SECTION
Learning to Play the Cello at 50 By Natasha Chaim
On a road trip to the Rocky Mountains about ten years ago, with our young children asleep in the back, my husband and I made a bucket list. The list still lives in the Notes App on my phone. I visit it at least once a year and lately am reminded of the passing of time and all the items we have yet to check off. On my fiftieth birthday, I decided that was the year I was going to check something off the list, starting with the one I could do for and by myself. Number 15. Learn to play the cello. It took me a long time to come to this decision, because over the years, I had convinced myself I wasn't "musical." I was someone who appreciated music but could never be a musician myself. I finally made both the commitment and the investment. I bought a used cello from a friend who was upgrading her instrument and who also hooked me up with her cello teacher. In March 2023, I started taking lessons from Victoria Clarke, who is 20 years older than me and has been teaching cello since the 1980s.
Victoria teaches using the Suzuki Method, a music teaching system developed by the Japanese violinist and educator Shinichi Suzuki. Unlike my belief about musical talent, Suzuki believed that one's musical ability is not innate; it's a skill that can develop with careful nurturing and training. He likened it to how children learn to speak languages through listening, imitation and repetition.
"Unlike my belief about musical talent, Suzuki believed that one's musical ability is not innate; it's a skill that can develop with careful nurturing and training."
My very first cello lesson was 45 minutes of learning how to hold the bow. We didn't even touch the cello. Ten months later, Victoria still spends a good 10 minutes of our lesson correcting or perfecting my bow hold or making me play one note over and over until she is happy with both my bow hold and my sound. At the beginning, my fingers and wrists would ache afterwards. I texted my cellist friend to ask if the soreness would go away and she assured me it would. I have a new appreciation not only for the talent, but also the physical stamina required to be an orchestra musician.
Read more of this story on NextAvenue.org
21
NEXTAVENUE.ORG
Made with FlippingBook Ebook Creator