Jacques and I have a special connection through music. It is hard to explain. He loves when I play songs for him on the piano. He will sit next to me and then I have to play. He will sit still the entire time I play (usually around 45 minutes), and this kid cannot sit still for more than 5 minutes usually. He switches couches while watching tv...
But something strange happens when I play, it is like we can communicate more effectively through the feelings the songs awake in us. I can feel when a song has made him sad, I feel it while playing. It has happened once or twice that I even stopped playing that song and went to another because I instinctively know if I finish he will be to emotional and will start to cry.
I know which songs he absolutely loves so I keep them for times a song has touched him deeply. I immediately go to one of his favorites and play that.
Another strange thing he does, he gives some of the songs names. When I play a specific song, he will say oupa Danie - he refers to his grandfather then. And he says that everytime I play that specific song. He has songs for both his aunts, his grandmother and grandfather.
Every single time I play them he mentions their names. I know the song for my sister Elna, was the song we performed on their wedding. I assume that is where he connects the song to my sister. She has been married for 8 years already😱. There is definitely nothing wrong with his memory.
And afterwards he is so calm. He has this euphoria surrounding him for quite a while.
You can probably imagine, I have been a weeping puddle at the piano a few times. This connection we have through our shared love for music is something I treasure more than words can describe.
I also try to instill the same love in Ruben, but that is a bit more difficult. Where Jacques' love for music is untainted by outside influences, Ruben's is not.
Ruben hears the bullies comments about boys singing in the choir. He knows what other boys think about boys playing the piano or any instrument.
I am also very proud of the way he deals with this aweful biased world we live in.
He basically ignores the comments, he has been singing in the senior choir of his primary school for 3 years now.
And something I am so eternally grateful for, he has started showing real interest in learning to play the piano.
I will nourish this love very carefully, and that is why I will teach him. I know my son and I know what will push him away from the piano. I want him to play for himself.
To experience the same emotions his brother and I share, and hopefully they can connect on the same level later on.
I guess it is true, music really is a universal language.
As we have heard before: "The fact that children can make beautiful music is far less significant than the fact that music makes beautiful chikdren!" Luv u all.
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