Last week, this Noteworthy Mommy had the joy of stepping into the role of substitute music teacher at Zion. It was a day filled with music, laughter, and a surprising wave of emotion as I got to teach something near and dear to my heart, the recorder, to a room full of energetic 4th graders. But what made it extra special? My very own mini me is in the 4th grade this year, and I got to share this moment with her.
As a lifelong musician, my main instrument is the clarinet, and I hadn’t touched a recorder in years. But it was like riding a bike. The fingerings came back so naturally, almost like my hands remembered what my mind had long forgotten. The kids were eager to play, and when I demonstrated a few tunes for them, they clapped! There is truly nothing more heartwarming than being applauded by a group of nine and ten year olds. Their enthusiasm was contagious.
We played familiar favorites like When the Saints Go Marching In and Jingle Bells, but the piece that moved me most was a simple melody by Mozart titled Andante. I played it carefully for the class and explained that “andante” is a musical term meaning moderately slow. As the gentle notes floated through the room, I was suddenly transported back in time, not just to my own childhood when I first learned to play the recorder in 4th grade but to those sweet early days of motherhood.
I remembered holding my infant daughter in my arms, streaming lullabies in the soft glow of her nursery. I remembered the way her tiny fingers curled around mine, the scent of her baby skin, and the ache in my heart as I packed away each set of outgrown clothes, mourning the passage of time. I was scared back then, unsure of the future, desperate to hold onto those fleeting newborn moments. If only I had known the amazing things God had in store for both of us!
Teaching that music lesson was a full circle moment. From 4th grade me learning the recorder, to over four decades of playing the clarinet, making music with friends, joining musical ensembles, and creating lifelong memories; music has always been a thread running through my life. That little plastic recorder reminded me that beauty doesn’t have to come from something fancy. Joy can be found in the simplest of melodies.
And perhaps the best part of this experience is it helped me connect with the class in a new way. I’m usually the mom leading classroom parties or driving on field trips, but on this day, they saw me as a musician. And they listened. Really listened. We laughed, we played, and we made music together.
Music has a way of bringing back memories, of stirring feelings long buried, of connecting people across time and space. It’s full of emotion and it’s meant to be shared. And yes, if you want to torture someone, just put them in a room of 4th graders playing the recorder and don’t let them wear earplugs! We all start somewhere and I sounded exactly the same when I began. But there’s beauty in that, too.
God gives us such wonderful and unexpected opportunities. What a gift to be my daughter’s music teacher for the day. What a privilege to share this musical connection with her. What joy there is in music!
Noteworthy Mommy 