Piano Recital!

I have never offered music to my kids with the edict that they must perform.  I believe that music has a deep ability to heal, to soothe and to allow for expression in ways that words sometimes can not. For those reasons alone, music lessons have always been money well spent to me.  Chet took guitar lessons for 6 years.  He derived pleasure from messing around in his room and from the social aspects of his classes. KC has played recorder for a year and delights in just picking up his instrument and playing.

Rob asked to take piano lessons just a bit over a year ago.  I said sure, though I was surprised.  I too can stereotype and Rob was so strongly into athletics that I missed the signs of how much music was beginning to mean to him.  On the plus side, the fact that I love music and haul my kids to a variety of musical experiences was obviously benefitting him despite my cluelessness. LOL

But he began his piano lessons. And I rarely heard him play though I saw him practice often.  Sometimes I think that putting on the headphones and playing was respite from the hubbub of our busy noisy family.  Sometimes I think it meant he could not hear me ask him to do a chore. LOL  But it was meeting an emotional need and I let it be.  Once in a rare while I would hear really lovely music in the hall at church, or in our living room when I would be coming in from outside, and I would smile to know it was Rob.

By his very guarded, quiet nature I always felt that his music was his own private joy, and that others were not necessarily going to be let in.  Today he decided to change that.  He played a piece by his favorite group The Fray and was backed up by a guitarist and his teacher who played some instrument that he blew into but looked like a small keyboard.  I have no clue what it was.  Oh and a drummer.  He did great.  The piece was wonderful. He was watched by his siblings, my wife and I, his grandmother and her new gentleman companion, and his god parents. 

My greatest gift, was his demeanor.  Rob has PTSD and his stress response is always pretty close to the surface. Often, it is most visible in group settings.  But not today. The magic of music gifted my son with a calm joy that literally just radiated off him.  I am so blessed.

I took a few shots with our camera but suspect they did not come out well.  The sanctuary where the recital was held is large and sucked the tiny little flashes life right out of it. I'll try and mess around with computer editing to make it look decent and post later!