Waxing on The Love of Music

This past Sunday afternoon my daughter, Jordyn (second on the right in red) won first place in the instrumental competition sponsored by the Hopewell/Prince George Lyons Club. Jordyn competed against 15 other pianists and the competition was very tough. The students amazed me with their composure, performing their selected pieces without written music while being judged partly by how correct they played according to the written score. Jordyn played Moonlight Sonata (my favorite classical piece). She was flawless! I know, I know...spoken as only Dad could but hey, she won! I am very proud of Jordyn, win or lose, but I am thankful that she was rewarded for her hard work. I am also thankful that I was reminded of the simple love of music on Sunday. The contest was 4 hours long and all I had to do was sit there. That is an odd place for a Pastor and it was a good time for me to stop and listen...just listen. Just enjoy the gift of music. It was pretty sweet.
Jordyn and I both love the movie, "The Pianist" and before she went up to play, I encouraged her to remember the movie's main character, Polish Pianist, Wladyslaw Szpilman, forced to hide from the Nazis as a Jewish refugee, and when he was finally able to play piano again, he played not for the crowd, or for money but just for the love of music.
I didn't know if Jordyn was paying any attention to me and wondered if I only added to her nerves but when she began to play Sunday, I believe, that by the grace of God, Beethoven himself would have stopped to listen to his masterpiece...it was just one of those moments.
She deserved to win and I am glad she did but I am even more pleased that she has been given the gift of music appreciation. She loves music and I do too! She told me on the way home that she did think of Szpilmanand imagined that she was all alone, just playing for the love of it. We got home Sunday night and I flipped on the TV. "60 Minutes" was on, as a story was beginning about Nathaniel Ayers. A homeless man in L.A. suffering from Paranoid Schizophrenia. Once a Julliard Academy music student, he has long since left Julliard, and suffered through shock therapy and other failed attempts to help him. He now lives in the streets, with thousands of other mentally ill people but he still has a love for music. He sits in the park, or on the street playing the Cello, the Violin, or the Trumpet, not for money...but for the love of music.
"Music is saying, you know, life isn't that bad, you know?" Mr. Ayers explained.
I would have to agree with Mr. Ayers and even take it a little further. Life is not that bad... as a matter of fact, life is good!
Thank you Lord for life and thank you for the gift of music!