My Daughters

My daughters, Elena and Maddie, are now 19 and 16.   Way back when they were little people of 4 and 1,  I started Musical Beginnings so I’d have a job I could bring them to, and they’ve always been the heart of the school.   When they weren’t dancing and singing in one of my classes, they were engrossed in a Barney tape in my office just a few feet away.  As they got older, I created classes I thought they’d like—Foundations, Entertainers, Little Fingers Club—and the studio grew out of what they needed.  When they got old enough for piano lessons, I hired teachers.  When they were ready to perform, I put on recitals.   When a parent had a question, I drew on my own experience.   And on weekends, my daughters helped me empty the trash.

Elena and Maddie and Musical Beginnings all grew up together.   As the girls got older and they tired of Barney tapes, they helped out in the classes by putting away instruments, readying CD’s,  or giving special attention to a restless child.  They performed in every recital and helped with set up and clean up.   Everyone knew them; they were always there.

Eventually they outgrew the Young Child classes and spent their days in their own school.   They still took lessons and performed in recitals, but not every recital.   I still created new classes, but not always for their age group.  But yet their influence remained.  When I wanted them to memorize more pieces, I came up with Trophy Club for the whole studio.  When Elena struggled with 16^th-notes, everyone was invited to do a Rhythm Challenge.  When Maddie couldn’t recall the sharps in a B scale, it was time for Scale Olympics.  As they got more advanced, I implemented the Academy and Honors Recitals.

In high school, the girls got involved with their own things and Musical Beginnings became more mine than ours.  I got used to doing things without two little girls next to me.  I could bring a new focus to my work.  Elena went to college and Maddie turned from violin to journalism and tennis.   Because  things were so busy I had little time for nostalgia.  Still there were moments, quick ripples of longing.

And then this summer my daughters emerged once more as guiding forces at Musical Beginnings.  Deciding between them that I needed digital updating, they got to work.  Elena set up the new Musical Beginnings Facebook page and Maddie created this blog.  Elena transcribed and formatted songs I’d been singing forever but were not written down into music notation for everyone to read.  Maddie organized the CD’s I use in my classes into ipod playlists and hid my CD player until I learned how to use them. I now have a DropBox account, SoundCloud, and two flash drives.  I might have only the vaguest notion of what to do with the DropBox and SoundCloud, but I like knowing they’re there. 

Now when I go onto my computer, when I update Facebook, when I touch the Bubbles playlist on my ipod, I’m given a quick reminder of Elena and Maddie and it makes me smile.  Just like when they were little, my girls are always around.