On Teaching Music and Stress Relief

I am a musical person, always have been.  So, at twelve years old when my parents surprised me with a piano, I thought I had been given my best friend.  My mother laughs about how she did not have to ask, plead, or threaten me to get me to practice, but instead, there were days she had to ask me to stop. When I sat down with my first teacher, I quickly understood how to read music and advanced through the lessons quickly.  I loved learning new songs and sitting on the matching bench was the best part of my day. 

Over the years, time at the piano became meditative.  It was my stress relief.  I found it difficult to leave it behind when I left for college.  It took several years into my marriage before I was able to bring my childhood piano into my home.  My children grew up hearing their mother making music. At least most of the time.

One of my neighbors heard me playing and asked if I would teach her daughter.  It didn’t take me long to agree.   I thought, “I love music, I am good at it, I get along with this girl, I will make a little money doing something I love.  Isn’t that what all the experts say, ‘Do what you love?’” So I started and increased my cliental.  It was great.  As it turns out, I am a pretty good piano teacher.  I was having a great time--until I wasn’t.  I was happy spending several hours every week teaching piano, but then, one day, I realized I had not played, just to play, for months.  Music had become my work and the stress relief I used to get was gone.

I saw myself in this week’s readings.  I was the capable technician who hated working for myself.  It wasn’t the working for myself, or the music I hated, but the loss of the love I had for what I was doing.  As I consider my options for the $100 challenge, music lessons is always the first thing that comes to mind.  It is also the first thing to get crossed off the list.  I only keep it under consideration because I am prepared for the change.  I know how it feels and can be prepared for it.  As for now, it is still on my short list, but it is at the bottom.