Music, Music, Music!

 Much of my time lately has been taken up with musical endeavors. When COVID first arrived all my music groups stopped. Without places to play, there is much less motivation to practice. I did a lot of listening instead of playing. And like any physical activity, if you stop, you get out of shape.

Before COVID I played in a band, an orchestra, and a (French) horn choir. Now everything is starting up again. My three regular groups are all rehearsing. In addition, my son's father-in-law asked if I would fill in in the band he conducts. In the interest of family harmony I said yes to helping out in one concert in November. And, I'm playing in a klezmer band for an upcoming holiday. Then I got asked if I would play in three operas! I turned it down - too much, including too much driving! 

Just recently a horn player friend invited me and a few others over to his house to play quartets. It was fun, both the playing and the interacting with friends. Now this friend has asked if we want to become an ongoing quartet, rehearsing regularly, playing concerts, and having a cool name. This was so tempting. I said yes. The quartet won't get together as often - maybe twice a month. And it looks like we'll have a break for wine and munchies. Who says classical musicians are straight-laced?

I feel both blessed by all these opportunities to play with good musicians and a little overwhelmed after sheltering in place for a long time. I wonder if others feel somewhat overwhelmed now as we all become more social and break out of our isolation.

The Kindness of Jump Ropers

 Jump roping was a popular recess activity with girls when I was in elementary school. However, I didn't learn to jump rope until 5th grade. Thinking back, at the elementary school I attended in a small Wisconsin town from 2nd grade through 4th grade, I didn't play with the girls at recess. I had two friends who were boys. They didn't play with the other boys, who were generally playing football or kickball, or some other semi-organized ball game. The three of us played games of our imagination. I don't remember much at all except for running up and down the heaps of snow the plows left in the winter while making up our own adventures.

In 5th grade a new elementary school opened up and my siblings and I were among the children who were sent there. My two friends were not. We didn't keep in touch. It was the 1960s and we had no other connection except for school.

At my new school the boys still played organized ball games at recess and the girls jumped rope. So I joined the girls. I did not have the hang of it. In case you have never experienced jump rope, two people are the twirlers (of the rope) and everyone else waiting in a line for a turn. When it's your turn, you run into the twirling rope and start to jump over it while the rest of the girls recite a jump rope chant. I don't remember any of the chants, but I googled jump rope chants of the 1960s. I think this is one we did:

Cinderalla Dressed in Yella

Cinderella dressed in yella,
Went downstairs to kiss a fella,
Made a mistake and kissed a snake.
How many doctors did it take
1, 2, 3, . . . .

Cinderella dressed in yellow
Went downstairs to kiss her fellow.
How many kisses did she give?
One, two, three, four, five . . .

Every time it was my turn, I ran in and tripped over the rope and became a twirler. The girls decided that wasn't fair to me and gave me permanent jumper status. Until one day I ran in and started jumping to my and everyone else's surprise. I guess I caught on to the rhythm of the rope. I did miss, after a respectable amount of jumping as well as astonishment! I became an equal and took my turn twirling.

When I remembered that experience today I was struck by the kindness of the girls. It was a collective decision, with no discussion or dissent, that I should get special treatment. Without that, I would probably never have learned to jump rope. I have only vague memories of the individual girls - my family moved out of state after 6th grade - but I do remember their sense of fairness and kindness.